Join us for our monthly programs.
Meeting Times and Locations
Two regular membership meetings with a presentation by an expert on some aspect of writing are held each month:
- The second Saturday of every month from 10:00 to 11:45 am MST (in person at UNM Continuing Education Building and via Zoom). (Starting in 2026, workshops will be held on the third Saturday of the month in person at the SWW office and/or via Zoom. Times vary. See the workshops page for more information.)
- The fourth Wednesday from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm MST (via Zoom only). There is no Wednesday meeting in December.
See a schedule of all our events, and visit our YouTube Videos page for a listing of the recorded speakers from 2016 to the present.
Visitor/Guest Policy
We encourage visitors and guests to experience what our award-winning writers’ association has to offer. We request non-members limit their attendance to three meetings, after which we hope they will join SouthWest Writers. Visitors are welcome beyond their first three visits at a cost of $10 per meeting.
ZOOM MEETING Procedure: Read about SWW’s Zoom Meeting procedure on this page.
Read our Zoom log-in policy. ALL ATTENDEES are required to have their zoom screen show either their name or phone number. SWW Members sign into the Members Only portion of the website (request a username and password from info@swwriters.com if you haven’t already done so). Once in the Members Portal, follow the Zoom log-in directions posted prior to the meeting. Non-members are required to contact our office (505-830-6034 or info@swwriters.com) or sign up for Elerts to receive a link to our upcoming meetings.
Need help signing into an SWW Zoom meeting? Watch this video.
2026 SWW Meeting Information
(For workshop information, go to the Workshops page.)
Saturday, January 10, 2026
10am – 11:45am
In Person and via Zoom
Speaker: Kathleen A. Hessler
We All Have a Story to Tell: Memoir Musings and Mistakes
Everyone has a story, but not everyone wants to share it. If you want to write a memoir, or have written one and are deciding whether to seek an agent, a publisher, self-publish, or set it aside for later, this talk is for you. This is not a how-to speech; rather, it is an opportunity to learn from my mistakes.
- Why write a memoir?
- Who is your audience: Family or the world?
- Writing, research, and critique groups: Value of sharing as you write.
- Editors and editing services: Be clear about what your editor will do for you.
- Beta Readers: What is a beta reader, and what benefit do they offer?
- Agents, Publishers, and Self-publishing
- Marketing
Kathleen A. Hessler is an attorney and registered nurse who represented healthcare providers for nearly thirty years. Throughout her career, she has spoken at numerous legal and healthcare conferences. An award-winning writer, she has contributed chapters to professional publications. Kathleen’s memoir, Promise Me Daughter, is now on Amazon.com.
Wednesday, January 28, 2026
6:30pm – 8:30pm – Via Zoom only
Speaker: Glory St. Germain
From Pages to Profits: How to Monetize Your Book and Make Your Words Work for You
Glory St. Germain has composed a masterpiece for music educators in her book Teach Music Change Lives, uniting passion, purpose, and profitability in perfect harmony. This book is more than a guide, it’s an invitation to step into your power as a teacher, entrepreneur, and leader in the world of music education. — Jack Canfield, Coauthor of Chicken Soup for the Soul® and The Success PrinciplesTM.
St. Germain teaches educators how to become purposeful music entrepreneurs. She brings her remarkably successful business experience from being “just a music teacher” to building a thriving business in developing the Ultimate Music Theory program, Ultimate Music Teachers membership, and online music teacher training as a music business educational coach. As a TEDx speaker and thought leader, St. Germain brings a variety of experiences to the teaching world. Glory St. Germain is an award-winning speaker sharing the Women Rocking Business stage with Sage Lavine, inspiring thousands of entrepreneurs around the world.
Glory St. Germain Bio: ARCT Founder/CEO Ultimate Music Theory Ltd., TEDx Speaker, International Bestselling Author 60+ Books, Teach Music Change Lives & The Power of WHY Musicians Series. Host of the Ultimate Music Teachers Podcast, Teachers Business Coach & Creator of UMTC Elite Educator Program.
