National League of American
Pen Women,
District of Columbia Branch
Serving the Washington, DC Area

Calendar:
Meetings are held at 1:00 PM at the Pen Arts Bldg,
1300 Seventeenth St, NW near Dupont Cir.
unless noted.

September 20th 2008 Nancy J. McCeney, DTM
   The presentation for the Penn Women’s group on September 20th 2008 will focus on the subject of Leadership, “Learning to Lead, Gently.” The discussion will be interactive and informative. The presentation will be 15 minutes with a 10 minute Q&A session. You will receive a three-page list of books and seminars on the subject of Leadership.
    Ms. McCeney retired from the Federal Government in September 2006, with 44 years of service. For 25 years she was a trainer for the Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency specializing in courses for attorneys and environmental issues for managers. She has been active in the Toastmaster International speaking group for over 20 years, and most recently served as the District 36 Governor from 2005-2006 supervising over 175 clubs in the Washington, DC and Maryland area. She currently belongs to five clubs in the downtown area and in the Laurel and Greenbelt, Maryland.
   Ms. McCeney earned her Bachelors Degree in Business and Management from the University of Maryland and her Masters Degree in Business and Management from Johns Hopkins University, where she took an Advanced Leadership Course. Ms. McCeney is interested in the subject of leadership and in April 2007, presented a leadership course to 12 managers for the Environmental Protection Agency. She owns about 30+ books on the subject of leadership and enjoys sharing her knowledge on this subject.
   Ms. McCeney lives in College Park, Maryland with her husband Paul and has two grown sons, Edwin and Robert.
   For Ms. McCeney's book list on leadership CLICK HERE.

October 11, 2008 (Sunday)
   Organist Paul Hardy, organist of the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle on Ocotber 12 (Sunday) at 4 PM following a 3:00PM tour of the Cathedral by Dick Schmidt, Historian on the same date..

November 15, 2008: Ruth Rose, Piano
   Ruth is a pianist whose repertoire ranges from the Baroque and Romantic to the contemporary. Her playing has been praised by Washington Post for her “blooming romanticism ... a deep, warm sound ... rich interpretations ... and a smooth singing quality.” The Dutch press was impressed by  “the rhythm, sharpness and color of her Albéniz ... her blend of an enormous temperament with refined humor ... and the excellence with which she creates moods”.
    Ruth Rose has performed extensively in recital, with orchestra and as a chamber musician throughout Europe, Israel, the United States and South America, appearing in prestigious venues and soloing with major ensembles. Ms Rose resided for many years in Amsterdam, and has appeared in the main Dutch venues like the Concertgebouw, de Ijsbreker, Vredenburg and De Doelen, as well as at the the Uitmarkt Festival and the Spring Festival in The Hague. She has also been a guest performer for radio broadcasts in the Netherlands with live recitals and recordings of Spanish, South American and contemporary music. She has performed at the Corcoran Gallery and the Anderson House in Washington DC, and is also a frequent collaborator with the In Series in their musical theatre productions.
    Based in Washington DC since 2003, Ruth Rose was born in Peru and is a graduate of the Peabody Conservatory. She recently joined the faculty at the Washington Conservatory. Her CD “Spanish and Latin American piano music” has been released on the Americus label.

December 2008
   Combined meeting with the Chevy Chase Branch (Linda Nash, President) for a Christmas Concert to be held at the Pen Arts Buillding.

January 17,2009: 1:00 PM
Tour of The National Museum of Women in the Arts. The Address is 1250 New York Ave, NW Washjington, DC 20005. Between 12th and 13th, H and I (Eye) Streets NW. Meet soutside the Museum.

