RuthAnn Hogue has captured numerous awards for her work as a journalist— including many first-place prizes. Notably, the Arizona Newspapers Association in 1997 honored the Daily News-Sun with a first-place award in its class for Journalistic Achievement for “The Journey Home: Diary of a terminal cancer patient.” Hogue was so touched by the experiences she shared with Walter and Lillian Schifter while reporting the series that she felt compelled to convert it into a book.

The result, Good-bye Walter: The Inspiring Story of a Terminal Cancer Patient, has recently been published by Mapletree Publishing Company. Hogue, born in 1962, is the mother of five children. A goal she set in 1990 to become published led to a story in a national church magazine. She used the $40 she received to pay for a summer newswriting course—which set her firmly on the pathway to becoming a professional writer and editor.  She enrolled in college in 1993 and graduated in August 1997 from Arizona State University with a bachelor’s degree in print journalism and a minor in political science. She received several prestigious scholarships while attending ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Telecommunication and Journalism. In addition, she wrote for local newspapers, the college newspaper and reported the evening news live for the campus radio station while attending school. Hogue landed her first full-time reporting position in December 1996 with the Daily News-Sun, and by November 1997, had been promoted to an editing position. Before that, she had already done much award-winning work as a part-time news assistant for The Arizona Republic and The Phoenix Gazette while attending journalism classes. In spring 2000 as Neighbors editor for the Arizona Daily Star, she implemented a plan she developed to produce and publish daily micro-local news specific to nine geographic areas. She later went on to accept a city editorship at the Sierra Vista Herald/Bisbee Daily Review newspapers where she doubled as a writing coach. She has been news editor of the West Valley View and managing editor of the Gilbert, Chandler and Queen Creek editions of Independent Newspapers in the greater Phoenix area.

In addition, Hogue has taught journalism and writing courses for the University of Arizona and occasionally teaches workshops on time management. She currently teaches high school English in Avondale while attending Rio Salado Community College and writing columns for The Arizona Republic's Southwest Community section.