Saturday, February 14, 2026
10am – 11:45am
In Person and via Zoom
Speaker: Dan Wetmore
To Free, or Not to Free (Verse): The Pros & Cons of Formed & Unformed Poetry
T.S. Eliot once wrote, “No verse is free for the [writer] who wants to do a good job.” All literature carries a generative cost, and every form, including the unformed, is a two-sided coin; a marriage of strengths and shortcomings. So for you super fans of one particular type, find out why you should expand your list of favorites, or switch allegiances altogether. And for you who hold all types of poetry at arm’s length, let me introduce you to one(s) which actually complement your strengths as a writer and/or reader.
Dan Wetmore, a member of SouthWest Writers and New Mexico State Poetry Society, has been writing verse—both the rambling and the regimented—since childhood. He’s authored two volumes of poetry, My Mother’s Gentle Unbecoming and Phoboudenophobia, and is nearing completion of a third, On Our Knees in Ironies.
Wednesday, February 25, 2026
6:30pm – 8:30pm – Via Zoom only
Speaker: Kimberly Rose
Information about the 2026 Writing Contest
Saturday, March 14, 2026
10am – 11:45am
In Person and via Zoom
Speaker: Suzanne Stauffer
What’s Your Genre?
What are genres and why do they matter? This presentation will define formats, literary forms, and genres, explore the differences among them, and explain why it is important to accurately categorize your work.
After 20 years as a librarian and 20 as a professor of library science, Suzanne Stauffer has moved on to a third career as a mystery novelist. Her debut novel, Fried Chicken Castañeda won the CIPA EVVY Bronze Medal in Mystery and the New Mexico Book Award for Cozy Mystery.
Wednesday, March 25, 2026
6:30pm – 8:30pm – Via Zoom only
Speaker: Cait West
Writing from Trauma: How to Write and Publish Your Story of Abuse and Healing
As Maya Angelou said, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” When we write our personal stories of abuse, we must first face our own trauma, which can be both painful and healing. But how do we write about these memories without retraumatizing ourselves? Cait will walk us through her process of writing a memoir about abuse, from early drafts to the decisions she made about changing names and how much of her story to share publicly.
Cait West is a writer and advocate living in Traverse City, Michigan. Her work has been published in Dunes Review, The Revealer, Fourth Genre, Hawai‘i Pacific Review, The Christian Century, and Newsweek. She is the author of Rift: A Memoir of Breaking Away from Christian Patriarchy and was featured in the documentary For Our Daughters.
Saturday, April 11, 2026
10am – 11:45am
In Person and via Zoom
Speaker: Sara Frances
Joy, Death, and Memoir in Short Form Poetry
The two greatest topics in literature intersect unexpectedly with poetry and short poetic prose to offer a fulfilling opportunity for the
memoirist or storyteller. This program offers a unique, approachable path, an alternative way to share sparkling bits of experience, without
the full narrative burden. Think outside the book with examples from both famous and local poets and a dive into the scary space of
modern. postmodern and how to challenge “difficult” poetry. Answers the question is poetry fiction or non-fiction.
Sara Frances self-defines as a photojournalist-poet. Her MA (Comparative Literature) and Poetry Collective of Lighthouse Writers Workshop cross genre with her photographic tittle Master Photographic Craftsman. Her full length illustrated poetry books are What to Wear to Paradise and Aqua Primordial, entirely written in Japanese forms.
Wednesday, April 22, 2026
6:30pm – 8:30pm – Via Zoom only
Speaker: Debbie White
What Makes A Compelling Story
Do you ever wonder why some stories grab and hold you while other stories just feel flat or unsatisfying? Do you want to take your storytelling to the next level? In this presentation, we’ll find out what makes a compelling story and why. It doesn’t matter if it’s fiction or nonfiction. It doesn’t matter if it’s a novel, short story, screenplay or play. The elements of a compelling story still apply. Get ready to take a deep dive into the art and craft of storytelling!
Debbie White first got published at 13 with a 4-H article in the Lincoln Journal-Star. Her career includes working as a newspaper journalist, copy editor, freelancer, director of communications for national firms and marketing agency owner. In 2023, she chaired the SouthWest Writers writing contest and was editor of the Woven Pathways anthology of winners.
Previous Speakers and Topics
Most presentations were recorded and are available on the SWW YouTube channel.
