August 2025 News
This month's events, MWSA finalists, August challenge.
Message from the Prez
I hope you’re having a wonderful summer, whether that means camping, traveling, or sitting on your patio sipping iced tea and reading. All of these are my favorite things to do in the summer! What are yours?
As the saying goes, all writers are readers. We often have members sell books at our meetings, and this is a great way to pick up a new book while supporting your fellow members. Members can bring copies of their books to sell. If you do this, just remember, you are responsible for selling your own books. We are also selling our new military anthology, Unbreaking the Circle, at the check-in table. It’s a terrific read that will have you laughing and shedding a few tears. Pick up an extra copy for your favorite veteran!
A big thank you to Rose Kern and Kathy Wagoner for their work on the website. We are trying to make it more user friendly on phones and other portable devices while streamlining some of the menus. Take a look and let us know what you think. While you are on the website, check out the upcoming speakers. We have a great lineup with topics ranging from craft to marketing. Does anyone ever know enough about marketing? This topic evolves so quickly that it’s helpful to hear the latest advice.
Sip that tea, read that book, and enjoy these last days of summer. Hope to see you at the next meeting!
Judy
MWSA Awards Finalists - Four SWW Members!
Four SouthWest Writers members were named finalists in the 2025 Military Writers Society of America annual book contest. The MWSA Awards celebrate excellence in literature. Final medals will be awarded at a banquet during their annual conference on September 27, 2025 in Kansas City, MO. Congratulations and good luck!
Category/Author/Title
History/Donna Pedace/Women Warriors of WWII
Memoir/Biography/Jasmine Tritten and Jim Tritten/Around the World in 80 Years
Poetry/Mark Fleisher/Incidental Moments
Upcoming SWW Events
You can find information about upcoming events on the SWW website here. Here’s what’s on tap this month.
Saturday, August 9: Meeting presentation (in-person or zoom) from 10 a.m. until 11:45 a.m. Adding Authenticity to Your Writing – Going Beyond the Internet will be presented by Suzanne Stauffer. More information here.
Saturday, August 9: Workshop (in-person or zoom) from 12:00 until 2:00 p.m. “Then, one day”: How to Craft Your Life into Story will be presented by David Hicks. More information here and register here.
Wednesday, August 27: Meeting presentation (zoom only) from 6:30 until 8:30 p.m. How I Finished My Late Dad’s List of Life Goals and Wrote a Successful Book about it will be presented by Laura Carney. More information here.
Last Month’s Writing Challenge - The Results
Last month we challenged you to create a mystery. Only one member tore themselves away from summer playtime activities to submit a story...but WHAT A STORY! Check out SWW member Keith Pyeatt’s submission here.
This Month’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 the 20th of the month.
This month’s challenge: Charity
When you think of the word charity...what is the first thought, image, or feeling that comes to mind? Write up to 800 words about it – prose or poetry, fiction or non-fiction. Send it to info@swwriters.com by August 20.
Welcome to SouthWest Writers!
The following writers joined our community last month. We hope to see you at one of our events in person or online. Write on!
Tom Andes, Linda Bairstow, Kenneth Bloodworth, Lynn Devlin, Taylor Horst, Mary Jo Langford, Robert Leger, Paul Tennant, and Ruth E. Thaler-Carter.
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.