SWW Storyteller

Meetings

Join us for our monthly programs on the first Saturday from 10 a.m – noon and the third Tuesday from 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. at New Life Presbyterian Church, 5540 Eubank NE, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Members free. Visitors/guests $10. We also offer classes, workshops, and conferences.

Saturday, May 4
10:00 am to noon
Members free, guests $10

Writing Ordinary Stories in Extraordinary Ways

Jean Waszak

Jean Waszak will discuss how to write columns and essays using material gleaned from everyday life. She’ll also give tips on injecting humor in your writing—a touch every editor loves.

Jean Blackmon Waszak has won national awards for fiction, nonfiction and essays. She won first prize for short fiction in the Writer's Digest annual writing contest and was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Spoken Word category for one of her essays that was recorded by Alfre Woodard. For 21 years she has written a newspaper humor column and she is a staff writer for Corrales MainStreet News. Her work has appeared in numerous magazines, newspapers, and anthologies. For many years she taught Focus on Fiction Workshops, UNM Honors Seminars, and fiction workshops at the Taos School of Writing. With her husband, John, she owns and operates a little grocery store in Corrales which provides rich and endless inspiration for her writing.

Tuesday, May 21
7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Members free, guests $10

Everything You Wanted to Know About Critique Groups
But Were Afraid to Ask

A Panel Discussion

A panel of four local writers who belong to critique groups will explain advantages of critique groups, how to join or start one, how to conduct a critique group, and other useful insights. Published writers Bob Gassaway, Jeanne Shannon, Judith Avila and Sue Houser will form the panel. Bring your questions and share your own experiences. Tables will be set up after the panel’s presentation to help facilitate starting or joining critique groups looking for new members.

Saturday, June 1
10:00 am to noon
Members free, guests $10

How to Avoid 90% of Your Rejections

Rob Spiegel

Rejections sting. They are discouraging. They are brutal. And most of them are not necessary. Learn how to find markets that fit your writing. Learn how to fit your writing to the markets. Spiegel will cover both commercial and literary publishers. He'll explain how to sell your writing to magazines and book publishers. You'll learn how to find the right publishing outlets for your writing and how to tailor your writing to ensure publication.

Rob Spiegel is senior editor at Design News, an international trade magazine where he writes articles and blogs. He also moderates webinars and edits the work of contributing writers. He was the launch publisher of Chile Pepper, a national food magazine he owned from 1987 through 1996. He sold the magazine to return to writing. He has published six books and placed hundreds of magazine articles with scores of magazines, including Rolling Stone, New Mexico Magazine and True Confessions.

Tuesday, June 18
7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Members free, guests $10

The Tumbleweeds of Change: How an Undersized, Student-led Coalition
can Cultivate Literacy Initiatives Across Communities

Matthew Tougas

This talk will reflect on many of the projects—both successful and challenging—that UNM’s Writing Across Communities (WAC) has undertaken, the work it’s doing now, and some of the initiatives it has in mind for the future. The impetus for this talk hinges on WAC’s recent efforts to foster community partnerships and awareness. What we have been learning, and as SouthWest Writers exemplifies, is that our local community is already active and supportive of artistic pursuits. What this talk hopes to address are strategies for cultivating more meaningful relationships between campus and community.

Matthew Tougas is current Co-Chair of UNM’s graduate student-led coalition, Writing Across Communities, an organization that seeks to cultivate community partnerships while advocating for cross-institutional initiatives that encourage civic engagement and literacy. Since the start of the year, he has also served as director of the Albuquerque Community Writing Center. As a TA in the Rhetoric and Writing department of UNM, Matthew has worked alongside an active, and dedicated group of writers and educators who have helped introduce him to Albuquerque’s vibrant art scene. His interests include songwriting, poetry, sports, and pub crawls.