2025:
♦ Layla Milholen, Publishing with McFarland
♦ John Roche, Freeing Your Free Verse from Flabbiness
♦ Dorinda Wegener, From Pitch to Launch: Publicity steps Authors Can Take to Maximize Book Exposure
♦ Judy Castleberry, What Judges Want You to Know BEFORE You Enter a Writing Contest
♦ Mary Lou Dobbs, Learn to Love Marketing & Sales
♦ Christopher Upton, Film Adaptation
♦ Dan Wetmore, The Building Blocks of Prose
♦ Irene Blea, From Poetry to Memoir
♦ Jim Tritten, Plot and Story Arc
♦ Geoff Habiger, Fantasy Gaming Scripts
♦ James Wilson, Mystery Writing
♦ Léonie Rosenstiel, Should You Shun Books with Footnotes?
♦ Jonathan Miller, The Ancient Secrets of the Three Act Structure of Storytelling
♦ Chris Eboch, Improve Your Pitch
♦ Suzanne Stauffer, Using Library Resources to Add Authenticity to Your Writing
♦ Laura Carney, How I Finished My Late Dad’s List of Life Goals and Wrote a Successful Book About It
♦ Gail Rubin, End-of-Life and Your Literary Legacy
♦ Krista Soukup, Marketing and Publicity for Writers
♦ Leonie Rosenstiel, AI Revisited: Should We Be Very Afraid?
♦ Phillip Marshall, Digging Deep: Investigative Reporting and the Guardianship Crisis
♦ Saleema Ishq, Social Media Marketing for Authors who’d rather be writing
2024:
♦ Jonathan Miller, Completing Your Manuscript under Challenging Circumstances
♦ Chuck Greaves, The DIY MFA, Or: How to Teach Yourself to Write (Or to Write Better)
♦ Kathleen O’Keefe-Kanavos, Hybrid, Self or Conventional Publishing Pros, Cons and What is Right for YOU?
♦ Parris Afton Bonds, Writing Romance Novels — Then and Now
♦ Charlene Bell Dietz, Why Your Characters Misbehave, and Why AI Isn’t the Answer
♦ Marcia Rosen, Memoir Detective: Writing Your LifeStory
♦ Mary Collins, Creating Writers, Creating Citizens
♦ Shirley Blackwell, Contest Castles of Limerick and Haiku: How to Get Past the Moat Dragons
♦ Donna Pedace, Public Presentations
♦ Kathy Louise Schuit, Editorial Guidelines: NOT a Suggestion
♦ Irene I. Blea, Ph.D., Integrating Ethnic Characters into Your Writing
♦ Rose Marie Kern, Pros and Cons of Self-Publishing vs Traditional Publishing
♦ Carlyn Montes De Oca, In Conversation: Junkyard Girl
♦ Zachry Wheeler, How to Write Good Science Fiction
♦ BR Kingsolver, Writing in Series: Getting the Most out of an Idea
♦ Léonie Rosenstiel, How Jack Canfield Came to Write the Foreword for Legal Protection
♦ Laurel Goodluck, Vaunda Nelson, Khadijah VanBrakle, Natalie Linn and moderator Chris Eboch, Kid’s Lit Panel
♦ Neill McKee, From International Film and Media Maker to Award-Winning Creative Writer
♦ Sara Frances, What Judges Look for in Book Contests
♦ Antonio Weiss & Jacqueline Murray Loring, On Making SYMPHONY IN C-NOTE
♦ Léonie Rosenstiel, AI—Your Best Hope or Your Worst Nightmare?
2023:
♦ Jamii Corley, Introduction to Website Building
♦ Jim Jones, From Songs to Books and Back Again
♦ Joseph Badal, Two Important Writing Rules
♦ Cornelia Gamlem & Jacqueline Murray Loring, Publishing Paths
♦ Geoff Habiger, Newsletter Basics
♦ Jim & Bobbi Jean Bell, Be the Star of Your Online or Radio Interview
♦ C. Daniel Miller, Copyrighting, Rights and Permissions
♦ NM State Poetry Society, Poets and Writers: Why the Distinction?
