Member News Remembering our soldiers overseas Members of the 1169 Engineer Group, now serving in Iraq, look over a box of wet wipes sent by members of AMP. Wendell Miles, Zelda Miles' husband, is part of that group. Alabama Communicators Win National Awards By Ella Robinson Six Alabamians have been named national winners in the annual National Federation of Press Women (NFPW) Communications Contest. The winners are: Lucinda Coulter First Place - News Reporting - Non-daily newspaper Hunger Advocates Eager to Build New Soup Bowl, T-News Weekly, March 22, 2006 Emily Sills Delzell Third Place -­ Four-color Magazine UAB Insight Verna Gates Third Place - Enterprise reporting Sex Tourism Thriving in the Bible Belt, Reuters, April 4, 2006; 21st Century Sex Slaves, Pink Magazine, November 2006 Verna Gates First Place - Writing for the Web - News articles written specifically for the Web Why Air Conditioner Thefts are Heating Up, Time.com, July 31, 2006 Jennifer Hale Second Place - Special Reporting Series - Television New Orleans Devastation Tours, French Quarters Business Drops Off, Charter School Take Over, Mardi Gras Controversy, WVTM-NBC 13, February 13-17, 2006 Cara Morrison HM - Feature Story - Non-daily newspaper Gift of Life Illustrates Unconditional Love, Over the Mountain Journal, May 4, 2006 Each communicator is a member of Alabama Media Professionals, an affiliate of NFPW. Having won first place in the state communications contest in the spring, communicators' entries moved on to compete with professional journalists nationwide. An awards ceremony will be held on Saturday, Sept. 22, 2007, at the NFPW Communications Conference in Richmond, VA. NFPW, an organization of professional journalists and communicators, celebrates its 70th anniversary this year. It actively promotes the highest ethical standards in communications; provides professional development, youth programs and networking; and upholds the protection of First Amendment rights. More information about NFPW can be found at its website by clicking here.

AMP's Spring 2007 Awards Banquet featured Butler Cain, News Director of Alabama Public Radio, who discussed Alabama's Shield Law and other issues involving journalism in society. Photos by David Black

Joellyn Beckham, a specialist in direct mail marketing, shows one of the advertising ideas she developed for a client.

Ever thought about writing for direct mail? There are plenty of do's and don'ts, and direct mail advertiser Joellyn Beckham knows them.

During AMP's September 11th meeting, Joellyn gave members plenty of information about the challenges and successes of marketing for direct mail.

The percentage of response to direct mail is typically less than 5%, Joellyn explained. But that can be extremely effective for advertisers, nonetheless.

Margaret Searcy runs through some of the basic requirements of writing books for children during AMP's August 14th meeting.

What sort of skills and knowledge are needed to write books for children?

Take it from an expert like Margaret Searcy, who shared plenty of tips about writing books for kids. AMP members got an ear full of helpful information from Mrs. Searcy.

For example, did you know that how you title your book could be a huge factor in its success? Beginning a title with a letter like B or C might mean better chances than if the title starts with a W or V. True!

Thanks to Mrs. Searcy for a most informative presentation...

Erik Lizee, right, newsroom studio manager at McWane Center, shows AMP members some of the computer technology offered in the studio.

What's it like to be a journalist? For most young people, it's not as easy as it may look!

AMP members get an up-close look into the efforts of the McWane Center to expose young people to journalism.

AMP's June 12th program was spent in the McWane Center's newsroom studio, which offers kids of several different ages the chance to create a newspaper from scratch.

Erik Lizee, newsroom studio manager, oversees the program, which gives students hands-on experience in what it's like to work in the journalism field. Students from schools throughout the Birmingham and Jefferson county area attend workshops at the studio.

2003 Scholarship winner Lauren King, left, receives her $1,000 prize from AMP's Nancy Mann Jackson, who presented the check on behalf of the Scholarship committee.

Congratulations to Lauren King, first place winner in AMP's 2003 Scholarship competition.

Lauren, a sophomore at Snead State Community College, plans to transfer to the University of Alabama to finish her journalism degree. She wants to pursue a career in print journalism.

Lauren was awarded her $1,000 prize during AMP's April 10th meeting.

Congratulations are also in order for second place winner Holly Peters, a student at Troy State University.

