October Member News

Congratulations to you all! 

Kayann Short’s essay, “Soil vs Dirt: A Reverie on Getting Down to Earth,” is included in the new anthology, Dirt: A Love Story, published by University Press of New England. Editor Barbara Richardson was a WILLA finalist for her novel, Tributary. The book also includes work by, among others, Western women writers Linda Hogan, Laura Pritchett, BK Loren, Erica Olsen, Jana Richman, Liz Stephens, Marilyn Krysl, Carrie Visintainer, Lisa Knopp, and Julene Bair, with an introduction by Pam Houston. 

 

G. Elizabeth Kretchmer, Women on the Brink is a collection of loosely linked stories in which women aged thirteen to ninety must face the unwelcome realities of their lives. Sometimes gritty, sometimes humorous, and always compassionate, G. Elizabeth Kretchmer’s prose takes the reader on a compelling ride alongside these women as they wrestle with family relationships, self-esteem, socioeconomic status, maternal obligations, and a universal need for independence. 

Donis Casey, All Men Fear Me: An AlafairTucker Mystery (Poisoned Pen Press) The U.S. has finally entered the First World War, and no one in Boynton, Oklahoma, is unaffected by the clash between rabid pro-war, anti-immigrant “patriots” and anti-conscription socialists. Alafair Tucker is caught in the middle when her brother, a union organizer for the Industrial Workers of the World, pays her a visit. Rob Gunn assures Alafair that he’s only come to visit family, but she’s not so sure. Alfafair’s wildly patriotic 16-year-old son Charlie takes a part-time war job at the Francis Vitric Brick Company. When a couple of shift supervisors are murdered, everyone suspects sabotage. But Charlie Tucker comes up with a plan to catch the murderer red-handed. And then there is old Nick, a mysterious guy in a bowler hat who’s been hanging around town.

AWARDS

Anne Sweazy Kulju, Grog Wars has been awarded the 2015 Literary Classics Silver Medal for YA (General) Grog Wars covers the trials and tribulations of Burke Kaufman, a young German sent by his father to America to expand the family business as he endures the rigors of travel in the 1800s, settles in a strange new town, and struggles to make his arranged marriage work. After crossing the Atlantic by ship, they traverse the Oregon trail and finally reach Portland to open a brewery.

CONFERENCE AWARDS

Award presentations are one of the highlight of the WWW conference. The LAURA Short Fiction Awards dinner on Friday night had all five finalists present to receive their awards and to learn their placement. They are:

First place: The Growing Season by Wendy Claus
Second place: The Wilkins Will by Josephine Young
Third place: The Trunk by Teri Crane
Honorable mention: Grabbing Hold by Evelyn Hess
Honorable mention: Fool's Moon by K. Lyn Wurth
These stories are posted in The Laura Journal.

WILLA Finalists are winners too and are honored with their own luncheon and award presentation. Present were Janet Oakley, Liza Porter, Deborah Winegarten, Patricia Ackerman and Deborah Lincoln.

WILLA Winners in attendance were Rachel Weaver, Jane Kirkpatrick, and David J. Langum Sr.

Call for Laura Entries and WWW at Los Angeles Times Festival of Books

Call for LAURA Short Fiction Contest Entries!

Women Writing the West members, don't delay: You've got one week left to enter your short fiction in the 2013 LAURA contest. (Entries are due by April 30th, 2013.) Five winning entries will be announced at a special luncheon at the 2013 Annual Conference in Kansas City, and will be published in the online LAURA Journal. Read more on the Member News page.


Women Writing the West at the L.A. Times Festival of Books
 

WWW members Sandra Ramos O'Briant and Pamela Tartaglio

April 20 and 21st was a big weekend for Women Writing the West, says WWW Past-President and WILLA Literary Awards Pamela Tartaglio, when an estimated 150,000 people attended “the nation’s largest literary event," including a booth promoting WWW and its members. Read more on the Member News page.

The 2012 LAURA Awards

Left to right: Sheila MacAvoy, Leslee Breene, Liz Duckworth, and Karen Stevenson.
Not pictured: Anne Schroeder.

At the 18th Women Writing the West conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico, we celebrated the LAURA Short Fiction Awards. Susan J. Tweit was the speaker for the evening, and gave a beautiful speech encouraging us all to write from the heart. We also had several ladies say a few words in honor of members who have passed away this year.

After the meal we announced the placement of the LAURA Short Fiction Awards. This was the fourth year we have had the contest. All entries must be fiction, set in the west, less than 5,000 words with a female main character. Only members of Women Writing the West can enter the contest.

We had two Honorable Mention placements:
"Todas Las Madres" by Karen Stevenson
"Elvira" by Liz Duckworth

Third place LAURA Short Fiction Award went to:
"At the Thirty-Fourth Latitude" by Sheila MacAvoy

Second place LAURA Award is for:
"Pueblo Dancer" by Leslee Breene

First place was awarded to:
"Grub Line Rider" by Anne Schroeder.

Thank you and congratulations to all our winning ladies.

Thank you to our screeners, and to the LAURA Committee, which consists of the President, the Past President, and the President Elect. Your hard work is much appreciated.


Erin S. Gray
2012 Women Writing the West President Elect