Southwest Festival of the Written Word Prologue Weekend
2016-09-29 - 2016-10-01
The Southwest Festival of the Written Word (SWFWW) presents its even-numbered year event, the 2016 Prologue Weekend, on September 29-October 1. All sessions are open to the public free of charge and take place in Silver City, NM. Two sessions have limited capacity and require attendees to reserve their space in advance.

On Thursday, September 29, local writers Beate Sigriddaughter, Stewart Warren, and Chris Lemme will share strategies and answer questions about self-publishing and offer insight into other means by which a writer’s work can be placed in the public’s reading spaces and on the public’s reading radar. The workshop will be held at the Silver City Library, 515 W. College Avenue at 4:00pm. Writers of all ages are welcome.

Sigriddaughter is a published poet and fiction author (www.sigriddaughter.com ). Warren, who recently moved to Silver City from Albuquerque, is a published author of poetry and fiction, and is the owner of the Mercury Heartlink Publishing (www.heartlink.com ) which moved with him to Silver. Chris Lemme is the editor of the on-line Silver City Quarterly Review, the literary review magazine published four times a year (Jan, Apr, July, Oct) that spotlights local authors in Silver City and southwestern New Mexico. ( www.scquarterlyreview.wordpress.com ) Contact the library at 575-538-3672 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information about the event.

In 2013, Jim Smith’s novel about Billy the Kid, Catherine’s Son, The Story of a Boy who Became an Outlaw, was named a finalist for the New Mexico-Arizona Book Award as best historical fiction. On Friday, September 30, from 4:00-5:00pm, at the Miller Library on the WNMU campus, Smith will entertain and enlighten his audience on the topic of Billy the Kid’s time in Silver City. Jim is the author of an American history textbook titled Ideas That Shape A Nation, a book that has been endorsed by teachers and scholars throughout the nation, including two Pulitzer Prize-winning historians (David Kennedy and Jack Rakove). He is also the author of Skipper Hall: The Life and Religious Philosophy of a Methodist Minister in New Mexico. (www.whyteachhistory.com ) and has published articles and book reviews in Healthy U, The Journal of Southern History, Phi Delta Kappan, AP Central, and Historical Times.

If you are haunted by a great idea for a movie or a play, but not sure where to begin, or if you have already started one but are unsure of what your characters should do or say next, then you will want to attend Dr. Barb Ann Matson’s Scene Writing Workshop, Saturday, October 1, from 9:00am-Noon, at 808 W. 8th Street. The workshop is limited to 15; your space can be reserved by contacting This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. The heart of the workshop will address character development, consistency, complexity, motivation, conflict, actions, and dialog. Participants will watch an award-winning short screenplay (less than 10 minutes) followed by directed writing exercises. Dr. Matson is a WNMU Professor of English. On Saturday, October 1, from 1:00-3:00pm, at 808 W. 8th Street, Silver City writer Bruce Wilson will lead a workshop entitled “The Marketing Plan”. (www.brucewilsonwrites.com ). Wilson’s first novel, Death in the Black Patch, is currently in production and will be published in September 2016 by Artemesia Publishing of Tijeras, NM. In this workshop, he will discuss how to develop and write a plan for publishing and marketing your book and how you can take control of your book’s future. Space is limited to 15; contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to reserve your spot.
