Join Alaska Professional Communicators June 6 and 7 for a garage sale to benefit the memorial scholarship fund. The sale will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days at 640 Giroux Circle.

How you can get involved:

Donate — Price your items and drop them off at Giroux Circle between 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Small items can be dropped off on the front porch; larger items may be left on the left side of the driveway.

You could also bring small items in bags or boxes to our APC luncheon on June 5 and give them to someone who can transport them to the sale location. Please reply to Carolyn, ccrinehart@gci.net, and tell her if you plan to donate a large amount of things this way, so we will know whether to ask Elliott to be there with the truck.

If you have a large item with no transportation for it, you may email Elliott Barske at ewxman@gci.net (he has volunteered to pick up large items in his truck.)

All items that do not sell will be donated to a charity after the sale, Sunday, June 7.

Browse and buy — Nancy Schmitt had the idea for our “prototype” sale last year, which made more than $1,000 for the cause. With all of AK Pro Comm behind it, we should have a whale of a sale this year!

Can’t come but still want to support the scholarship fund? Click here to donate online.

Kathleen McCoy and Fran Durner to speak at June 5 luncheon.

This time of turmoil for mainstream media journalists is also a time of opportunity, as newspapers expand their online efforts. The Anchorage Daily News’ Assistant Managing Editor for Interactivity, Kathleen McCoy, will discuss community blogging
and multimedia storytelling at Alaska’s largest daily newspaper. She’ll also address what it feels like to be in the middle of this transition, and what readers should expect from the ADN team as they “ride the bronco and try to stay on.”

Kathleen recently finished a year as a Knight Fellow at Stanford, studying new media, creativity and leadership as part of an expenses paid, mid-career fellowship.

Also on hand to answer questions, photographer/blogger Fran Durner, who is responsible for the “Talk Dirt to Me” blog.

Luncheon Information
11:30 a.m., Thursday, June 5
Golden Lion Hotel, 1000 East 36th Avenue, Anchorage

Lunch: members $16; guests of members $18; others $20

Reservations:
1. RSVP and payment through PayPal.

2. Email: thetus at gci dot net by noon Tuesday, June 3.

3. Call 274-4723 and leave a message, including a phone number where you can be reached. When calling or sending an email, please include how many people are coming and their names.

On Thursday, May 1, Alaska Professional Communicators announced the results of the professional communications contest, the high school journalism contest, and the scholarship award winners.

2008 Communications Contest:
Winners included Sheila Balistreri, Kalei Brooks, Diana Haecker, Therese Harvey, Mary Katzke and Deborah Schildt, Beth Leffingwell, Steven Levi, Chuck Maas, Ginny Mahar, Rhonda McBride, Amy Murphy, Dianne O’Connell, Elise Patkotak, Yereth Rosen, Aliza Sherman Risdahl, Sherrie Simmonds, Alan Sorum, Dana Stabenow, Kathy Tarr, Linda Kay Thompson, Steve Wolfe

Complete list of award winners.

2008 High School Journalism contest:

Complete winner list.

2008 Scholarship Winners:

Katie McCraw, a sophomore at Alaska Pacific University majoring in Liberal Studies, is currently a reporter and the photo editor of the school newspaper, the APU Journal, and excels in creative writing.

Todd Walker, a sophomore at the University of Alaska Anchorage majoring in Journalism and Public Communications, works as a reporter at KRUA radio and is a web writer and weekend newscast producer at KTUU-TV.

Author of Sarah to speak at May 1 luncheon.

Kaylene Johnson, author of the new biography “Sarah,” which details the life of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, will introduce her new book to APC members and friends on Thursday, May 1.

Award winners in the student and professional communications contests will also be announced.

Luncheon Information
11:30 a.m., Thursday, May 1
Golden Lion Hotel, 1000 East 36th Avenue, Anchorage

Lunch: members $16; guests of members $18; others $20

Reservations:
1. RSVP and payment through PayPal.

2. Email: thetus at gci dot net by noon Tuesday, April 30.

3. Call 274-4723 and leave a message, including a phone number where you can be reached. When calling or sending an email, please include how many people are coming and their names.

More about Johnson’s new book Sarah

Sarah Palin, then 39, a hockey mom and former mayor of Wasilla, thought her dream of making a difference in the male-dominated realm of Alaska politics was over in 2004 when she clashed with the state chairman of her Republican party and fell out of favor with Gov. Frank Murkowski over issues related to ethics and openness in government.

Yet, the former high school basketball star and one-time TV journalist could not shake the feeling that she was destined for something bigger. Two years later, she became a long-shot candidate for governor, promising openness and a higher ethical standard.

Then, fate intervened. Her populist reform message suddenly became front-page news when a major political scandal rocked Alaska politics. Alaskans began listening to her. And they liked what they heard.

In “Sarah: How a Hockey Mom Turned Alaska’s Political Establishment Upside Down,” scheduled for May 1 release by Epicenter Press (Hardbound First Edition, $19.95) author Kaylene Johnson reveals that as a young girl, Sarah Heath was ambitious, competitive, and—at times—stubborn. She never backed down from a fight. She devoured newspapers and preferred nonfiction books to Nancy Drew. When her college roommates put up posters of Madonna and Metallica, the future Alaska governor looked up to a different sort of heroine—Libby Riddles, first woman to win the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

Read the first chapter at Epicenter Press.

More about Kaylene Johnson

Kaylene Johnson is a professional writer and long-time Alaskan who makes her home on a small farm outside Wasilla, Alaska. Her books include Portrait of the Alaska Railroad and Trails Across Time: History of an Alaska Mountain Corridor. Her award winning articles have appeared in Alaska magazine, the Los Angeles Times, Spirit magazine, Parish Teacher and other publications. She holds a BA from Vermont College and an MFA in Writing from Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky.

The Alaska Press Club’s J-Week 2008 journalism conference kicks off on Thursday, April 17 and runs through Saturday at the Anchorage Senior Activity Center, 1300 East 19th Avenue.

To see the impressive list of presenters and workshops and the full schedule, including workshop times, visit Alaska Press Club online.

Schedule overview:

Thursday, April 17. 6:30 p.m. Opening Reception. Refreshments and panel discussion on the state of Alaska journalism.

Friday, April 18. Daytime and Evening. Registration: 8:00-9:00 a.m.; Workshops: 9:00 a.m.- 6 p.m.; Reception: 6:00-7:00 p.m.; Panel discussion: 7:00-8:30 p.m.

Saturday, April 19. Workshops: 8:45 a.m. - 5:45 p.m.; Awards Banquet: 7:00-10:00 p.m.

Workshops are free to all members of the Alaska Press Club and members of the senior center. An associate membership in the Alaska Press Club is available for $35.00, which is less than paying the daily rate for non-members of the Press Club. Daily Rate: $25 a day for non-members. $5 for students enrolled in high school or college.