April 2024 News
We’re thankful for the feedback we received from you (120+ responses!) in March and will incorporate it to improve and modernize this and our other publications.
Introducing the SouthWest Writers Sage News
Hello! Lisa Haneberg, here. I’ll be shepherding the monthly Sage as its editor. You can reach me at sage@swwriters.com. I’m excited to share the content you, our subscribers, have told us you most want to receive. The Sage News will feature the following sections:
SWW News and Events: This section will include SWW organization news and time sensitive programmatic information, like contest deadlines and upcoming events.
Monthly Challenge: We’ll share the monthly challenge and link to the page where you can read the previous month’s submissions.
Sage Perspectives: New! We want to amplify our members’ posts and catalyze peer-to-peer learning. In this section, we will tee up and provide links to your recent writing craft, writing life, and publishing industry pieces. We may also share posts from the SWW blog and Facebook Page in this section. We will drive subscribers to your site (win) and they will benefit from your sage advice and writing experience (win).
Literary Scene: This section will share regional events, local bookstore events, submission opportunities, and select broader opportunities worth noting.
New SWW Members: Each month, we will welcome new SWW members who signed up during the previous month.
The Sage will focus on the information you told us was most important and be readable on phones, tablets, and computers. You’ll also still receive the weekly elerts with SWW event information, member updates, and other just-in-time information.
Here we go!
SWW Authors Win Big in New Mexico Press Women’s Contest
Although the complete list is not out, click here for preliminary information on SWW members who won prizes in the recent New Mexico Press Women’s Communications Contest. Congratulations! You’re all amazing!
(Photo credit Eric Draper)
Upcoming SWW Events
You can find information about upcoming events on the SWW website here. Here’s what’s on tap this month.
Saturday, April 13: Meeting presentation (in-person or zoom) from 10 a.m. until noon. Creating Writers, Creating Citizens will be presented by Mary Collins and is based on her latest book by the same name. More information here.
Saturday, April 13: Workshop (in-person or zoom) from 12:30 until 2:30 p.m. Writing the Difficult Topic will be presented by Mary Collins. More information here and register here.
Wednesday, April 24: Meeting presentation (zoom only) from 6:30 until 8:30 p.m. The Contest Castles of Limerick and Haiku: How to Get Past the Moat Dragons will be presented by Shirley Blackwell. More information here.
April’s Writing Challenge for SWW Members
The monthly writing challenge is a terrific opportunity to write and submit short pieces based on a prompt. Entries we select for publication will appear on the SouthWest Writers Sage Challenge webpage and will be eligible for inclusion in upcoming anthologies. For more information and our submission guidelines, click here. Note: Email your entry to info@swwriters.com by April 25, 2024.
This month’s challenge: Poetry! Because April is National Poetry Month.
Send a single poem that best represents your voice as a poet. We look forward to hearing from you and your view of the world. The poem can be in any format, but must be no longer than 1,000 words.
Let’s Learn From Each Other
Our 400+ members are talented and creative and have learned many ins and outs of the publishing industry. We’re excited to share your sage perspectives about how to hone our craft, cultivate a fruitful writing life, or work with publishers and vendors.
Craft: Do you struggle with editing? Check out this meaty post from SWW member Andi Penner called, “How to Edit with Half a Brain”. Her thoughts about using a flexible style sheet seem especially helpful.
Writing Life: SWW Member Sherri Burr offers several reasons why reading and watching thrillers can help us choose our writing projects and learn from good and bad examples. Read like a writer! Read Sherri’s piece here on the SWW blog.
If you’ve recently written and posted a piece on your blog, website, Facebook Page, or other social media platform that fits this section, email Lisa a link to the piece along with a two-sentence introduction to sage@swwriters.com.
Regional and Online Literary Happenings
Watch this space! You told us you want to learn more about submission opportunities and additional learning events. Email sage@swwriters.com with links to anything you think we should share with Sage subscribers.
Welcome to SouthWest Writers!
The following writers joined our community in February and March. We hope to see you at one of our events in person or online. Write on!
Katherine Archuleta, Lauren Austin, Brenda Beck, Charlie Christian, Susan Deichsel, Alissa Dickey, Genesis, Reza Ghadimi, Jacqueline Gomez, Peter Gooch, Elaine Hampton, Chuck Holman, Sharon Kayne, Jeanne Lyet Gassman, Cheryl McMillan, Cameron Miguel, AJ Stevens, Amelia Welden, and Francis Wiget!
If you’re not yet a member, learn more about the benefits here.
We have resources for writers across our platforms and additional content on our members-only section of the website. Visit our website, ask to join our Facebook Group, check out our blog, see what we’re saying on X (Twitter), check out the session recordings on our YouTube channel, or find our page on Goodreads.
We all need to refresh once in a while and this is refreshing. Thanks.