June 2024 News
The SWW writing contest, June challenge, and more.
The SWW Prez Says…
It’s June...the month known for weddings, freedom from school, and the beginning of summer vacations. It’s the time of year when the desire to write wages war with the lure of outdoor activities, travel, and fun with friends. I’ve learned that each season demands a different balance in my life, and capitulating to seasonal interests can enhance both my skills as a writer and the base of experience necessary to assemble an intriguing mosaic of linguistic thought. Everything we do in life contributes not only to who we’ve become, but how we both perceive and affect reality.
As the SWW writing contest opened for submissions, I reviewed old stories to see if there were some that might be appropriate. There are many stories which I began...but never finished. As I rifle through the pages, I can see that some of them could not be completed for the simple reason that I had not lived enough to find the ending. I challenge all of you to do the same...pull the past into the now. Use your perspectives to complete the stories born in an earlier inspiration and then share them with us. Good luck in this year’s writing contest!
Rose Marie
The 2024 SWW Contest Open!
Are you ready to submit?
June is here and the SouthWest Writers 2024 Contest is open. We are looking for your best work across a wide variety of categories. Winning entries will be published in the anthology "Mosaic Voices" as well as cash prizes. Early bird entry fees through June 7, so enter early before the fee goes up. Final date to enter is July 7. For all the details and rules check here https://www.southwestwriters.com/annual-writing-contest/.
Upcoming SWW Events
You can find information about upcoming events on the SWW website here. Here’s what’s on tap this month.
Saturday, June 8: Meeting presentation (in-person or zoom) from 10 a.m. until noon. Integrating Ethnic Characters into Your Writing will be presented by Irene I. Blea, Ph.D. More information here.
Saturday, June 8: Workshop (in-person or zoom) from 12:30 until 2:30 p.m. From Hiaasen to Evanovich – Comedic Writing Techniques will be presented by (yours truly) Lisa Haneberg. More information here and register here.
Wednesday, June 26: Meeting presentation (zoom only) from 6:30 until 8:30 p.m. How to Write, Produce, and Direct Your Own Film Professionally with Little Money: Film School not Required will be presented by Steven J. Martin. More information here.
May’s Writing Challenge - The Results
Last month we challenged you to send us a poem or short story under 1,000 words with the theme “landscape.” You delivered! See contributions from Léonie Rosenstiel, Rachel Bate, Reza Ghadimi, and Stephen McIlwain on the SWW Website here.
June’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 June 18, 2024.
June’s writing challenge: At the Market
Tell a story or a poem that takes place at a Farmer's Market. No more than 1,000 words.
Let’s Learn From Each Other
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.
Sage subscriber Kitty Felde wrote this post about focus vs. distraction. Check it out on the Los Angeles Female Playwrights Initiative blog here. Shiny objects! We can relate!
Would you like your writing or characters to be more voicy? Check out this piece about authorial voice written by SWW member Suzanne Stauffer on her blog here.
Have you checked out the SWW blog lately? You’ll find author interviews, news, and member updates. Great stuff! Check out the blog here.
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
SWW member Jim Tritten shared this piece from Written Word Media about ways to improve our first chapters on the SWW Writers Community Group on Facebook.
Do you like attending Write-Ins? For some, there’s no better way to get words on the page/screen than to commit to doing so with a group of people. Here’s an Albuquerque-based Meet Up group called Shut Up and Write you might want to check out.
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 April. We hope to see you at one of our events in person or online. Write on!
Paul Blumer, Melissa Phillips, Barbara Wild, and Mary Vetrano-Walker.
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.