History

Podunovich, Maggie

Podunovich, Maggie
Birth City
Minneapolis
Birth State
MN
Current Location
Colorado Springs, CO
Occupation(s)
Former flight attendant - Self employed New Tech Medical
Biography

We have been in Colorado Springs since 2005, moving here from Castle Rock. I have lived in Colorado since 1967. I flew for the original Frontier Airlines for seventeen years when a back injury and subsequent surgery would not allow me to return to my flying duties. I still miss it. My husband Bob and I started New Tech Medical in 1982. We are independent manufacturers Reps in medical sales. At one time we covered nine western states but now Bob is semi-retired and covers Colorado Springs and surrounding areas. I am currently working hard at selling my book. In the late 1980s I found out that my aunt had saved a series of letters written to her by my father. They dated from 1945 to 1953 when he died. I was only six years old when he passed away so reading his letters gave me the opportunity of knowing just who this amazing man was. I was greatly encouraged by my sister to write a book based on these letters. It took me over 20 years to finish it and I think that the ending is just as it was meant to be. The title is I've Been Only a Shadow." One of his letters says, "I've been only a shadow in the lives of so many people." The book was published in late 2015. I have been traveling to the cities where most of the story happened and am now concentrating on Colorado. I'm doing a spot on the radio June 27th and am currently contacting TV stations about doing a short piece. I am passionate about his story. Had he lived, he would have told the story himself. I am very proud to be the one to share it. Thank you.

Education/Training
University of Utah - Arapahoe Community College - Judge Memorial Catholic High School, Salt Lake City, Utah
Published Works Book Jackets
Organizations
Castle Rock Writers Group - Pikes Peak Writers - Pikes Peak Writers Conferences
Speaker Availability
Yes
Speaker Topics
Orphanages, child abuse, surviving extremely difficult situations and the ability to keep a good Irish (or whatever) sense of humor. The importance of family. How one woman raised four children by herself in
the 1940s. The power of believing in yourself and giving yourself permission to do great things. And, of course, flying... it's the best job on earth!

Anderson, John

John Anderson
Current Location
El Paso County, CO
Occupation(s)
Retired El Paso County sheriff - Historian and writer
Biography

John Wesley Anderson, MBA, is a published author, storyteller, and TEDx speaker. He enjoyed a 30-year law enforcement career, retiring at the rank of sergeant after 22 years with the Colorado Springs Police Department, followed by 8 years serving as the elected sheriff for El Paso County, Colorado. After being term-limited as Sheriff, John retired from public safety and was employed in homeland and corporate security for ten years in the private sector. He retired from the Lockheed Martin Corporation in 2012 to launch a consulting business allowing him the freedom to pursue his love of history, writing and the arts. In 2022 John was honored to receive the Golden Quill Award from the Friends of the Pikes Peak Library District. Although John has traveled around the world, including several adventures on a catamaran sailing the Caribbean, three corporate security assignments into a combat zone on the Horn of Africa and landing on an aircraft carrier at sea in the Pacific Ocean, he remains most fascinated by the rich history and art discovered in his own backyard in the American Southwest.

Awards/Honors
2022 Golden Quill Award (Friends of the Pikes Peak Library District)
Published Works Book Jackets
Speaker Availability
Yes
Speaker Topics
John is available to give presentations on his books or short talks for book clubs (either virtually or in-person).

Coleman, Patricia

Coleman, Patricia
Pseudonym
P.R. Morris
Biography

Patricia Coleman, aka P. R. Morris, is a critically acclaimed author of historical, amateur sleuth, and alternative history short stories and novels. She has received two Reviewers' Choice awards and spoken at national writers conferences. One critic wrote "Ms. Coleman writes with elegance and pizzaz." (Romantic Times). Her latest historical romantic mystery, Tea and Treachery is now on sale. Pat lives in Colorado where she works with Special Needs teenagers and volunteers at the local zoo.

Local Authors Genres
Published Works Book Jackets
Speaker Availability
Yes

Madison, Mary

Birth City
Vivian
Birth State
WV
Current Location
Black Forest, CO
Occupation(s)
Weaver
Biography

I first moved to Colorado in 1983. I have worked and volunteered in a number of organizations, including for the state of Colorado and the city of Westminster. I helped establish several arts groups and volunteer with guilds in Colorado Springs and Denver.

Education/Training
Master of Science, Organizational Development - Bachelor of Science, Business Management - Associate Degree, Veterinary Medicine
Local Authors Genres
Published Works Book Jackets
Image
Book cover for Plantation Slave Weavers Remember by Mary Madison
Organizations
Pikes Peak Weaver's Guild - Rocky Mountain Weaver's Guild - Front Range Fiber Artisans - Studio Arts Quilt Association
Speaker Availability
Yes
Speaker Topics
The Craft of Weaving - Fiber Arts - African-American Weavers

Cunningham, Sharon

Current Location
Colorado Springs, CO
Occupation(s)
Teacher and Historian
Education/Training
Master of Arts Degree, University of Northern Colorado - Bachelor of Arts Degree, Nebraska Wesleyan University
Local Authors Genres
Organizations
El Paso County Medical Social Alliance
Speaker Availability
Yes
Speaker Topics
Please email localauthors@ppld.org for contact information.