February 21, 2009 Valentines Day Concert; Maureen Mitchell
    Maureen Mitchell, who celebrated her seventh year as a first Soprano singing with the Congressional Chorus, an ensemble of singers formed 20 years ago on Capitol Hill. Her career has spanned from instrumental training and performances on Long Island, New York, where she was raised, to several performances with Hexagon, Inc., a Washington, DC non-profit group performing original, political, musical satires to raise money for charity.
     As a child, Maureen sang with the chorus and studied and played violin, piano and the bassoon, entering piano competitions and playing with the high school band, orchestra and chamber and pit orchestra ensembles for shows such as "Hello, Dolly!" and "Li'l Abner." She has performed in the musical "Kismet," and one of Neil Simon's plays and studied Jazz dance in Westbury, New York. Maureen was selected as one of a few children to perform in the children's choruses of Puccini's "La Bohème" and "Madama Butterfly," in New York City. She also was a child solo performer at her church on Long Island. Maureen was a High School recipient of "Who's Who in Music" upon graduating from High School.
     Maureen is a graduate of Boston College who has a BA in Communications and Theatre. She worked at an all-news Boston radio station as an intern writer and at a small local Massachusetts weekly as an intern reporter. She was the producer of 2-one act plays for "Black Family Weekend," at Boston College, in which she also performed and was one of the college's AM radio disc jockeys. Maureen enjoyed singing with the Boston College choir "Voices of Imani."
     In later years, Maureen participated in several actors' workshops at the renown HB Studios in Manhattan. She was also the Assistant Director of "Romantic Comedy" and performed as the Reporter in "All About Eve," for community theatre on Long Island, NY. She has studied the work of a studio technician and field producer locally at Montgomery Community College in Rockville, Maryland and has undertaken work at the USDA Graduate Studies program that included the course "From Page to Stage," at the Kennedy Center. She has sung with Jubalate, an informal singing group of the Foundry United Methodist Church, during efforts to combine the church choirs for a performance at The White House during the Clinton administration, and has performed during Christmas at The White House.
     Maureen has been an extra during taping of a segment of NBC's West Wing "Inaugural" episode filmed at the Ronald Reagan building in Washington, DC. She has done some radio voice-overs and is presently a volunteer at the Bowie Community Theatre. She has enjoyed singing with the Congressional Chorus at the Atlas Theatre and Kennedy Center.Center Washington, DC. Maureen is appreciative of the support of the Pen Women for assisting her for the Congressional Chorus' 20th season.
   Maureen has been singing with the Annapolis Chorale for its 35th season this past year in Annapolis, Maryland and plans to perform with the Chorale and other choirs during the coming year. She has been given voice instruction by Paul Leavitt.

March 17, 2009; 6:00PM
Dinner at Ireland's Four Provences on the 4600 block of Connecticiut Avenue, NW in Washington, DC on St. Pa;trick's Day. Irish songs will be performed during dinner. Just north of Brandywine St. 1.6 mi north of the National Zoo and Woodley Park.

April 2009: Dr. Lillian M. Beard
   Lillian M. Beard, M.D., a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, is a practicing pediatrician in Silver Spring, Maryland, and an associate clinical professor of pediatrics at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Washington, D.C. and author of Salt in Your sock and Orther Tried-and-True Home Remidies.
   Salt in Your Sock: and Other Tried-and-True Home Remedies by Lillian Beard, M.D. and Linda Lee Small.
When your child is seriously ill, nothing but the front line of modern medicine will do. But for all those minor ailments that children seem to pick up just by breathing, there are safe, effective, and inexpensive home remedies. In Salt in Your Sock and Other Tried-and-True Home Remedies, veteran pediatrician Dr. Lillian Beard presents more than one hundred of her patients' favorite all-natural treatments from around the world, collected over the twenty-five years of her practice. For each ailment, Dr. Beard offers a medical explanation, warning signs for when to call the doctor, conventional treatments, and a colorful array of folk remedies to try.

May 16, 2009
   Dina Matos McGreevey, former First Lady of New Jersey, currently Executive Director of the Columbus Foundation, who is the author of Silent Partner. New member of the DC Branch.

September 19 , 2009
   Luncheon and trip on the Odyssey.

October 10, 2009   Please note that this is the 2nd Saturday
   Matinee at the Washington National Opera.

October 11, 2009 (Sunday)
   Paul Hardy will give an organ concert. Preceeding the concert Dick Schmidt will conduct a tour of the Cathedral prior to the organ concert.

November, 2009
   Tour of the Smithsonian's American History museum.

December, 2009
   Christmas Matinee at the Washington National Opera.