More information on AMP's Scholarship program is available from Becki Rutsky, Chairman of AMP's Scholarship committee.

AMP's Deborah Lockridge

Lockridge was a member of a team of editors for the California-based Heavy Duty Trucking magazine that walked away with the top prize in the Best How-To Series category for their Safe & Secure series dealing with security risks faced by truck fleets following 9-11. Terrorists are more likely to use trucks than sophisticated weaponry like missiles as weapons of mass destruction. Federal agencies are working at flank speed on important security initiatives that will have an immediate impact on trucking. The award-winning HDT series provides detailed information on how to deal with the aftermath of 9-11 and its potential impact on fleets, including threats to hazardous materials haulers; impact of NAFTA and border security; cargo theft implications; security tips for companies and drivers, and the latest truck technology to enhance homeland security. It includes in-depth how-to on screening drivers to ensure a terrorist isn’t behind the wheel.

You can read Lockridge's piece on-line by clicking here.

The Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Awards were created by American Business Media to recognize and reward excellence in independent business publications. They are presented annually to those editors who have submitted entires exhibiting journalistic enterprise, extent of service to the field and editorial craftsmanship. More than 1,093 competitors took part in this year’s competition. A single Neal prize is considered a major accomplishment for business press editors.

This is Lockridge's fourth Neal Award.

AMP members fill Southern Living magazine's Atrium Room for a program featuring writers from the prestigious publication.

Not surprisingly, the writers agreed that in-person interviews almost always lead to a better written story. Lots of audience members had questions, indicating plenty of interest in how Southern Living's writers do their work!

Many thanks to Carolanne and crew for making this such an interesting meeting.

January 9th: UAB's Jo Lynn Orr shares writing advice with AMP members at their first meeting of 2003...

Want to write a good feature? Check out Jo Lynn Orr's seven tips:

1- Remember that feature stories are about people, and not objects, institutions or even events;
2- Be observant of scenes and surroundings -- personal mannerisms, characteristics and relevant details help bring the story to life;
3- After interviewing and researching, evaluate information to determine the most outstanding aspects that will help you formulate the lead;
4- Don't 'tell all' up front -- add interesting elements as the story unfolds;
5- Find the best quote in your notes and place it toward the top of the story;
6- Use lots of quotes and work on transitions between quotes and speakers -- structure the story to maintain reader interest from top to bottom;
7- Use the next best quote toward the end (or as the ending) of the story.

Dr. Marian Huttenstine, left, keeps AMP members intrigued with discussions about feature and profile writing during the group's November 14th meeting.

Miss AMP's November 14th meeting? Too bad! You missed out on reading excerpts from some entertaining and interesting stories and then getting to talk about them. A familiar guest speaker during AMP meetings, Mississippi State University Professor and AMP member Dr. Marian L. Huttenstine talks about feature and profile writing during the group's November 14th meeting in Pelham. Dr. Huttenstine handed out excerpts from various feature and profile articles, prompting a discussion, comparing various writing techniques. Judging by the questions and responses from members, Dr. Huttenstine's appearance was once again enjoyed very much...the consensus seemed to be that AMP members wouldn't mind a return visit by Dr. Huttenstine again soon!

"I took a fiction writing class at UAB that was excellent and got excited about doin' it," Sepsas said. "I decided that a romance novel set in a village (in Greece) was what I needed to write." The book is expected to be released in Feburary, 2003, Sepsas said.

Sepsas was a contributing writer to several of the Chicken Soup series of books. If you visited Birmingham's Greek Food Festival during September, you may have seen another book on sale that Sepsas had a hand in, as well. Stairway to Heaven, a personal memoir that Sepsas ghost-wrote for Greek immigrant Plato Papajohn, was published by Seaburn Publishing Group of Astoria, New York. In his review of the book, actor Ernest Borgnine wrote, "you made me cry."

Sepsas has another big writing assignment before the end of 2002. He has been chosen by the Birmingham Area Chamber of Commerce to write the Chamber's coffee table book on the Birmingham metropolitan area. The book is scheduled for publication in January, 2003, and will feature almost 100 businesses and organizations in the Magic City.

Already a veteran world traveler and tour guide with 90 countries in six continents under his belt, AMP member Niki Sepsas looks over a map to decide his next destination.

