With a heavy heart, our community learned that NMBA board member, Dan Fallon passed away
on October 4 , 2025. Dan brought a wealth of intellect, humor, and passion to the New Mexico
Book Association. His interests and curiosity about the world knew no bounds.

Born in Cartagena, Colombia, before emigrating to the United States at a young age, Dan was deeply
interested in his family history spending years researching and reconstructing his family tree.
Dan’s inquisitiveness led him to write the book, Love’s Legacy: Viscount Chateaubriand and Irish Girl,
after inheriting a treasure trove of letters written by a renowned historical figure addressed to
one of his great great grandparents.
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Dan was an active and committed board member as chair of the workshop committee and an
eager participant at the NMBA’s monthly meetups at Tiny’s Restaurant in Santa Fe, among other
activities. Dan will be missed by all the NMBA board and the Santa Fe writing community.

Dear Book Lovers:
A Day with Santa Fe Authors: Fact and Fiction is the second annual fundraiser that connects booklovers with outstanding women authors and supports Reading Quest, a local nonprofit that helps at-risk children improve their literacy skills and develop a love of reading. New Mexico has the lowest reading proficiency of any state, and the most recent national assessment reveals that only 20% of our public school students read at grade level. It is disheartening to realize that our children’s reading skills are neither strong enough for them to succeed in school nor useful enough for them to navigate the world around them. They are both locked out and locked in. Please join us to help change our children’s lives.
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Registration is now open for A Day with Santa Fe Authors: Fact and Fiction

When: Saturday, November 1, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM

What:  Meet six women authors whose experiences and imaginations will inspire you. 

Why: Your attendance and donations will support Reading Quest.

Where: The Santa Fe Women's Club, 1616 Old Pecos Trail, Santa Fe

Who: Fact authors: Katie Arnold, Jamie Figueroa, Bettye Kearse.

          Fiction authors: J.C. Cervantes, Jenn Givhan, Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez

Join us! Virtual Story & Art Comics Workshop

Register for this workshop to receive the link. This session is ideal for beginners who want to create their own comics. Join us for story and art prompts and for tips on publishing your books. ​

Registration fee: $50 per person (supports low/no-cost community programs)

Join us for a special event co-hosted with the ABQ Museum featuring Fulbright Scholar and ecological artist Basia Irland. Her illustrated talk will explore water-focused projects, including "A Gathering of Waters," connecting communities along rivers like our Río Grande, and her hand-carved ephemeral "Ice Book" sculptures embedded with native seeds for riparian restoration.

Following the 10:00 AM artist talk, we'll plant native riparian species under the guidance of Rio Grande Nature Center staff to promote habitat health and biodiversity.

When:  Saturday, October 18, from 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Where:  Rio Grande Nature Center State Park - Education Building

No RSVP is required for the artist talk. However, space is limited for the planting project, so RSVP to reserve your spot!

Dear Friends of NMPW,​

It’s kick off time for more than just football.

The 2026 New Mexico Press Women Communications Contest kicks off October 15, 2025. The state contest is the first tier in the National Federation of Press Women’s contest. Entries are submitted through the National Federation of Press Women’s Communications Contest portal.

There are 63 categories offering a wide range of communication categories including writing, books, photography, graphics and design, radio and television, web and social media, advertising, public relation materials, communication programs, speeches, information for the media and collegiate/education. There is a place for everyone. 
The New Mexico Press Women’s Communications Contest is judged at the state level. A unique aspect of this contest is that first place winners in the state level contest are eligible to move to the national level of judging. Most other contests are regional or state level only. NM Press Women also gives out cash prizes to high point winners. 

You do not have to be a member of NM Press Women to enter but to be eligible to move to the national contest, one must be a member in good standing with the National Federation of Press Women. If you are not a member of our organizations, please join us in being impactful and inspiring during this uncertain media and communication climate.

A panel of a dozen or more out of state judges is carefully selected and matched with categories where they have expertise. The judges give thoughtful and useful comments even if they sting a little. The judges are there to help entrants get more proficient in their craft.

All work must have been published or broadcast between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2025, to be eligible for entry. There is an early bird deadline of noon on January 21, 2026, after which a $25 fee will be assessed. Book entry deadline is noon on February 4 with a final noon February 18 deadline for all other entries. State level contest winners will be announced at the annual NMPW conference planned for May 1 - 2, 2026 at Isleta Hotel and Resort.
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As co-contest chair it is fun and inspiring to view the entries as they come in. Entries are individually vetted to make sure they are in the correct category and complete. New Mexico multi-media folks and wordsmiths are a talented, unique collection of storytellers. Find your best work and encourage your friends and colleagues to enter their work, photos or other published pieces. It’s fun and who knows, you could be the next national winner representing the best of New Mexico. 

Signed,

Carolyn Carlson, Co-Chair Communications Contest

Our “Meet the Authors” collaboration with Garcia Street Books will be taking a break after the November 1, 2025 event.  The reason is practical:  Garcia Street Books has many unsold books consigned by our authors, and they need their shelf space back, especially now that holiday merchandise is starting to come in.

This week, NMBA will collect any unsold books that were consigned more than 6 months ago, and work with the store to see that authors receive any money owed them for sold books.  (The store will handle these payments.)  NMBA will notify authors whose books we pick up, and you can decide what to do with them – reclaim them, leave them in NMBA’s back stock, or donate them.  We’re taking care of this for our authors, so you don’t need to contact the store yourself.

If you consigned books as of May 2025 or later, your books will stay, and you are responsible for checking with the store to determine whether they have sold.

“Meet the Authors” started over 2 ½ years ago, and we deeply appreciate Garcia Street Books’ support of local authors.  When you go into the store (and we hope you will;  it’s a local treasure), please thank them for giving NMBA authors this opportunity.
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Paula Lozar, NMBA Book Sales Chair