November 2025 News
Lots of events! Mentorship program, request for volunteers, new Exec Board.
Message from the Prez
SouthWest Writers is a volunteer organization. This means that the vast majority of the work to make SouthWest Writers a great organization comes from the membership. While we have a small office that does a lot of clerical work behind the scenes, everything else is done by volunteers. For example, this newsletter you are reading right now was put together by a volunteer. The articles within it were all written by volunteers. The website that you might have checked to find out the topic for the next meeting was done by a volunteer. If you learned something new at a meeting, the speaker was a volunteer. The board that is planning all the upcoming events are all volunteers.
We are planning new projects next year that will take a lot of volunteers. We will need volunteer mentors for the mentorship program. The literary festival will need volunteers to do everything from planning the event to hosting speaker panels and making sure that we have food available at the right time.
What do you get by volunteering? The most important thing is community. It is a great way to meet people with common interests. You may also learn new skills. And, most importantly, you will help make SouthWest Writers the organization that you want it to be. And, of course, a lot of thanks from everyone else in the organization.
I know that everyone’s life is different. You may only be able to volunteer occasionally. That’s fine. We are going to need lots of folks to take on these big projects. Every bit of time and help you can offer is needed.
So get involved! There will be sign up forms at meetings or on the website here.
Thanks! I’m looking forward to volunteering with you.
Judy
2025 Annual Meeting
Our annual meeting was held last month. Click here for the highlights including our congratulations to the 2025 Parris Award winner, Sherri Burr. We also announced our 2026 SWW Executive Board:
Kimberly Rose, President
Allen Herring, Vice-President
Cornelia Gamlem, Treasurer
Helen Jacks, Secretary
Winners of the 2025 contest were also announced. See more here.
Feedback Requested! Social Media Preferences
SWW Board Member Nancy McGuire is looking for feedback about your preferred social media platforms. This information will help us better reach our members and potential members. From Nancy:
We want to hear from everyone. If you haven’t taken the survey, scan the QR code below or click on https://tinyurl.com/SWWsocmed2025 -- one survey form per person, please. (It’s a short survey, it won’t take much time.) In 2026, we want to keep you informed by posting where you’re looking. If you’re not active on social media, we’d like to know that too.
Coming Soon! The SWW Mentorship Program
In response to survey requests for more one-on-one help and to strengthen our tagline, Writers Helping Writers. SouthWest Writers is establishing a mentorship program.
This would be an educational program, as opposed to a service. For example, if you are mentoring someone through a structural edit, you would not edit their writing for them; you would give tips on reading their writing critically to make improvements.
There will be a fee (to be determined) for the mentorship program. Half the income will go to the organization, and half to the mentor, so you will receive compensation for your effort. However, we anticipate a relatively low fee, and the members would do it in part as a volunteer service for the organization rather than as a source of full-time income.
The availability of mentors will determine the form and frequency of the mentorship. It could be a one-time thing or could go on throughout the production of a book. SouthWest Writers will make the initial connection between the mentor and the mentee, but all further contact will be their responsibility. SouthWest Writers will not be responsible for any misunderstandings or disagreements between the parties.
If you are interested in being a mentor, please fill in the SouthWest Writers Mentorship Program form and either email it to Mentorship Program director, Lynn Doxon, at lynndoxon@hotmail.com, or print it out and mail it to: SouthWest Writers, 3200 Carlisle Blvd NE, Suite 114 Albuquerque, NM 87110. For more information contact lynndoxon@hotmail.com.
Upcoming SWW Events
You can find information about upcoming events on the SWW website here. Here’s what’s on tap this month and next.
Saturday, November 8: NM Arts & Crafts Fair from 10 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. visit the SWW table at UNMCE (our Saturday meeting location). More information here.
Wednesday, November 19: Meeting presentation (Zoom only) from 6:30 until 8:30 p.m. Digging Deep: Investigative Reporting and the Guardianship Crisis will be presented by Phillip Marshall. More information here.
Saturday, November 22: Bookfair fundraiser for SWW at Westside Barnes & Noble from 12:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m. You can support SouthWest Writers while shopping for Holiday gifts before the selection has been picked over. Print this voucher and present it in person at Barnes and Noble – Albuquerque, West Side at 3701 Ellison Drive NW, and a percentage of the net sales will be issued to Southwest Writers! Must be presented in person. Not valid for online purchases.
Saturday December 13: Presentation (in-person or Zoom) from 10:00 until 11:45 a.m. Social Media Marketing for Authors (Who Would Rather Be Writing) will be presented by Saleema Ishq. More information here.
Saturday December 13: Workshop (in-person or Zoom) from 12:00 p.m. until 2:00 p.m. Flying Solo: Launching a Freelance Writing Business will be presented by Ruth E. Thaler-Carter. More information here and register here.
Saturday, December 27: Writers’ Coffee from 10:00–11:00 am, at Books on the Bosque. Socialize with other writers, no speaker/no program.
Last Month’s Writing Challenge - The Results
Last month we challenged you to share a Halloween Tale. Four SWW members contributed to last month’s Challenge including Dita Dow, Callie Macsaylor, C.L. Nemeth, and Maralie Waterman. Check out the submissions here. [add link to results page for the last month]
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: Vacations & Travel
This is a NON-Fiction category. Have you had a vacation or traveled somewhere for work or enjoyment that you remember vividly? Send up to 1,000 words of non-fiction travelog – a journey about a place or traveling experience, or perhaps an info piece that gives travel advice. Send it to info@swwriters.com by November 20 and put SAGE CHALLENGE in the subject line.
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!
Linnea Hendrickson, Callie MacSaylor, Anna Riley-Pate, and Cheryl J. Skinner.
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.