January 16, 2010
   Business meeting at Pen Arts Building.

February 2010
   Saturday matinee at the National symphony Orchestra

March 2010   "The Art of Fashion"
   Vivian, the Proprietor of La Mode European Fashions in Washington, DC at 14th and K Streets, NW will do a presentation at the Pen Arts Building titled: The Art of Fashion.

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PAST EVENTS

May 24, 2008 - 1:30 PM    Francine Silverman
   Francine Silverman is a lifelong New Yorker who honed her writing skills as a newspaper reporter and freelance writer. She authored two travel guidebooks, Catskills Alive (2000 and 2003) and Long Island Alive (2003), both published by Hunter Publishing.
   In 2003, Fran started Book Promotion Newsletter for authors of all genres. (http://www.bookpromotionnewsletter.com) . The ezine spawned Book Marketing from A-Z (Infinity Publishing 2005), containing the best marketing strategies of 325 subscribers. The 400-page paperback is in alphabetical order for ease of use. The book received nearly 40 rave reviews from on-line reviewers.
   In 2006, Fran started a publicity service and has gotten subscribers placed in the Boston Herald, Oklahoman and Chicago Tribune as well as on myriad Internet and terrestrial radio programs.
   The latter two ventures inspired Fran to compile another book, called Talk Radio for Authors - available on Amazon. The book contains valuable information on talk radio shows across the U.S. and Canada that invite authors as guests. It saves authors the time and trouble in locating appropriate programs to contact. Fran is now compiling yet another book - Radio Wants You! An Intimate Portrait of 1000 Radio Shows that Welcome Guests - designed for a general audience. She is also preparing to begin a radio program in mid-March called The Radio Host Show on Blog Talk Radio, on which she will interview radio hosts about their shows and have them offer a gift or service to listeners.
   Francine's website is http://www.bookpromotionnewsletter.com

April 24-27, 2008 - NLAPW National Convention Alexandria, VA

March 15, 2008 - Cynthia Polansky
     The DC Branch of the National League of American Pen Women (www.NLAPW-DC.org) welcomes acclaimed author Cynthia Polansky on March 15th at the Pen Arts Building, 1300 17th St., NW., at 1 PM.  Polansky will present "Why a Holocaust Novel? the FAR ABOVE RUBIES Journey," a behind-the-scenes look at the compelling true story that inspired the novel, and the challenges today's authors face. 

Polansky is also the author of paranormal women's novel REMOTE CONTROL, and four nonfiction books under the name Cynthia P. Gallagher.  Visit her website at www.cynthiapolansky.com. Admission is free, but seating is limited. An RSVP is requested but not required: patricia@lipe.name or 703-753-8529.

Following the DC Branch Program will be a concert presented by:

The National League of American Pen Women, Inc.
Chevy Chase Branch
and
National Headquarters

An Afternoon of Songs and Roses
with
The Lilliput Rose Garden Orchestra

March 15, 2008
Saturday, 3:00 PM

NLAPW Pen Arts Building
1300 17th Street, NW
Washington, DC

For the program please click here.

April 12, 2008 - Austin S. Camacho
     Crime novels account for about 25 percent of the fiction sold around the world, but what is it about stories of murder and mayhem that fascinates us so much?  Why do we love mysteries?  Is it the storytelling, the characters or something more?  Mystery author Austin S. Camacho will give you 10 good reasons and a little history of the genre, while sharing some of his favorite authors and offering a little insight into the sources and inspirations for his own work.
     Austin S. Camacho is the author of four detective novels in the Hannibal Jones series - Blood and Bone, Collateral Damage, The Troubleshooter, and Damaged Goods, plus two action thrillers, The Payback Assignment and The Orion Assignment.  Active in several writers’ organizations, Camacho is a past president of the Maryland Writers Association, current president of the Northern Virginia chapter of the Virginia Writers Club, and teaches writing at Anne Arundel Community College.  After a career as a military news reporter on the American Forces Network, Camacho is now a public affairs specialist for the Defense Department.  Camacho lives in Springfield, Virginia with his lovely wife Denise and Princess the Wonder Cat.

