Meetings

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). A workshop follows the Saturday meeting from noon to 2:00 pm. See the workshop 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.

Visitor/Guest Policy
We encourage visitors and guests to experience what our award-winning writers’ association has to offer. Since membership dues pay for our outstanding speakers, 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.

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.

ZOOM MEETING Procedure: Read about SWW’s Zoom Meeting procedure on this page.

Need help signing into an SWW Zoom meeting? Watch this video.

2025 MEETING PRESENTATIONS

(A workshop follows Saturday meetings at noon.)

Saturday, July 12, 2025
10am – 11:45am
In Person and via Zoom

Speaker: Jonathan Miller

The Ancient Secrets of the Three Act Structure of Storytelling

We will be focusing on adapting Aristotle and Shakespeare to the modern age. Does the three act structure still work? Can the protagonist and the antagonist switch places? And does truth still count? In addition, if time permits, Jon will be taking pitches about your works in progress.

Jonathan Miller is the author of 12 books in the Rattlesnake Lawyer series. His novel, Luna Law, won the Hillerman Award for fiction in 2017.

Zoom Meeting Information:
Topic: SWW Saturday Meeting – July 12, 2025 at 10 am Mountain Time (US and Canada)

Join the Zoom Meeting
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.

Wednesday, July 23, 2025
6:30 – 8:30pm via Zoom

Speaker: Chris Eboch

Improve Your Pitch!

A hook is the special something that makes your book different and makes people want to read it. These hooks can then be used in query letters and online pitch events. Submit your pitch in advance for live feedback on what’s working and how to make it stronger, or attend to learn from other people’s pitches.
Submission process: Submit your pitch via this Google form before July 15: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1fs3q4gLknz3Yh0fue5S4jB2N2f4TdRFfDGHXqTuRCxk/edit?usp=sharing

For this exercise, the pitch should be 50-75 words. Authors will remain anonymous. For help developing your submission, please see How to Pitch a Novel: Finding Your Hook. Chris will try to critique as many pitches as possible, but please understand that it may not be possible to critique all pitches, and those that don’t follow the guidelines will not be critiqued.

Chris Eboch is the author of more than 100 books for young people and over 25 novels for adults written as Kris Bock. She has presented writing workshops around the world. Check out her Substack newsletter for writers at https://writebetterwritenow.substack.com

Zoom Meeting Information:
Topic: SWW Wednesday Meeting – July 23, 2025 at 6:30pm Mountain Time (US and Canada)

Saturday, August 9, 2025
10am – 11:45am
In Person and via Zoom

Speaker: Suzanne Stauffer

Adding Authenticity to Your Writing – Going Beyond the Internet

Not just for historical fiction and non-fiction! Do you want to expand beyond the usual fantasy figures? Is your work set in an exotic locale? Does the past haunt the present? Go beyond Google! The public library is a treasure-trove of resources for creating original and accurate backgrounds, settings, and characters for all genres. Learn what types of resources are available and how to use them effectively in writing in all genres of fiction and non-fiction.

After 20 years as a librarian and another 20 as a professor of library science and library historian, Suzanne Stauffer is moving on to her third career as a novelist. She currently lives in Albuquerque with her Australian husband and brown and white spotted rat terrier Dogter. More info: https://www.facebook.com/couriers1926

Zoom Meeting Information:
Topic: SWW Saturday Meeting – August 9, 2025 at 10 am Mountain Time (US and Canada)

Wednesday, August 27, 2025
6:30 pm – 8:30pm via Zoom

Speaker: Laura Carney

How I Finished My Late Dad’s List of Life Goals and Wrote a Successful Book about it.

Memoirs are soul satisfying for authors, but difficult to sell. Laura Carney will reveal what elements are needed and necessary to successfully write, publish and promote these important insights into our lives.

Laura Carney has worked as a copy editor – primarily in magazines, for 20 years. She’s worked with as Good Housekeeping, GQ and W. Her best-selling book My Father’s List: How Living My Dad’s Dreams Set Me Free was published by Post Hill Press in June 2023. She has appeared on CBS News Sunday Morning, NPR, NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt and many other programs. Laura has been covered by the Washington Post, AARP, Maria Shriver’s Sunday Paper, and many other publications. My Father’s List was a Best Book of 2023 in Real Simple. Her book was optioned by CBS Studios for a TV series, and she teaches classes for the actress Melissa Gilbert in Modern Prairie.

husband and brown and white spotted rat terrier Dogter. More info: https://www.facebook.com/couriers1926

Zoom Meeting Information:
Topic: SWW Wednesday Meeting – August 27, 2025 at 6:30pm Mountain Time (US and Canada)

Saturday, September 13, 2025
10am – 11:45am
In Person and via Zoom

Speaker: Gail Rubin

End-of-Life and Your Literary Legacy

The only certainties in life are death and taxes. Yet only 30% of adults do any end-of-life planning. As writers, we need to plan for the day when we are not around to receive our royalties. How will you prepare for the fate of your writing in the afterlife? Attend this educational and entertaining session with pioneering death educator and longtime SWW member, Gail Rubin, Certified Thanatologist.

Gail Rubin, CT, The Doyenne of Death^®, is author of the award-winning books A Good Goodbye: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don’t Plan to Die, Kicking the Bucket List:100 Downsizing and Organizing Things to Do Before You Die, and Hail and Farewell: Cremation Ceremonies, Templates and Tips. She is also the coordinator of the Before I Die New Mexico Festival, a pioneer of the Death Cafe movement in the US, and host and producer of the Mortality Movies TV series. Visit her website at AGoodGoodbye.com.