Clibon, Esther

Clibon, Esther
Birth Year (-Died Year)
1921 (-2009)
Biography

Esther Clibon was a Colorado native, born in a sod house on her father's homestead in Eastern Colorado.

Her obituary which appeared in The Gazette is available with the following link: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/gazette/obituary.aspx?n=esther-e-clibo…

Speaker Availability
No

Stallworth, Ron

Biography

Sgt. Ron Stallworth, Ret., was a member of the Colorado Springs Police Department in the 1970s.

Local Authors Genres
Published Works Book Jackets
Speaker Availability
Yes

Brander, B. G.

Pseudonym
B. G. Brander
Current Location
Colorado Springs, CO
Occupation(s)
Author and journalist
Biography

Bruce Brander is an international journalist and author of several books on travel and social philosophy. He has been a staff writer and photographer of newspapers in New Zealand and the United States, was a writer and editor for National Geographic, and for twelve years served as a traveling journalist and editor for World Vision, a global relief and development agency. Bruce Brander lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Awards/Honors
Honorary Knight of Mark Twain
Top national awards for Christian journalism
Top national photography awards from Eastman Kodak Co. and Professional Photographers of America
Education/Training
BSc. in English; advanced studies in history and sociology
Published Works Book Jackets
Speaker Availability
No

Bentley, Nancy

Current Location
Colorado Springs, CO
Occupation(s)
Writer, librarian, educator
Biography

I came to Colorado in 1973 because of the beauty of the land and the promise of the future.

Awards/Honors
For I've Got Your Nose!: 1993 Junior Library Guild Award
For The Making of a Storybook: 1992 Recognition at the Chicago Children's International Film Festival
For The Case of the Garden Monster: 2004 Colorado Authors' League Award
Education/Training
Bachelor of Arts, Philosophy, Lake Erie College, Ohio, 1968 - Master of Education, Educational Communications, University of Hawaii, 1972 - M. A. L. S., Library Science, University of Denver, 1974 - University of Denver Publishing Institute, 1981 - Stanford University, Publishing Course, 1983
Published Works Book Jackets
Organizations
The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators - Colorado Authors League - Authors Guild - Colorado Association of Libraries
Speaker Availability
Yes
Speaker Topics
Contact author for speaker topics and availability

Allen, Reverend Caron M.

Allen, Reverend Caron M.
Birth City
Cedartown
Birth State
GA
Current Location
Colorado Springs, CO
Occupation(s)
Retired law enforcement and a minister of the Emmanuel Missionary Baptist Church (EMBC)
Biography

Rev. Allen is a member of the Emmanuel Missionary Baptist Church (EMBC) where she serves as one of the associate ministers to Rev. Cleveland A. Thompson in the capacity of Director of Operations. A 33-year law enforcement veteran (retired), Rev. Allen lives in Colorado Springs with her husband Henry Allen, Jr., retired first sergeant from the United States Army. She and her husband have a blended family of eight adult children, 21 grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. In 2009, Rev. Allen completed the autobiographical account of her family in a work entitled "From Whence They Came: the Genealogical History of an African American Family." In this account she documents the struggles and triumphs of eight generations of her family, beginning with her great-great-great grandmother, Eular, a slave on a plantation in Virginia. A native of Georgia, Rev. Allen grew up during the turbulence of the Civil Rights movement and embraces the lessons of that era. Committed to community involvement, she participates in organizations that promote minority youth development and empowerment. As a community activist, she addresses the issues of leadership, career development, women's issues in the criminal justice system and ministry, and youth projects. A significant aspect of Reverend Allen's ministry is encouraging and empowering people, especially women, to attain their highest potential. To that end, Reverend Allen has developed and presented conference workshops for professional and Christian organizations at the local, national, and international level, called The Pursuit of Excellence. The Pursuit of Excellence is a five part series of seminars that addresses four major areas of a woman's life. The five seminars are:

  • Perfection! Really? But I'm a Mess!
  • How to Succeed in the Workplace
  • A Virtuous Woman ... How to Minister in a Tense-filled Home
  • Women in Leadership Positions in Ministry: Treading Lightly
  • How to Prepare for and Successfully Execute a Dynamic Interview
Awards/Honors
The Southern Colorado Ministerial Alliance: Martin Luther King, Jr., Community Service Award (2010)
Certificates of Recognition from the El Paso County Sheriff's Office (2001, 2006, 2007)
Dean's List, Colorado State University (2000-2001)
Capps Capozzolo Award for Academic Excellence (2001)
El Paso County Sheriff's Office Hugh Martin Scholarship (1998 & 2000)
Numerous Letters and Certificates of Appreciation from various professional and civic organizations
Education/Training
University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, Master's Degree in Criminal Justice (2005 ) - USC Pueblo, Bachelor of Science Degree in Sociology/Criminology (2001) - Police Executive Research Forum: Senior Management Institute Police, Session 44, Boston MA (June 2010)
Local Authors Genres
Published Works Book Jackets
Organizations
* The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
* The National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE)
* National Sheriff's Association (NSA)
* The National Association of Professional Women
Speaker Availability
Yes
Speaker Topics
* Leadership
* Career Development
* Women's Issues in the Criminal Justice System and Ministry