The Parris Award was established by SouthWest Writers to honor a published writer, screenwriter, or editor who has given outstandingly of time and talent to other writers. Previous recipients of the Parris Award include Tony Hillerman and the Pulitzer nominee Norman Zollinger. The Parris Award is named for one of the Charter members, Parris Afton Bonds, who gave tirelessly of her time encouraging new members.
The award is given to an SWW member who has:
- a significant published body of work,
- a record of extraordinary effort in furthering the organization, and
- a pattern of showing encouragement to other writers.
In 2024 we are proud to announce that the winner is:
Cornelia Gamlem
Cornelia Gamlem, an award-winning author, consultant and speaker, is passionate about helping organizations develop and maintain respectful workplaces.
An avid believer of giving back, Cornelia is a strong supporter of the HR, business and writing communities. Cornelia often brings groups of HR professionals, consultants and fellow writers together so they can share their knowledge and experiences. She’s been active in national employers’ groups that influenced public policy, testified before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and held national leadership volunteer roles with The Society for Human Resource Management.
Writing books and blogging isn’t the only way she shares her expertise. She is a frequent guest on radio and podcasts and has been interviewed in major markets around the country. Sought after for her HR and business knowledge, Cornelia has been quoted in major publications including the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, Fortune, The New York Times, and Forbes. Her articles have appeared in publications such as fastcompany.com, Inc.com, Authority Magazine, and Entrepreneur.com. She coauthors a quarterly column for HR Exchange Network.
Cornelia’s extensive body of work is well known in the world of business. Many of her books have been translated into other languages including Vietnamese, Chinese and Arabic. One of them will soon be available in Mongolian.
Book Titles:
- The Decisive Manager,
- They Did What? Unbelievable Tales from the Workplace
- The Big Book of HR, (2022 Next Generation Indie Book Award Winner)
- The Manager’s Answer Book, (2020 Next Generation Indie Book Award Winner)
- The Conflict Resolution Phrase Book,
- The Essential Workplace Conflict Handbook
- Numerous articles. Interviews and podcasts in the field of HR
- Blog: Making People Matter
She has been quoted or featured in many publications including:
- Wall Street Journal
- New York Times
- Newsday
- Chicago Tribune
- The Globe and Mail
- CEO Magazine
- Financial Times
- Forbes
- Fortune
- Fast Company
- Shanghai Daily
Her awards include:
- New Mexico Press Women – 2019: 2nd place for Specialty Article, Business and 2nd place for Nonfiction Books for Adult Readers, The Manager’s Answer Book.
- Next Generation Indie Book Award – 2020 for The Manager’s Answer Book
- Readers’ Favorite Book Awards – 2020 for They Did What?
- National Association of Press Women – 2023 First Place for Nonfiction Books for Adult Readers The Big Book of HR, Anniversary Edition
- New Mexico Press Women – 2023: 2nd place in the Specialty Article, Business category.
Cornelia has a record of extraordinary effort in furthering SouthWest Writers including:
- Board member since 2021. In 2021 & 22 was the PR lead acting as liaison between Collegium and the other marketing functions (Media, Social Media, Website, Sage and Office).
- Developed forms to make the flow of information simpler and streamlined.
- Treasurer 2023 & 2024. Finalized the transition of the accounting system from Quick Books to Excel and programmed the Excel Spreadsheet for recording income, expenses, etc. so that information is automatically populated into subsequent sheets in the file in order to reduce data entry and the risk of data input errors. Developed detailed procedures that address all the functions of Treasurer.
- Developed spreadsheets with analysis of events/activities (e.g. dues payment; workshops and classes) in order to have credible information for budget purposes. Simplified the budget preparation process.
- Supported the welcome table since October 2021.
- Supported the office coordinator at the UNM Craft Fair in collecting money and subsequently performing analysis on the positive financial impact of the event to SWW.
- Took the lead on updating the bylaws in 2023.
- Upon request, provide consultation to the President on business-related matters
Her pattern of showing encouragement to other writers includes:
- Writing several articles for the Sage on the Business of Writing
- Judge in 2022 and 2024 writing contest
- Presented at the virtual conference in 2020 – panel discussion
- Workshop with Rose Kern in 2022 and 2023 – From Writer to Author
- February 2023 – member meeting. Spoke about working with an agent with Jacqueline Loring
- Ran the April 2024 member meeting
In addition to her work with SouthWest Writers, encouragement is a way of life for Cornelia through her blog, Making People Matter and simply her way of being.
Thank you, Cornelia, for your hard work on behalf of SouthWest Writers and
The contest is open to new and experienced writers. Contestants don’t have to be members of SWW or live in the Southwest to enter. Winners have the opportunity to publish their entries in this year’s contest anthology.
This competition encourages first-time writers as well as seasoned professionals. You do not have to be a member of SouthWest Writers to enter.