WRITING WINNERS ANNOUNCED

We have winner!
Winners of two awards for excellent writing were announced November 12 at the annual Tony Hillerman Writers Conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Andrew Hunt of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada received the Tony Hillerman Prize for his novel, "City of Saints," set in Salt Lake City in 1930. The contest, named after New Mexico's best known mystery author, honors a first novel set in the Southwest. Hunt received a contract for publication with St. Martin's Press and a $10,000 advance.
Sherida Stewart of Farmington, New Mexico is the winner of the 2011 The Tony Hillerman Mystery Short Story Contest for her mystery "Turquoise Remembrance." Stewart's story was selected from among more than 100 entries and will be published in the February 2012 issue of New Mexico Magazine, co-sponsors of the contest. Stewart received a $1000 publication fee
Now in its seventh year, the Tony Hillerman Writers Conference draws writers and fans from throughout the country to Santa Fe. The faculty featured writers from New Mexico, and has spotlighted Douglas Preston, Hampton Sides, Jo-Ann Mapson, Michael McGarrity, David Morrell, Steve Havill, Sally Denton, Shirley Raye Redmond, Virginia Scharff, Paula Paul, Sean Murphy and Judith Van Gieson. Out-of-state talent has included such notables as Margaret Coel, J.A. Jance, Louis Bayard and Sandi Ault.
The Tony Hillerman Prize competition is open to any professional or non-professional writer who has never been the author of a published mystery. Murder or another serious crime or crimes must be at the heart of the story, with the emphasis on the solution rather than the details of the crime. All entries must be received or postmarked no later than June 1. The deadline for entries in the Tony Hillerman Short Story Contest is September 15. The 2,5000-word mystery story must be set at least in part in New Mexico. Both contests are co-sponsored by WORDHARVEST, a Santa Fe-based business devoted to good writing. Complete contest guidelines and conference information for 2012 will be posted soon. Thanks!

Leaphorn Award Launched!

The inaugural Leaphorn Award was presented to Barbe Awalt and Paul Rhetts, the founders of LPD Press and the New Mexico Book Co-op.
Named after Tony Hillerman's legendary Navajo detective, the award honors Awalt and Rhetts for their contribution to the world of readers and authors. The award was presented at the Tony Hillerman Writers Conference on Nov. 12th in Santa Fe, at the Hotel Santa Fe. The couple lives in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque.
Awalt and Rhetts established LPD Press in Albuquerque in 1984, a regional publishing company whose mission is to share the stories of faith, history, culture, and art found in the Hispanic Southwest. They launched a new imprint in 2006 called Rio Grande Books, for books that explore the history and culture of the entire Southwest. They have won many prestigious awards for their books, and were named 2006 Laureates for the Mother Teresa Award. That year's award also recognized the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Dalai Lama.
In 2004, Paul and Barbe spearheaded the creation of the New Mexico Book Co-op to help promote the literary diversity of New Mexico. The Co-op continues today as New Mexico's largest cooperative literary organization featuring more than 1,000 local authors and publishers. The group's purpose is to showcase and sell books by New Mexicans. Activities have included book fairs, literacy benefits, regular meetings, and the New Mexico Book Awards, now in its fifth year. The Co-op is free and welcomes anyone interested in local books to join and participate.
"We are honored to present the first Leaphorn Award to Awalt and Rhetts for their generous efforts to call attention to the world of literary talent in New Mexico," Anne Hillerman said. "Just as Joe Leaphorn never gave up on a case, Paul and Barbe continue to work tirelessly to help our state's writers and publishers receive the recognition they deserve."

WORDHARVEST and Hillerman conference on the radio

Here's a podcast of an interview with Douglas Preston, Hampton Sides (right) and Anne Hillerman about writing fiction, non-fiction and the creative process.

Anne and women authors from the 2011 Tony Hillerman Writers Conference will be featured on The Women's Room on KKOB radio on Saturday, November 4, at noon. Please listen in. Virginia Scharff and Sally Denton are among the confirmed participants so far.

WORDHARVEST to be Honored

Anne Hillerman, Jean Schaumberg and WORDHARVEST will be honored with the Friends of New Mexico Books Award at the annual New Mexico Book Awards in November in Albuquerque. When we were notified about the honor, we were told that it is coming to us in recognition of our support of New Mexico books and their authors. We are thrilled! When we established WORDHARVEST, one of our goals was to share New Mexico's wealth of literary talent with the broader world. Instead of bringing in speakers from elsewhere to talk to us about their books, we wanted to give our New Mexico authors an opportunity to stand tall as our conference presenters and workshop leaders. Although we occassional bend the rules with writers such as Margaret Coel and Sandi Ault (both of whom have family in New Mexico), for the most part we've stuck with the plan. The awards ceremony also will honor a variety of books about New Mexico, published by New Mexico publishers, or with stories or information that has a tie to the state. You'll find more background, sponsors and list of winners here.