Category: Prize

Charmayne Samuelson is First!

Posted on by Mark Davis

Following close on the heels of Fenton’s successes, Charmayne Samuelson takes first place in the Art Category of the Next Generation Indie Book Awards. for her book POETRY OF THE CLAY: POESÍA DEL BARRO.

Here are some of her comments on the win:

It was some tough competition from University Presses and Museums AROUND THE WORLD – so I am proud of our book!

Congratulations to the MATA ORTIZ potters, whose spellbounding work will be seen across the world! This is the SECOND first place award given this year, the first being First Place in the Indie Press Awards!

I am really thrilled and know that an INTERNATIONAL award-winning book about Mata Ortiz pottery means that every potter in Mata Ortiz wins! Somewhere someone will read about the MO Pottery, or will have heard about the potters, will fall in love with MO pottery!

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Triple Literary Honors for Fenton Kay!

Posted on by Mark Davis

Las Cruces Writer Fenton Kay has been named a finalist for not one, not two, but three of his children’s books from Literary Global Children’s Book Awards. Check out:

Dear Jennifer: The Jenny Princess Stories (Chap Book)

Chipmunk Jumped Over Him: A Coming of Age Story (Young Adult)

The Jaguar Drum: A Mayan Boy in the Spanish Entrada (Historical Fiction)

An amazing achievement and he has privately shared with me his intention to win every award in every category next year if he can ramp up to 10,000 words per day.…

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Charmayne Samuelson Wins First Place!

Posted on by Mark Davis

Las Cruces Writer Charmayne Samuelson has won First Place (Craft/Arts category) in the 2025 Independent Press Award for her book Mata Ortiz Poetry of the Clay: Pottery. Poems. Artists. Here’s the synopsis:

In this new BILINGUAL photo and poetry book, MATA ORTIZ POETRY OF THE CLAY Pottery, Poems, Artists. and the bilingual Spanish title, MATA ORTIZ POESÍA DEL BARRO Cerámica. Poemas. Artististas., Samuelson features the stellar pottery of 24 Contemporary Mata Ortiz potters paired with original poetry by the author. She also includes poetry, thoughts and dreams of the artists.

This book has been hailed as unique and one-of-a-kind, with uplifting poetry about the pottery and the potters. “I often feel very moved,” the author says, “by art that soars above the rest, as does the brilliant Mata Ortiz pottery. I wanted to honor their work with original poetry.”

Samuelson has gone beyond what would be a normal book about pottery by offering bilingual passages throughout the book. “So many books printed in America cannot be read by people who do not speak or read in English around the world, and I wanted people on both sides of our American Southwest “Borderlands” to be able to enjoy this stunning book of photography and poetry,” Samuelson said.

The book is 144 full-color photo pages with poetry, is hardbacked case-laminate, matte finish pages, and 8.25″ x 11″. Samuelson describes the book as a perfect gift for those who have everything, and a perfect coffee-table book to proudly display.

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Desiree Bustamantes Takes 2nd Place in the Desert Exposure Writing Contest!

Posted on by Mark Davis

Applause and plaudits for Las Cruces Writer Desiree Bustamantes for her 2nd place win of the Desert Exposure writing contest! Her story, “The Brothel,” is set in Old Mesilla and involves a young man getting “exposed” to a little more than he was ready for and reacting honorably.

Here’s the October issue with Desiree’s story and others!

As LCW’s Effrem Carrasco (a multiple contest winner himself!) points out: this is the 5th year in a row that LCW has won or placed in this esteemed writing competition.…

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And the Prize Goes to…Charmayne Samuelson!

Posted on by Mark Davis

And just as Charmayne’s new collection of poetry goes to press she wins two prizes for the related biography of Spencer MacCallum! Drumroll, please……..

Independent Press Award, 2024 Distinguished Favorites, Biography: General

Next Generation Indie Book Awards, FINALIST: AUTOBIOGRAPHY/BIOGRAPHY

You can check out her complete canon at Wood Duck Publishers. Of course, the wood duck is the most colorful North American waterfowl, noted for iridescent plumage and perching. Almost a prize in itself.…

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Charmayne Samuelson has a Best Seller (and More!)