Feb 23, 2008 - Veronica Li

NEW BOOK TURNS CAREGIVING INTO LITERATURE
JOURNEY ACROSS THE FOUR SEAS:
A CHINESE WOMAN’S SEARCH FOR HOME

    Washington, DC—On a scale larger than ever before, baby boomers are taking care of their aging parents. Reverse parenting can be much more challenging than parenting, but here’s a way to turn it into a rewarding experience: record your parents’ stories. Aside from making your parents feel honored, you will find yourself in a strange and wonderful territory where your life begins long before you were born.
  This was what Veronica Li did when her elderly parents moved into her home in Northern Virginia. Her mother, Flora, is the matriarch who brought the family from Hong Kong to California in the 1960s. Li taped her mother’s stories and wove them into a memoir, Journey Across the Four Seas: A Chinese Woman’s Search for Home. The tale is about Flora’s odyssey through fifty years of personal and political turbulence in Asia. Readers will come away with a new image of the Chinese woman, recently liberated from her bound feet and striding out on her own.
     Flora grew up in Hong Kong in the 1920’s. She was a poor, fatherless orphan, but with spunk and diligence she became one of the first women to enter the prestigious Hong Kong University. After the Japanese invaded Hong Kong she fled to unoccupied China, where she met her husband, the son of China’s finance minister. She thought she had found the ideal husband, but no sooner was the wedding over than she discovered that he suffered from anxieties caused by family conflicts and the wars he had grown up in. Whenever he had a breakdown, Flora would move the family to another city, from Shanghai to Nanjing to Hong Kong to Bangkok and finally across the “four seas” to the U.S. Because of her courage and determination, her descendants are living out the American dream.

December 8, 2007 - Maureen Mitchell with Ben Kaplan (Piano)
    Ben Kaplan, pianist will join Maureen Mitchell, who celebrated her sixth year as a first Soprano singing with the Congressional Chorus,(an ensemble of singers formed 20 years ago on Capitol Hill) for a Christmas song-fest.
      Maureen Mitchell is celebrated her sixth year as a first Soprano singing with the Congressional Chorus, an ensemble of singers formed 20 years ago on Capitol Hill. Her career has spanned from instrumental training and performances on Long Island, New York, where she was raised, to several performances with Hexagon, Inc., a Washington, DC non-profit group performing original, political, musical satires to raise money for charity.
     As a child, Maureen sang with the chorus and studied and played violin, piano and the bassoon, entering piano competitions and playing with the high school band, orchestra and chamber and pit orchestra ensembles for shows such as "Hello, Dolly!" and "Li'l Abner." She has performed in the musical "Kismet," and one of Neil Simon's plays and studied Jazz dance in Westbury, New York. Maureen was selected as one of a few children to perform in the children's choruses of Puccini's "La Bohème" and "Madama Butterfly," in New York City. She also was a child solo performer at her church on Long Island. Maureen was a High School recipient of "Who's Who in Music" upon graduating from High School.
     Maureen is a graduate of Boston College who has a BA in Communications and Theatre. She worked at an all-news Boston radio station as an intern writer and at a small local Massachusetts weekly as an intern reporter. She was the producer of 2-one act plays for "Black Family Weekend," at Boston College, in which she also performed and was one of the college's AM radio disc jockeys. Maureen enjoyed singing with the Boston College choir "Voices of Imani."
     In later years, Maureen participated in several actors' workshops at the renown HB Studios in Manhattan. She was also the Assistant Director of "Romantic Comedy" and performed as the Reporter in "All About Eve," for community theatre on Long Island, NY. She has studied the work of a studio technician and field producer locally at Montgomery Community College in Rockville, Maryland and has undertaken work at the USDA Graduate Studies program that included the course "From Page to Stage," at the Kennedy Center. She has sung with Jubalate, an informal singing group of the Foundry United Methodist Church, during efforts to combine the church choirs for a performance at The White House during the Clinton administration, and has performed during Christmas at The White House.
     Maureen has been an extra during taping of a segment of NBC's West Wing "Inaugural" episode filmed at the Ronald Reagan building in Washington, DC. She has done some radio voice-overs and is presently a volunteer at the Bowie Community Theatre. She is looking forward to her singing performances in June with the Congressional Chorus at the Atlas Theatre and at the Kennedy Center Washington, DC. Maureen is appreciative of the support of the Pen Women for assisting her for the Congressional Chorus' 20th season.
   Ben Kaplan, graduated from Princeton University last May, has studied the piano since age 6. While at Princeton, Ben majored in Economics, but also enjoyed psychology and music. In recent summers, he has been a piano teacher at Summer Sonatina International Piano Camp, in Bennington, Vermont. Ben's favorite performances have included the Schumann Piano Concerto with his high school orchestra in 2002 and Saint-Saens' "Carnival of the Animals" with the Westminster Community Orchestra in 2000. He is a die-hard fan of classical music and his favorite composer is Bach. Ben currently works for American Institutes for Research, dealing primarily in education statistics.