Imagine staying in a private apartment inside an 1,100 year old castle, and starting each morning being served juice, coffee and fresh baked breads. The daily hands-on cooking school taught by the castle's owner (and an accomplished restaurateur) follows, offering a delicious insight into the land's hearty country cooking. Afternoons are spent touring Tuscany, taking in the culture, learning about the land's history and--it's a tough job, but somebody has to do it--sampling some of the various Tuscan wines while visiting different castles and villages.

David Black talks with Niki about his culinary expedition. Hear all the delicious details, including Niki's telling which Tuscan entree was his favorite, by clicking here.

Care to read Niki's story about his week in Tuscany? Click here...

Want to see more of Niki's work? Click here to visit Niki's website...

Birmingham-Southern political science professor Natalie Davis discusses the ploys candidates for Alabama office pull during election season.

Miss AMP's October 10th meeting? Then you missed an insightful look at Alabama politics and the games people vying for office play. Birmingham-Southern College professor and political expert Natalie Davis offered revealing insights into voter habits, the battle candidates wage on our television screens and the growing role of women in politics.

If you really want to understand politics in Alabama, you need to be able to figure out what the candidates are trying to convey through their television commercials. Natalie outlines what she calls The Davis Rules to help you steer through the political fog!

Click here to listen to an edited summary of Natalie's remarks...

Thanks to AMP members Marti Slay and Ann Halpern for their work in coordinating the Workshop, and to Jennifer Greer for serving as Moderator.

Ever done research on copyright laws? Thinking of signing a contract with a publisher? How long does a copyright last? These are some of the issues you can hear our speakers talk about.

Just pay a visit to our sound feed page by clicking here...

Check out our slideshow of the Workshop here...

October 22, Evening Discussion, 7 p.m. Trussville Community Center.

For more information, contact one of the AMP members above or visit www.trussvillelibrary.com .

AMP Scholarship recipient Nicole Rohr, left, accepts a $500 check from Scholarship Committee Chairman Rebecca Rutsky. Nicole was accepted into the National High School Institute for Journalism at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. The check was presented during AMP's 6/13/02 meeting.

AMP is proud to announce the restart of its Scholarship Program, designed to assist a young person in his or her efforts to begin a career in journalism. Our 2002 scholarship recipient, honored June 13th, 2002, is Nicole Rohr of Birmingham. Congratulations!

Know of a deserving young journalist-to-be you'd like to have considered?
Contact: Rebecca Rutsky

The National Federation of Press Women has announced that Rebecca Miller Rutsky, director of communications, Estrada Web Technology of Birmingham, Ala. Won two national awards in its annual communications competition. Rutsky received two second place awards for Web site management in both the Corporate/For-Profit and the Not-for-Profit/Education divisions. Rutsky’s winning sites included Estrada Web Technology and the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Business. These entries were among 1,012 entries in 67 major categories, all of which previously received first-place awards at the state level. Entries were judged by 30 professionals and educators from across the country.

Congratulations to former AMP President All Halpern on winning the Otis Dodge Memorial Award from the Seventh "Deep South" District of the American Advertising Federation's annual conference. The award pays tribute for outstanding service to the Federation. Halpern was recognized for her many years of service, which began as a college chapter president for the Federation at Florida State University. She has donated writing services to numerous non-profit organizations and remains active with AMP.

No stranger to awards, AMP's Verna Gates has done it again--this time, being recognized by the Alabama Environmental Council which presented her the Malcolm Stewart Award in recognition of her dedicated conservation service in 2001. The award was presented in Montgomery March 16, 2002. The award recognizes Verna's work in organizing plant digs to rescue native plants from development as well as presenting dozens of programs to schools and various civic groups. But that's not all -- in May, Verna won no less than seven writing awards from AMP!

Lots of folks found AMP's June 13, 2002 meeting to be very interesting. Elaine Hughes, a University of Montevallo English professor, discussed keeping journals, and drew numerous questions.

In addition to the valuable opportunity networking provides during AMP's monthly meetings, members also enjoy the benefits of a monthly newsletter and a personalized e-mail address, suitable for business cards and other marketing uses.

But what you may find most surprising of all about AMP is that our group provides company transportation (quite a perk) to its President. How many other membership organizations offer that?

Click here to see the President's fully air-conditioned vehicle!