Rose Marie Kern, President
With more than 1,000 articles and four books published, Rose Marie Kern thinks of herself primarily as a teacher. Though most of her work has been connected with aviation, she also writes about gardening, solar energy, and sustainable living practices. In addition to her own work, she has helped dozens of SWW members through the intricacies of self-publishing and is the editor of numerous SWW publications.
Elizabeth Layton, Vice President
Within her 20-plus years as a freelance writer, Elizabeth Layton has been a journalist, science writer, creative writer, screenwriter, copywriter, and online content writer. She has written for the U.S. Forest Service, the Durango Herald newspaper, and a wide variety of online websites. Elizabeth has a Bachelor’s degree in Communications and a Master’s in Creative Writing for Film, Television, and Gaming.
Jennifer Black, Treasurer
Jennifer Black joined SouthWest Writers in 2017. Answering a 2018 call to volunteer, she offered to help out at the business table, which led to an invitation to join the Board in 2019. She says her list of writing accomplishments is short: an article published in the Sage Anthology and first place in the David Morrell Prize for Fiction through the Albuquerque Museum’s 2018 Author Festival. She has been self-employed for 12 years and lives west of Rio Rancho with her husband.
Patricia Walkow, Secretary
Patricia Walkow is an award-winning author. Her work was honored in the 2016 William Faulkner Literary Competition. A full-length biography, The War Within, the Story of Josef, won first place awards in national and international competitions. She writes short stories and essays and has contributed to both online and in-print anthologies, newspapers, and magazines. Ms. Walkow was a former systems manager in a Fortune 200 company and is a member of the Corrales Writing Group. She lives in Corrales with her husband, cats, and one very spoiled dog.