Posted on by Mark Davis

LCW’s very own Charmayne Samuelson is now a best seller on Amazon in the Latin American Biographies category with her new book, SPENCER MacCALLUM Memories-Mystique-Mata Ortiz. Here’s the synopsis:

Was it all destiny? The mesmerizing Spencer MacCallum story is the tale of an incurable explorer who meets his destiny! Charmayne Samuelson is an Award-Winning Author introducing this authorized and definitive biography of Spencer MacCallum, the American Princeton-educated anthropologist who discovered Juan Quezada and Mata Ortiz pottery. Buying three distressed pots in Deming, NM, he was sure they were prehistoric. When told they were not, he went on an adventure to find the potter and did not give up until he did. Praise for the book from Mata Ortiz experts hails it as “Wonderfully written!” and “An important book!” A biography in progress for many years, and after hundreds of interview hours and extensive research extracting his life story from audio and video tapes, this cross-border adventure is now available for all to enjoy. From childhood, each step of Spencer’s life seemed destined to take him to Juan Quezada and Mata Ortiz. His natural curiosity at a young age of discovering ancient relics continued on with this incredible tale of him trekking across Mexico to find one single potter, dirt-poor farmer/cowboy Juan Quezada, propelling him onto the world stage as an unlikely superstar artist. As time went on, and as Spencer’s legacy, thousands of village potters have found true artistic and monetary success in their once-dirt-poor village in Mata Ortiz,

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Donnell Ann Bell wins award!

Posted on by Mark Davis

Las Cruces Writer Donnell Ann Bell‘s novel, Until Dead, was awarded Best Thriller Novel at the tenth anniversary of 2023 Imaginarium Convention, a convention for creatives in Louisville, Kentucky. You can see the entire list of winners here.

Donnell will also be discussing writing at the Thomas Branigan Memorial Library on October 16th. Here’s the scoop:

The Friends of Thomas Branigan Memorial Library present:

The Small World of Writing

According to Toner Buzz, approximately four million books are published every year. Writers, then it would seem, are everywhere, including here in Las Cruces. Perhaps you know a writer living nearby. But what are the odds that two mystery authors would live catty-corner to each other? What’s more, after making this discovery, the two would become fans of each other’s work.

At 1:30 p.m., Monday, October 16, 2023, join authors Bailey Herrington and Donnell Ann Bell for a fun and lively conversation as Bailey “Skip” Herington interviews Donnell about research, the writing process, contests, critique groups, beta readers and more. We just might squeeze in a few questions about her award-winning romantic suspense novels and FBI Cold Case Series.

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Desert Exposure Winners!

Posted on by Mark Davis

Southern NM’s Desert Exposure arts and culture magazine just selected LCW’s own Karen Ray for Grand Prize for her poem “Flying with Sheets” that recollects the idyll of youth growing up in the desert. It reminded me of hitching those spring winds with a sheet fashioned into a sail and attached to a ten speed, all part of my own crazy, experimental youth.

Multiple winner Efram Carrasco won Prose Honorable Mention for “The Desert Girl,” and many other local writers won awards as well.

Finally, LCW’s Charmayne Samuelson’s new biography Spencer MacCallum Memories – Mystique – Mata Ortiz is discussed in the same issue.

To check out all these great works, you can read the PDF or pick up a copy locally.…

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Fenton Kay wins award!

Posted on by Mark Davis

Las Cruces Writers is thrilled that our own Fenton Kay has won Honorable Mention for his poem, “Rainstorm in Juarez,” from Desert Exposure magazine! I can’t publish it here because it is slated for the November/December issue of the magazine, but I give you a consolation poem from Fenton about rain in the desert:

Sonoran Desert

Winter storm torrents –

Rain-soaked earth brings a lily

To the summer’s kiln.…

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