George RR Martin to keynote NMPW’s 75th Anniversary Banquet

While you may know that George RR Martin is the author of the best-selling book series “A Song of Ice and Fire” that began with A Game of Thrones, which became an award-winning television series by the same name, did you know any of the following facts about him?

1. Martin received a B.S. in Journalism (summa cum laude) in 1970, a M.S. in Journalism in 1971, and a Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters in 2021 from Northwestern University.

2. Martin signed on as a story editor for Twilight Zone at CBS Television in 1986, and as producer and writer for the 1987 Beauty and The Beast.

3. In 2022, Martin became the Executive Producer of AMC’s Dark Winds.

4. Martin’s charity work includes supporting authors through scholarships to Clarion West, Odyssey Writing Workshop, and the Taos Tool Box, as well as the establishment of the George R. R. Martin Chair in Storytelling at Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern.

5. Martin is the proud owner of Beastly Books and Jean Cocteau Cinema in Santa Fe, NM.

Martin is contemplating an interesting talk where he will weave in his thoughts about Banned Books and the protection of the First Amendment. His bookstore, Beastly Books, will be on hand at the Conference Banquet from 5:30 – 8:30 to sell not only his signed books but also many banned books. The Banquet is sold out and registrations are closed.

Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury to headline the New Mexico Press Women Banquet

Melanie Stansbury

Born and raised in New Mexico, Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury leads with determination and compassion. She has dedicated her career to finding solutions to water issues, poverty, and climate change — representing New Mexico in the Legislature and now in Congress.

She is a champion of efforts to address hunger, food, and water insecurity, conservation and climate change, and economic development and recovery. Stansbury worked in communities across the state as a STEM educator, researcher on land and water issues, and served as a former staffer in the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and the White House Office of Management and Budget.

As the Congresswoman from New Mexico’s 1st Congressional District, she will share her efforts to tackle our biggest challenges—from economic development, to food and water security, to climate change—with New Mexico Press Women on Saturday, March 11, at the Isleta Resort.

Communicator of Achievement

The Communicator of Achievement Award is the highest award New Mexico Press Women grants to a member to recognize outstanding achievement in journalism and communication. All New Mexico winners proceed to compete in the National Federation of Press Women Contest, where New Mexico has had more winners than any other state.

NMPW Communicators of Achievement   

(Woman of Achievement until 1991)

1963    Frankie McCarty
1964    Val Cooper
1965    Mildred Latini
1966    Ruth Bush Jones
1967    Kathryn Morris
1968    Cathie Bower
1969    Regina Tatum Cooke
1970    Alice Gruver
1971    Mary Olin Harrell
1972    Laura Robertson
1973    Glenna Lee Gallemore
1975    Grace McCallum
1979    Kathryn Morris
1980    Sherry Robinson
National First Runner-Up
1981    Faye Plank
National Winner
1982    Tricia Hurst
1983    Jean Jordan
1984    Della Kilcrease
1985    Mary Thompson
1986    Lynn Peters
1987    Marie Hirst
1988    Anne Hillerman
1989     Mamie Carter
1990    Mamie Carter
1991    Cathy Robbins
1992     Marsha Vohs
1993    Pat Graff
1994    Hollis Walker
1995    Denise Tessier
National First Runner-Up
1996    Virginia Dooley
1997    Linda Harris
1998     Chris Burroughs
1999     Carolyn Mullenax Edwards
2000    Sandy Schauer
2003    Susanne Burks
2004    Kathy Cordova
2005    Ree Strange Sheck
National Winner
2006    Emily Drabanski
2007    Connie Gotsch
2008    Cary Herz
National Winner
2009    Susan Walton
2010    Tom Berner
2011    Bud Russo
2012    Cheryl Fallstead
2013    Carol Kreis
2014    Sherri Burr
2015    Anne Hillerman
National First Runner-Up
2016    Loretta Hall
National Winner
2018    Jessica Savage
2020    Damien Wills
2021    Sherri Burr
 National Winner
2022    Margaret Cheasebro

 Note: No awards were made in 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 2001, 2002, 2017 or 2019.

 This list was compiled by current historian Robert Flinkman and long-term historian Denise Tessier.

 

Sherri Burr on Black Range Pub podcast

 Sherri Burr, who is in her fifth year serving as President of New Mexico Press Women, was the guest of Robert Kidera on his January 19, 2023 Black Range Pub podcast. She discusses the history of the organization, its currently active writing contests (ending soon) and her own recent and current writing projects. It can be found at: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1735855/:
Find details of the  2023 conference here