Welcome to the Website Home of the
Virginia Outdoor Writers Association!

VOWA has sad news to share…

Marika L. Byrd, a long-time member of the Virginia Outdoor Writers Association (VOWA) passed away September 25, 2020. Marika  first became associated with VOWA over two decades ago through her volunteer work at the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, now the Department of Wildlife Resources. She then continued as a freelance writer, editor, and photographer. She served as a VOWA officer, including as secretary and treasurer, and as a board member for many years keeping our finances straight, maintaining our records and our first website.

In honor of her service, in 2013 at a joint annual meeting with the Mason-Dixon Outdoor Writers Association, VOWA presented Marika with a resolution granting her life membership, a rare honor in VOWA. Marika’s cheerful attitude, participation in events, and volunteer work ethic will be missed sorely at VOWA. 

For more details about this special member’s life please see her full obituary.

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VOWA 2020-2021 Annual  Contests Now Open!

VOWA’s Annual Excellence-in-Craft, High School and Collegiate Contests are opening! Full information/rules for each contest will be posted shortly on this website. While VOWA  would like to be optimistic about holding our 2021 Annual Meeting on March 20, 2021, in Charlottesville, that event is subject to the situation with the Coronavirus at that time.  We will keep you posted! Regardless, even if the meeting cannot be held the contests will  go on with prizes awarded and winners announced here on our website and on our Facebook page. 

Please also follow VOWA on Facebook!

Board of Directors

Chairman of the Board: Robert Thomas, Richmond Va.
President: Terry Lewis, Gloucester Va.
1st Vice President: Frank Mundy, Broadway, Va.
2nd Vice President: Marie Majarov, Winchester Va.
Secretary: Nancy Sorrells, Greenville Va.
Treasurer: Milan Majarov, Winchester Va.
Member-at-Large: Lynda Richardson, DGIF, Richmond Va.
Member-at-Large: Dan Genest, Midlothian Va.
Member-at-Large: Linda Mundy, Broadway, Va.
Member-at-Large: Jennifer Hensley, Grottoes Va.
Member-at-Large: Amanda Creasey, Chester, Va.
Member-at-Large: Patricia Poffenberger, Luray Va.
Member-at-Large: William Funk, Staunton, Va.
Member-at-Large: Ashley Unger, North Chesterfield, Va.

Executive Assistants: Mellisa Butcher & Ricki Bennett

The Board of Directors meets three times a year.  An Annual Membership Meeting and Conference is held each spring; other social and educational gatherings are scheduled periodically. The membership enjoys implementing their mission, learning from one another, and sharing experiences in the outdoors.

The VOWA Mission

The Virginia Outdoor Writers Association is a coalition of writers, photographers, and video/film producers who inform through various media on the out-of-doors and its enjoyment.  Through this association, we strive to improve ourselves in our craft and increase our knowledge and understanding of the outdoors.

We pledge our support to the conservation of  natural resources and to the best precepts governing their consumption and recreational use.  Above all, we pledge to maintain the highest ethical standards in the exercise of our craft.

*Note: Our Website has recently undergone a major software update. We are still tweaking the design, so we appreciate your patience.  Soon our pages with websites for active, supporting and corporate  members will  be updated and added. Please come back and visit often.