This is exciting! Check out LCW’s Eva Nevarez-St. John showcased at the July Virtual Book Club of the National Association of Memoir Writers. If you are not familiar with her work, Eva recalls an odyssey of personal loss and recovery following her friend’s murder. You can learn more at Eva’s website, here.…
Check out more exciting activities by award-winning Las Cruces Writer Charmayne Samuelson. Here’s a rundown of upcoming events straight from her mailing list:
…On Saturday evening, Feb. 28th, I accepted the very prestigious Southwest Book Award from the Border Regional Library Association in El Paso. It was a wonderful event! The BRLA is a stellar institution, and has given these Awards to Authors for 29 years. It is humbling to look at that list of Award-Winning authors and books, and now my name is added to them! Amazing. This is the 8 th Literary Award for my book, MATA ORTIZ POETRY OF THE CLAY, and I am so grateful and happy that this Award helps to shine even more light on the wonderful potters of Mata Ortiz, MX.
Coming up soon in Albuquerque, New Mexico: Join me Sat. March 21st, 2026, 10-1, at the Scarab Art Design House art gallery for New Mexico Book Awards Winners and Finalists “POETRY AND ART BOOK” event hosted by the New Mexico Book Awards. It just so happens that is what my book is: Poetry and Art! My book, POETRY OF THE CLAY POESIA DEL BARRO, won 5 NM Book Awards, including WINNER FIRST PLACE in Fine Art, FINALIST in Poetry, FINALIST in Cover Design, FINALIST in Coffee Table: FINALIST in Multicultural. I will be reading poetry and signing books! All my Albuquerque friends, come on out for this fun event! Thank you to Director Lisa McCoy and the New Mexico Book Awards
Yes, it’s official, Charmayne’s MATA ORTIZ POETRY OF THE CLAY Pottery. Poems. Artists: POESÍA DEL BARRO Cerámica. Poemas. Artistas just won the SOUTHWEST BOOK AWARD from the Border Regional Library Association. This represents the 8th award for the tome and is an inspiration for all border region writers and poets, especially since poetry is underrepresented and underappreciated in our modern era.…
Just after her amazing leadership with the success of the Southern New Mexico Book Festival, Las Cruces Writer Eva Nevarez-St. John has been awarded a bronze medal (memoir/biography) for her book When Tough Cookies Crumble: A True Story of Friendship, Murder, and Healing by the Military Writers Society of America.
Here’s an action-shot of the book with its new award sticker:
Fresh from the amazing Southern New Mexico Book Festival, we have new award announcements for LCW’s own Tanya Dawson, including recognition from Pencraft, Pinnacle, and Literary Titan Book Awards:
Tanya’s also been a regular representative of Las Cruces Writers at the Tucson Book Festival, another amazing event for book lovers in the Southwest.…
Check out new articles in the Las Cruces Bulletin that cover our two rock-star writers and event organizers, Eva Nevarez-St. John and Charmayne Samuelson. First the two discuss the event, its origins and even a little about literacy in the 21st century. The second article covers Charmayne’s amazing run of awards and success with her Mata Ortiz pottery collaborations and, drum roll please… five new awards from the New Mexico Book Awards, announced Oct. 1st.
For more information on the book festival, check out our events page.
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!
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.…
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.
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.…