November 17, 2007; Carole Herrick
Carol lives with her husband Philip in McLean. As a nationally ranked tennis player, she attended Los Angles State College, where she received her BA in history. She is active in numerous organizations throughout Fairfax County. As a former President of the McLean Historical Society, she has written numerous articles for publication about McLean and the Northern Virginia area. Currently, she chairs McLean & Great Falls Celebrate Virginia 1607-2007 and serves on the board of Fairfax 2007, two organizations celebrating the quadricentennial anniversary of the founding of Jamestown. Carole is also a member of the Fairfax County History Commission. She served for nine years on the Governing Board of the McLean Community Center and following that held the position of president of Friends of the McLean Community Center for four years. Carole is the immediate past President of McLean Chapter AARP 839 and served three years on AARP's Virginia's State Legislative Committee. In 2001 she received "The Heartbeat of Rotary Award" from the McLean Rotary Club. Carole authored A Chronological History of McLean, Virginia in 2001, August 24, 1814 - Washington in Flames (an account of the British burning of Washington, the sacking of Alexandria and the escapes of both Dolley and James Madison, plus other government officials, to Northern Virginia), and recently published Yesterday - 100 Recollections of McLean & Great Falls, Virginia.

October 13, 2007; Judge Janice Law: (www.judgejanicelaw.com)
Presentation: Law and Sex
     Texas Judge Janice Law will review her two non-fiction books: Yield: A Judge's Fir$t-Year Diary (2006) and Sex Appealed: Was the U.S. Supreme Court Fooled? (2005)
     Accepting a suggestion from instructors at New Judges School, Law, a former print journalist, kept a meticulous daily diary of her explosive first year as judge in Harris County, (Houston) Texas Criminal Court No. 5.
     She is a former state and federal prosecutor, and has also done indigent criminal defense. Law is now a visiting judge, working for judges who are ill, on vacation, etc.
     Sex Appealed, written in the style of an Agatha Christie mystery, is a behind- the- scenes investigation of set up rumors surrounding Lawrence v. Texas, an internationally famous case that began in Judge Law's Houston court and went to the U.S. Supreme Court.
     In consecutive years, the National Press Club selected both Law books for their prestigious Book & Author Night gala in November. CSpan2 BOOK TV has aired interviews on both books, and major book festivals featured Judge Law as a panelist and moderator.
    20% of all sales will benefit the Pen-Arts Building Fund.

May 12, 2007, 1 pm                                        Lucia St. Clair Robson
National League of American Pen Women, DC Branch presented Lucia St. Clair Robson
at the historic Pen Arts Building 1300 17th Street, NW, Washington, DC:

In her own voice: :
     "I talked about Shadow Patriots, the novel about the group that spied for George Washington during the Revolution.  I included anecdotes about the oddities I uncoveedr while doing the research, and gave examples of how I work them into the stories."