♦ Sherri Burr, Wills and Trusts for Writers and Authors
♦ Robert Kidera, The Writer’s Tool Kit
♦ Dan Wetmore, Poetry, Focus and Form
♦ Stephen Kurkjian, The Greatest Art Theft in World History
♦ Kirt Hickman, Bring Your Settings to Life
♦ Ellen Byerrum, Comic Mysteries; or, What’s so funny about murder?
♦ Kathy Louise Schuit, Don’t Make Your Friends and Family Read Bad Stuff
♦ Diane Dimond, How to Investigate and Write about a Secretive System
♦ Phil Mills Jr., Challenges of Writing for Children in a Video Game World
♦ Sonja Dewing, Making Dollars and Sense out of Amazon Ads
♦ Michael Arnzen, The Transformation Scene
♦ Jim Tritten (host), Stories from the Veterans Anthology
♦ Ernie Witham, Finding Humor in Everyday Situations
♦ Christie Lowrance, A Writer’s Quest: Non-fiction, History, and Biography
2022:
♦ John Gilstrap, Whose Story Are You Telling?
♦ Stephanie Chandler, Build Your On-line Marketing Plan
♦ Jayne Ann Krentz, Reinventing Yourself: Tips for Finding Your Voice and Core Story
♦ Lauren Wolk, The Art and Business of Writing for Young Readers
♦ Jodi Thomas, Why Write a Series?
♦ Nancy Rubin Stuart, Using Fiction Techniques to Shape Non-fiction
♦ Jonathan Miller, How to Turn Your Life into a Novel
♦ Ellen Meeropol, Evil Characters We Love to Hate
♦ Kristin Owens, The Personal, Personal Essay
♦ Susan Katz, Why Every Writer Needs an Editor
♦ Melody Groves, Writing Westerns: The Good, The Bad, The Beautiful
♦ Jim Tritten, Short Stories are Fun
♦ BR Kingsolver, How and Why to Write a Series
♦ Margaret Shannon, You Can Write Your Family History
♦ Johnny Boggs, Making Dialogue Sing
♦ Ronn Perea, Public Speaking for Authors
♦ Anne Hillerman, What I Wish I’d known before I Wrote my First Novel
♦ B. Marika Flatt, PR by the Book
♦ Dan Klefstad, DIY Book Promo
♦ Robin Perini, Taking Your Writing to the Next Level
♦ Judith Avila, Writing Your Memoir, An Act of Courage
♦ Parris Afton Bonds, First, The Plot
2021:
♦ Jonathan Miller, A Novel for the New Year
♦ Marcia Rosen, Podcast Marketing for Authors
♦ David Morrell, Thoughts and lessons from 48 years as a published novelist
♦ Natalie Goldberg, The Way of Haiku
♦ Susan Elizabeth Phillips, The Writing Life: Craft, Characters, Creativity, and Career
♦ Darynda Jones, Humor & Heat: How to Write Funny Without Sacrificing Sexual Tension
♦ David L. Robbins, The Art and Craft of the Narrative
♦ Gerard Hanberry, Geraldine Mills, Luke Morgan, Pete Mullineaux, Moya Roddy, Readings by Irish Poets
♦ Raffi Andonian, Controversial Historical Sites
♦ Debra W. Englander, Why You Need a Book Coach
♦ Dean Wesley Smith, Writing into the Dark: Writing Clean, One-draft Stories Without an Outline
♦ Sheryl Brown, Screenplay from Stakeholder Perspectives
♦ Jeffrey Candelaria, Artists, Writers, and a Business Mentality
♦ Paige Wheeler, Agents and Authors
♦ Fauzia Burke, Author Platforms
♦ Robin Cutler, The Power of Self-publishing
♦ James McGrath Morris, Researching Your Book
♦ Loretta Hall, Elements of Nonfiction
♦ Benjamin Percy, The Ninth Metal, Reading and Craft Discussion
♦ Rob Spiegel, Using Scenes to Build Your Story
♦ David J. Corwell, On the Edge of Their Seats: Horror and Suspense
♦ Lynn Miller, Writing like a Reader: Your Audience and Story
♦ Robert Kidera, Taking the Mystery out of Mystery Writing
♦ Lynne Sturtevant, Writing for the Web