April 2025 News
2025 SWW contest, a new Sage challenge, and more.
Message from the Prez
Happy April! My favorite thinking time is while walking in the park or another favorite outside space. Take time this month to go outside and let your writing mind wander. No telling where it will lead you.
One of the signs of spring for SWW is the first announcement of the 2025 Writing Contest! Now is the time to write that new piece of writing you have been thinking about or freshen up something you just don’t feel is right yet. Check out Kim’s note below about the key changes for 2025. For more information, check here.
An important way to get feedback on your writing is to join a critique group. SWW has supported several critique groups over the years and will form a few new ones soon. Let us know if you are interested in being part of a group. Click here to learn more (you will need to be logged into the members-only section to view).
Happy walking!
Judy
Message from the VP and Contest Chair
As Judy teased above, the moment we've all been waiting for is here--the annual SouthWest Writers contest! This year we have some new and exciting things happening with the contest (as well as a few tried-and-true familiar things). Like last year, the period for submissions will open on June 1st and close on July 8th and we'll be using the same judging sheet and criteria. You'll also be able to find all of the rules, categories, and guidelines for entering on our website here.
The biggest change we're making this year is that we will be using a submission platform . The program is called Zealous (zealous.co/register), and you will need to make an account on the platform to be able to submit to the contest when it opens. Creating an account is easy; all you need is your name, email address, and a password.
We've also made changes to our lineup of categories. I’m thrilled to announce that, in addition to a variety of prose and poetry categories, we'll be including a category for short screenplay. Now's the time to polish up your existing unpublished projects, write something new, and share them with the world (or, at least, a panel of judges).
Keep an eye on our website for more information, and happy writing!
Kim
Upcoming SWW Events
You can find information about upcoming events on the SWW website here. Here’s what’s on tap in the coming weeks.
Saturday, April 12: Meeting presentation (in-person or Zoom) from 10:00 a.m. until 11:45 p.m. The Building Blocks of Prose will be presented by Dan Wetmore. More information here.
Saturday, April 12: Workshop (in-person or Zoom) from 12:00-2:00pm. Screen Adaptation will be presented by Christopher Upham. More information here and register here.
Wednesday, April 23: Meeting presentation (Zoom only) from 6:30-8:30 p.m. From Poetry to Memoir will be presented by Irene Blea. More information here.
Saturday, May 10: Meeting presentation (in-person or Zoom) from 10:00 a.m. until 11:45 p.m. Plot and Story Arc will be presented by Jim Tritten. More information here.
Saturday, May 10: Workshop (in-person or Zoom) from 12:00-2:00pm. Finding Your Unique Voice will be presented by Lynn Doxon. More information here and register here.
Confused About PayPal?
PayPal is the payment system that collects and facilitates payments for SWW. You DO NOT need a PayPal account to make payments to us through it. You can use any credit card. PayPal does not have access to your information. If you do pay with a credit card, your statement will likely show PayPal * SouthWest Writers, or a similar notation.
March’s Writing Challenge - The Results
Last month we challenged you to send us your poetry. See contributions from Dita Dow, Mary Therese Ellingwood, Mark Fleisher, Reza Ghadimi, Carolyn Hardisty Ruiz, Kathleen Hessler, Rose Marie Kern, Larry Kilham, Dan Wetmore, Mike Whelan, and Wanda Whittlesby on the SWW Website here.
April’s Writing Challenge for SWW Members
The monthly 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. Email your entry in MS Word or TXT format to info@swwriters.com by April 20, 2025.
April’s writing challenge: Grade School!
Give us up to 1000 words about something that happened during your primary school years. It can be fiction, non-fiction, or poetry. No more than 1,000 words.
Regional and Online Literary Happenings
Most - ALL! - writers love great bookstores. Here’s a review of Albuquerque’s Books on the Bosque from SWW member Rosa Armijo-Pemble. This Sage Editor appreciates Rosa’s reminder about the correct and incorrect ways to pronounce Bosque. And the bookstore information, goes without saying.
Welcome to SouthWest Writers!
The following writers joined/re-joined our community in February and March. We hope to see you at one of our events in person or online. Write on!
Dan Chiras, Kira Cordova, Candice Dosela, Paula Feather, Sarah Mock, David Policansky, Brian Montross, Geff Moyer, Scott Sharot, Michael Shurgot, Billie Smith-Haffener, Michael Spiller, Cindy Spring, and Michael Whelan.
If you’re not yet a member, learn more about the benefits here.
We have resources for writers across our platforms and additional content in our members-only section of the website. Visit our website, ask to join our Facebook Group, check out our blog, check out the session recordings on our YouTube channel, or find our page on Goodreads.