"Few novelists working now have a better grasp of early American history than Robson ... Wholly believable, confidently realized, attention-holding historical fiction."                                           -- Kirkus Reviews on Shadow Patriots, a Novel of the Revolution       True West Magazine*names Lucia as Best Living Western Historical Novelist - "Beginning with her first book, Ride the Wind (about Comanche captive Cynthia Ann Parker), through her latest, Ghost Warrior: Lozen of the Apaches, Lucia combines a historian's knowledge of facts with a novelist's understanding of the human condition.  As a result, she's able to transport her readers to a world that is so real, they can smell the sweat."  *50th Anniversary Special Issue - Best of the West.      "Historical accounts were helpful, but the map is not the territory". Lucia writes about her "connection" to Texas:  "On (my) first jaunt through Texas I acquired a life-long addiction to time-tripping. What I discovered was that solitary travel gives a sense of timelessness, of animated suspension between the nattering of the present and anxieties about the future."

April 14 , 2007: Maureen Mitchell (See Awards page) The performance was held at the Chevy Chase Library at 2:00PM (Large event room downstairs) 8005 Connecticut Ave., Chevy Chase, MD 20817 (240) 773-9590

      Maureen L. Mitchell is celebrated her sixth year as a first Soprano singing with the Congressional Chorus, an ensemble of singers formed 20 years ago on Capitol Hill. Her career has spanned from instrumental training and performances on Long Island, New York, where she was raised, to several performances with Hexagon, Inc., a Washington, DC non-profit group performing original, political, musical satires to raise money for charity.
     As a child, Maureen sang with the chorus and studied and played violin, piano and the bassoon, entering piano competitions and playing with the high school band, orchestra and chamber and pit orchestra ensembles for shows such as "Hello, Dolly!" and "Li'l Abner." She has performed in the musical "Kismet," and one of Neil Simon's plays and studied Jazz dance in Westbury, New York. Maureen was selected as one of a few children to perform in the children's choruses of Puccini's "La Bohème" and "Madama Butterfly," in New York City. She also was a child solo performer at her church on Long Island. Maureen was a High School recipient of "Who's Who in Music" upon graduating from High School.
     Maureen is a graduate of Boston College who has a BA in Communications and Theatre. She worked at an all-news Boston radio station as an intern writer and at a small local Massachusetts weekly as an intern reporter. She was the producer of 2-one act plays for "Black Family Weekend," at Boston College, in which she also performed and was one of the college's AM radio disc jockeys. Maureen enjoyed singing with the Boston College choir "Voices of Imani."
     In later years, Maureen participated in several actors' workshops at the renown HB Studios in Manhattan. She was also the Assistant Director of "Romantic Comedy" and performed as the Reporter in "All About Eve," for community theatre on Long Island, NY. She has studied the work of a studio technician and field producer locally at Montgomery Community College in Rockville, Maryland and has undertaken work at the USDA Graduate Studies program that included the course "From Page to Stage," at the Kennedy Center. She has sung with Jubalate, an informal singing group of the Foundry United Methodist Church, during efforts to combine the church choirs for a performance at The White House during the Clinton administration, and has performed during Christmas at The White House.
     Maureen has been an extra during taping of a segment of NBC's West Wing "Inaugural" episode filmed at the Ronald Reagan building in Washington, DC. She has done some radio voice-overs and is presently a volunteer at the Bowie Community Theatre. She is looking forward to her singing performances in June with the Congressional Chorus at the Atlas Theatre and at the Kennedy Center Washington, DC. Maureen is appreciative of the support of the Pen Women for assisting her for the Congressional Chorus' 20th season.

Saturday, February 10 and Sunday, February 11
The Congressional Chorus Concerts. The NLAPW-DC sponsored vocalist Maureen Mitchell sings in their presentation of "Love American Style."
See the Awards and Outreach page.

March 11 , 2007: St. Mathews Cathedral     Time: 2:45pm
Dick Schmidt conducted a private tour of St. Mathews Cathedral for the NLAPW-DC.

