
Come one, come all, and read the moving, funny, and intriguing works of local authors! The 2023 Holiday Booknanza is upon us, from noon to 4PM at the Mesilla Valley Mall on Saturday, December 9th.…
Come one, come all, and read the moving, funny, and intriguing works of local authors! The 2023 Holiday Booknanza is upon us, from noon to 4PM at the Mesilla Valley Mall on Saturday, December 9th.…
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,
Good Samaritan Village 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 turn left in the first hallway to reach the room.
1:30-3:30 pm October 12th, 2023
Executive staff will meet 30 minutes early.
Call to order, welcome new members, and discuss accomplishments (there are many!)
Membership and financial reports
Discuss dues
December book signing: George Pintar
Main program: Writing tips by Efrem Carrasco…
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.
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.…
Good Samaritan Village 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 turn left in the first hallway to reach the room.
1:30-3:30 pm September 14th, 2023
Executive staff will meet 30 minutes early.
Call to order: Welcome new members
Membership and FinancialReport/Dues
Discuss Dues
Hear from members about their successes
Main Program: How to Write a Mystery by Fenton Kay
Discuss ancillary meeting about publishing your book…
Good Samaritan Village 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 turn left in the first hallway to reach the room.
1:30-3:30 pm August 10th, 2023
Executive staff will meet 30 minutes early.
Call to order, welcome new members
Membership and FinancialReport/Dues
Discuss future meetings.
Hear from members about their successes
Member Readings:
It’s hot and Las Cruces Writers just had one blazing BookNanza! Now it’s time to do some practical stuff with the July meeting.
Good Samaritan Village 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 turn left in the first hallway to reach the room.
1:30-3:30 pm July 13th, 2023
Executive staff will meet 30 minutes early.
A great Booknanza today (despite the heat)! Check out some of the photos of authors at work showing the public how ideas and stories get created:
Las Cruces Writers sign and sell their magnificent books twice per year at the Mesilla Valley Mall. Come check it out from noon to 3 PM near the Barnes & Noble. Here’s the poster: