National League of American
Pen Women
Santa Clara County Branch
Est. 1922
Excellence in the Arts 2025 Competition
Monetary Awards $1,500 each
2024 Winners
Lynn Dai - Music
Hannah Seeger Art
Keira Silver - Letters
3 - $1,500 Awards
Art, Writing, Music
Deadline:
March 17, 2025
Thanks for joining us on Saturday,
August 3, 2024, for our OPEN HOUSE in Santa Clara!
Our free open house showcased the many creative, local Pen Women at the
Headen-Inman Museum House in Santa Clara.
Visitors strolled the exhibits, listened to singing, viewed artworks and books, and met talented artists and writers. We saw a dance performance and a professional standup comic; joined a 60’s sing-along with Paul Wesling; listened to classic tunes by Nancy Jo Hinsen; viewed our sketch artist creating drawings on the spot; and wandered through the authors' and artists' showcase. What Fun!
Relive it with us! Download our Photo Collage (11 MB)
Download Informative Flyer (PDF)
Who We Are
Welcome to the home of the National League of American Pen Women, Inc. (NLAPW), an organization of professional women artists, composers, and writers, founded in 1897, dedicated to our mission as a 501(c)3 organization to serve our communities through the arts.
The mission of the National League of American Pen Women is to support and promote creative excellence and professional standards among women in the arts.
THE SANTA CLARA COUNTY BRANCH meets once a month starting in October through May.
We hold two main functions a year: A Celebrity luncheon and Scholarship Awards.
The Celebrity Lunch is where professional women in the Arts are selected to be honored as achievers.
This luncheon is also our means of raising funds for the yearly scholarships we offer to young women graduating from high school, undergraduates, or ladies returning to school to pursue their career
New Officers (2024-2026):
Branch President: Luanna Leisure
Vice President: Jude Tolley
Secretary: Gail Lockhart
Treasurer: Tonya McQuade
Parliamentarian: Susan Zerweck
Outreach Chair: Dorothy Atkins
Celebrity Lunch Chair: Susan Zerweck
Membership: Susan Zerweck
Scholarship Chair: Luanna Leisure
Publicity: Dorothy Atkins
Publicity: Luanna Leisure
Zoom Host: Luanna Leisure
Monthly Luncheons: Patty Dick
Roster: Luanna Leisure
Newsletter: Dorothy Atkins and Luanna Leisure
WebMaster: Luanna Leisure
Scholarships: Luanna Leisure scholarshipnlapw@aol.com
Treasurer: Tonya McQuade, tmcq1966@gmail.com
Membership: Susan Zerweck at ralph_susan@comcast.net
BECOME A PEN WOMAN!
Nourish your creative life as an active, associate or student member. Find out about member benefits, how to become a Pen Woman. Our branch is the Santa Clara County Branch and membership chair is Susan Zerweck at ralph_susan@comcast.net
Want to know more?
Explore National's website www.nlapw.org to learn our history, events, contest news, art and poetry.
Read about our mission statement, and visit pages on our history, historic headquarters, and outreach program.Look under Competitions for grants.
Find out how (and why) to donate to our cause of women in the arts.
Visit our Publications section to find out about our quarterly literary magazine, The Pen Woman, and our Pen Women Press bookstore
Excellence in the Arts Monetary Awards
Supporting women in the arts one of our main goals is to offer a yearly scholarship award to a young woman pursuing her career. We offer three awards. One each in Art, Letters, and Music. Applications and more information can be obtained by contacting Luanna Leisure at scholarshipnlapw@aol.com It is never too early to start thinking about applying. Download PDF for 2025 application
Congratulations to our 2024
Excellence in the Arts winners!
Lynn Dai - Music
Hannah Seeger - Art
Keira Silver - Letters