Dawn P. has been an active member of Alcoholics Anonymous for thirty-four years. In her professional career as a Development Director she has written for a variety of publications including North American trade journals, national marketing campaigns and international grant proposals.
Now retired, she has written several creative, non-fiction short stories recognized by the Wisconsin Writer's Association. The short story, "The Ride Home", won the Association’s prestigious statewide Jade Ring Award for Non-Fiction. That story is the basis for the first chapter in her book Heartbreaking…When Your Child Is an Addict. Other stories recognized by the Wisconsin Writer’s Association include "The Arrogance of the Living"; "Terror Management"; "The Island Bridegroom"; and "Melissa Etheridges' Autograph".
Dawn’s short story "The Obituary" was recognized by the Wisconsin People and Ideas Contest in conjunction with the Wisconsin Book Festival. Her poetry has been published in the Agora in 2017 and 2019, a publication printed biannually in partnership with University of Wisconsin-Madison Continuing Education.
Dawn is also an amateur artist with several solo and group exhibitions to her credit. She has donated her work to Wisconsin charities including the Wisconsin Women's Association, The Rape Crisis Center, the Goodman Community Center and the Madison LGBT support group. She created the cover art for Heartbreaking...When Your Child Is an Addict, which is composed entirely of snippets of letters sent from prison by her son.
Dawn has been a lifetime resident of Wisconsin, studying art and graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Horticulture and graduate study in Landscape Architecture.
Heartbreaking...When Your Child Is an Addict is her first non-fiction book. She has one son.