Saturday, February 10, 2007: John DeDakis (pronounced dih-DAY-kiss) (http://www.johndedakis.com)
Presentation title: "From Journalist to Novelist (Or How I Learned to Stop Telling the Truth and Start Making it Up)."
     A native of La Crosse, Wisconsin, is a CNN Senior Copy Editor. He has been with CNN since July 1988 and is currently an editor and writer for “The Situation Room,” anchored by Wolf Blitzer.
     DeDakis began his journalism career in 1969 by getting tear gassed as he covered an anti-Vietnam War riot for a campus radio station at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He earned a BA in Journalism from that university in 1977 following a stint in the Army where he worked as a Special Events Reporter at The American Forces Network - Europe, based in Frankfurt, Germany. DeDakis is a former White House Correspondent and has interviewed such luminaries as Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and Alfred Hitchcock.
    Two incidents in his life inspired DeDakis to write his first novel, FAST TRACK: a car/train collision he witnessed as a child in 1959, and the suicide of his sister in 1980. This book tackles tough issues, including suicide, finding purpose in life, journalistic integrity, anonymous sources, and mentoring relationships. "The novel's strength is its roller-coaster plot, where tension lies between secrets revealed and unrevealed. In fact, you can't stop reading and you don't want to stop!" -Norm Goldman, Editor, Bookpleasures.com “ "The story is gripping...the writing is smart, crisp— and visual (I can see it all)...It’'s a book you'’ll want to keep on reading."” -Kelli Arena, CNN Justice Correspondent.

“'Fast Track' is one of those rare novels that you simply can’t put down. I was hooked on page one and it was non-stop until the very end – an emotional roller coaster.”

Wolf Blitzer
CNN Anchor, “The Situation Room”

John DeDakis lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife and son. He also has two grown children.

December 9, 2006: Ed Knepley: (www.phase.com/ed_k) Ed Knepley is one of the metro DC area's top photographers. He has won "photographer of the year" awards every year that he has competed. His photos took four of the top six places in the Northern Virginia Photographic Society's 2005-2006 competition year including Advanced Color Print of the Year and Advanced Black & White Print of the Year. His photos are on permanent display in the newly opened exhibit at the National Park Service's Byrd Visitor Center on Skyline Drive, an Audubon Society exhibit and at the Joseph Miller Center for the Photographic Arts. In addition, Ed's work is regularly displayed in juried exhibits, one-man shows, and numerous books including Patricia Lipe's Nature's Wisdom.
    Ed is a retired engineer and is a volunteer photographer for the National Park Service specializing in nature photography. His talk to the NLAPW will be on Nature Photography as an Art Form. Come be entertained by a multi-media presentation featuring award winning nature photography accompanied by beautiful music.

November 11, 2006: Ruth Rose is a pianist whose repertoire ranges from the Baroque and Romantic to the contemporary. Her playing has been praised by Washington Post for her “blooming romanticism ... a deep, warm sound ... rich interpretations ... and a smooth singing quality.” The Dutch press was impressed by  “the rhythm, sharpness and color of her Albéniz ... her blend of an enormous temperament with refined humor ... and the excellence with which she creates moods”.
    Ruth Rose has performed extensively in recital, with orchestra and as a chamber musician throughout Europe, Israel, the United States and South America, appearing in prestigious venues and soloing with major ensembles. Ms Rose resided for many years in Amsterdam, and has appeared in the main Dutch venues like the Concertgebouw, de Ijsbreker, Vredenburg and De Doelen, as well as at the the Uitmarkt Festival and the Spring Festival in The Hague. She has also been a guest performer for radio broadcasts in the Netherlands with live recitals and recordings of Spanish, South American and contemporary music. She has performed at the Corcoran Gallery and the Anderson House in Washington DC, and is also a frequent collaborator with the In Series in their musical theatre productions.
    Based in Washington DC since 2003, Ruth Rose was born in Peru and is a graduate of the Peabody Conservatory. She recently joined the faculty at the Washington Conservatory. Her CD “Spanish and Latin American piano music” has been released on the Americus label.

October 14, 2006: Tom Kozar : (www.tomkozar.com)
Tom Kozar is a distinguished American artist who has earned international recognition. He has been selected by the State Department to participate in its Art for Embassies Program, and was commissioned to paint for the American Veterans Association and the National Park Service. He has been the Artist in Residence at the C&O Canal, Antietam's battlefield, and Rock Creek Park in Washington, D.C.  Mr. Kozar has created sculptures for the Truman Library and the Kennedy Library and other monuments around the nation. He also did the painting "Spirit of the Nation" for the 2002 fourth of July poster for the nation. A copy is now in the Smithsonian.

Last modified:   Friday June 27, 2008