Zoom Meeting Information:
Topic: SWW Saturday Meeting – September 13, 2025 at 10 am Mountain Time (US and Canada)

Wednesday, September 24, 2025
6:30 pm – 8:30pm via Zoom

Speaker: Krista Soukup

Marketing and Publicity for Writers

Discover effective practices to present your professional brand and position yourself for opportunities. Learn how to create an effective on-line portfolio through author websites and social media; gain book reviews; set up a book tour; and time-managed streamlined strategies to promote your brand and books! We will cover it all and at the same time learn how to balance your time marketing so you can still have time to write!

Krista Rolfzen Soukup is a prominent literary publicist and the founder of Blue Cottage Agency, specializing in marketing and publicity for authors and their works. Krista is dedicated to supporting authors in their journey to reach their audience, serving both emerging and established writers. Her agency provides comprehensive marketing services, including brand development, event planning, and public relations. https://bluecottageagency.com/

Zoom Meeting Information:
Topic: SWW Wednesday Meeting – September 24, 2025 at 6:30pm Mountain Time (US and Canada)

Saturday, October 11, 2025
10am – 2pm
In Person and via Zoom

SouthWest Writers Annual Meeting and Party!

Featuring:

Kim Rose: Announcing the Winners of the 2025 Annual Writing Contest
Judy Castleberry: Annual Report to the Membership
Election of officers
check back for more info!

Join your fellow authors in celebrating who we are!

Photo by Peter Newsom CBA

Wednesday, October 22, 2025
6:30 pm – 8:30pm via Zoom

Speaker: Léonie Rosenstiel

AI Revisited: Should We Be Very Afraid?

Over the past two years, we’ve watched AI become a trouble-making “adolescent” technology with more than a few destructive tendencies. It has always known how to lie to us; now it can do this more convincingly than ever before.

Sometimes, even Word’s editor seems aggressive about changing your words. Should you allow AI to outline or research your next book? Might AI become your go-to literary critic? Will using this technology guarantee that you’ll now reach the ideal audience for your books and articles and short stories? Léonie will show you AI’s most recent antics, give you some new plot ideas derived from its latest activities, and also warn you about where the serious pitfalls lie, should you decide to trust your new ever-present assistant too much.

Bestselling author, editor, and contributor to more than 30 books (including Unlocking Success, co-written with self-development guru Jack Canfield), Léonie Rosenstiel continues to create award-winning fiction and nonfiction. Her books, Protecting Mama, Legal Protection, and They’re Coming for Your Elders and Your Inheritance have collectively won more than 60 awards.

Zoom Meeting Information:
Topic: SWW Wednesday Meeting – October 22, 2025 at 6:30pm Mountain Time (US and Canada)

Saturday, November 1, 2025
10am – 11:45am
In Person and via Zoom

Featuring Readings from SWW Anthology: Unbreaking the Circle

In recognition of Veteran’s Day, Dan Wetmore will moderate readings of prose and poetry by SWW authors contained in this landmark anthology. From WWI through to today, observations and insights on serving in the military from the source.

Zoom Meeting Information:
Topic: SWW Saturday Meeting – November 1, 2025 at 10 am Mountain Time (US and Canada)

Wednesday, November 19, 2025
6:30pm – 8:30pm – Via Zoom only

Speaker: Phillip Marshall

Digging Deep: Investigative Reporting and the Guardianship Crisis

Drawing from his essay Press On!, elder justice advocate Philip C. Marshall examines the evolving role that investigative journalists—and the national organizations that support them—play in exposing issues within the adult guardianship system. With guidance from member Léonie Rosenstiel, attendees will be encouraged to reflect on their own writing experiences and explore the connections between storytelling, investigative journalism, and advocacy.

Society has shifted from reactive “stop elder abuse” efforts toward a more proactive vision of elder justice—one grounded in trust and the protection of individual rights. Within this evolving framework, the way we approach guardianship and other protective arrangements serves as a crucial measure of our commitment to that vision. Yet, we are falling far short. Too often, guardianship abuse and exploitation function is a form of state-sanctioned white-collar crime. Investigative journalists play a critical role in bringing these injustices to light and driving change.

Philip C. Marshall is an advocate for elder justice, with a focus and addressing financial exploitation. Philip is the grandson of the late Brooke Astor, New York City philanthropist—and a victim of elder abuse by her son. Marshall taught and practiced historic preservation for forty years.

Zoom Meeting Information:
Topic: SWW Wednesday Meeting – November 19, 2025 at 6:30pm Mountain Time (US and Canada)

Saturday, December 13, 2025
10am – 11:45am
In Person and via Zoom

Speaker: Saleema Ishq

Social Media Marketing for Authors (Who would rather be writing)

Social media marketing is an invaluable (and free!) tool for connecting with readers, but it can feel overwhelming if you’re not sure where to start. This presentation is designed to make posting on social media sustainable and stress-free.

Attendees will learn to:

Choose the right platform for their ideal reader
Optimize their author bio
Discover time-saving content tools
And more!

Saleema Ishq is an award-winning thriller author who weaves suspense, psychological tension, and plenty of plot twists into each of her stories. She’s passionate about using social media to connect with readers and helping authors create sustainable social media strategies that let them focus on what they enjoy most: writing!

https://www.fearlessphrases.com and https://www.instagram.com/saleemaishq/

Zoom Meeting Information:
Topic: SWW Saturday Meeting – December 13, 2025 at 10 am Mountain Time (US and Canada)

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?

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