This has been an interesting year for SouthWest Writers. Just a few statistics:
- 23 meetings with 22+ speakers. The Annual Meeting in October did not have a speaker and the November meeting had multiple speakers.
- 10 Saturday workshops (none scheduled in October and one didn’t have enough signups so was cancelled)
- 2 additional workshops
- Writing Contest had 320 entries. People adapted well to the new platform with only a few complaints and/or issues. Anthology “Beyond Boundaries” was released in October.
- 10 readings from “Unbreaking the Circle”. Attendance varied greatly, ranging from 15-50. The largest audience was at the launch in June with over 70 attending.
- SWW website had 9.2K visitors for the year, peaking in June and October, with the most visited pages being the contest pages (explains the peaks) and the Schedule of Events.
- First full year of the new format for The Sage showed an average open rate of 43%.
2025 projects:
- Writer’s Coffee was held the last Saturday of the month at Books on the Bosque starting in June. Attendance varied in the range of 5-12. People have enjoyed the opportunity to just visit.
- Strategic planning sessions were held in January and August for the board.
- Initiated using contract office person to be the regular zoom person for Saturday meetings. This has been helpful in eliminating some of the technology issues.
- Policy and procedure manual update and streamlining of some office procedures.
Project in the planning stage:
- Mentorship program for experienced and new writers.
- Literary Festival fall 2026.
- Reorganizing meeting and workshop schedule for greater flexibility and use of space.
- 2026 Military Road Show grant.
These projects and statistics reflect the work volunteers. This year, at least 59 people volunteered for various projects. Thank you to the board, the advisory committee, meeting speakers, writing contest judges, anthology editors and proofreaders, reading coordinators, newsletter and website coordinators, B&N fundraiser volunteers and everyone else who spent time volunteering, making suggestions, making new people feel welcome, and everything else you do to make SouthWest Writers a special organization.
Finally, thank you to everyone who has helped me in this year as president. I have appreciated every suggestion and offer of help!
Judy Castleberry
President 2025