Check out KTAL’s interview with our organizer extraordinaire, Eva Nevarez St. John, on September 22nd!…
Month: September 2026
Fenton Kay Has a Chipmunk Jump Over a Fish!
Las Cruces Writer and biologist Fenton Kay continues his publishing maelstrom with two new books for the young and the young at heart:
Chipmunk Jumped Over Him
Many years after the climate change disaster. The few people who survive on the edge of the Great Basin Desert have adopted many First People’s traditions to live in an arid and harsh land. Among them is the coming-of-age journey for boys. At 15, boys travel, guided by Coyote, the Trickster, into the Sierra Nevada Mountains. On his journey, Vincent faces the challenges of living in the wild. Two ancient shamans task him with destroying an ancient monster. With the help of the ancient ones’ magic, Vincent succeeds, but Coyote is killed. Vincent restores Coyote’s life by stepping over him. Coyote disappears, and Vincent travels with Chipmunk, a shaman. Later, with help from a returned Trickster, Chipmunk, other creatures, and the ancient shamans’ magic, Vincent defeats an evil Shaman, the Gambler. Nearing his journey’s end and showing his maturity, he outsmarts another trickster, Raven, and returns to where his grandfather waits, a confident young man.
Natural History for Young Folks: Gone Fishing
This book discusses and illustrates the variety of terrestrial fish-eating animals that exist around the world. It talks about their tools and how they use them.…
Las Cruces Digest on Southern New Mexico Book Festival!
September Meeting!
Where
Las Cruces Village (formerly Good Samaritan) in the Creative Arts Room, 3011 Buena Vida Circle. Enter through the main administrative building entrance (parking is to the east of the building) and GO DOWNSTAIRS to reach the meeting room.
When
2:30-4:30 pm, Saturday September 12th, 2026
Important Notes from the President
We will be doing our first LCW Book Club meeting tomorrow after the meeting, from 4:30-5:00 PM. If you are interested, please join us and bring a recommendation for our first read!
As announced in last month’s meeting, we will be voting on two Bylaw changes, as follows:
- Potential members are only able to join at the conclusion of their first meeting.
- The board can propose ratifications to the bylaws, to be voted on by all active LCW members in attendance, as needed at any meeting, given a one month proposal period for member deliberation.
If you have not yet, please bring $25 cash or check to renew your membership for the year.
Agenda
1. Welcome & Sign-In (2:30 PM)
- Presiding Officer: Kevin Schulmeister
- Call to Order: Welcome members, introduction of new guests, and attendance roll call.
2. Treasurer’s Report
- Leader: Rosemary Matos
- Focus: Brief overview of current club finances and budget updates.
3. Member Accomplishments:
- Submissions: Open floor for members to share recent publications, contest entries, or writing milestones.
4. Business & Announcements:
- October Book Festival- Please reach out to Kevin if you can volunteer to tend the table.
- Bylaws Voting
- Accountability Partner- Check-in.
- LCW T-Shirt- Design
Fenton Kay Wants to Mutate Our Children!
Las Cruces Writer and biologist Fenton Kay is at it again, teaching the child in all of us about the biology of sensory systems in his new children’s book, What If I Had The Eyes of a Cat or The Ears of a Bat? Now available on Lulu, the book takes me back to Thomas Nagel’s classic paper, “What is it Like to be a Bat.” that kicked off a greater appreciation of the conundrum of phenomenal conscious experience. Only now, I have to imagine not just holographic sonic terrain maps, but also enhanced night vision as I stalk through the tall grass. The child within me is fascinated!
Here’s a synopsis:
…Children are fascinated by how the natural world works. This book introduces sensory biology at a preschooler or kindergartener level. The story is about a boy and his grandfather, but it could be a girl and her grandmother. It depends on who is reading the book and for whom.