NMBA Summer Gala 2023 Alight with Passion

Nacha Mendez

Writers, book designers, publishers, and more literary lovers gathered for the annual New Mexico Book Association's Summer Gala on August 23rd at Las Campanas in Santa Fe. ​
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The summer heat cooled as attendees mingled outside the Club Room under the portal, munching on assorted appetizers on a picture-book summer evening in Santa Fe.

​Acclaimed guitarist and performer Nacha Mendez brought her quintessential song and musical talent to the Gala by playing for NMBA members and friends. Mendez, voted Best Female Vocalist in Santa Fe in 2009 and 2010 and the recipient of the New Mexico Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018, made sure the air sizzled with song.

But New Mexico's award-winning poet, memoirist, and screenwriter Jimmy Santiago Baca stoked the artistic passion of NMBA Gala attendees. Often described as both a "firebrand" and "inspirational," Baca is, in the main, a storyteller. Raised first by his grandmother and later sent to an orphanage, Baca was a runaway at age thirteen. After being sentenced to five years in maximum security prison, Baca learned to read and write, unearthing a voracious passion for poetry and what writing can bring to the human soul. 

Baca described himself as notoriously anti-social saying. “I don't go out anymore. I’m devoted to work and have been for many years. I get some invitations from global publishers, which normally I turn down, but I'm always a sucker for regional publishers.” Weaving stories about being a robber gang’s lookout, stumbling upon a nine-bedroom house of his dreams that he would later own, and taking young teenagers from east Los Angeles into the hallowed library of Stanford University, Baca revealed the inner workings of his life and writing to gala attendees.  ​

Jimmy Santiago Baca

Of particular interest to many Summer Gala attendees, the NMBA announced the finalists and winners of the 2023 Southwest Book Design and Production Awards (SWBDA) competition in twelve categories. Twenty-seven books, and by extension, their authors, book designers, and editors, were honored. Award winners are listed in this article’s sidebar. 

The Association also revealed its 25th Annual Book-In-Hand Award, which recognizes individuals and entities for their diligent efforts to put books into the hands of readers. Jimmy Santiago Baca was recognized for his work with at-risk youth through the non-profit Cedar Tree, with the mission to help transform the lives of at-risk youth through workshops on writing and literature in prisons and community centers. Jean Devine, owner and operator of Garcia Street Books, was recognized for her collaboration with NMBA that showcases member authors and their books on the Garcia Street Books portal in Santa Fe the first Saturday of the month while the weather holds.​

Shirley Melis- co-president, outlined the year's activities and accomplishments. Co-president Miguel De La Cruz announced the names of newly elected board members, effective August 2023. Treasurer Paula Lozar recognized two long-time NMBA members, Shanti Banwart and Art Tucker, who passed away this year. 
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Once the program and awards portion of the Gala ended, NMBA members were treated to a book signing by Jimmy Santiago Baca, including collections of poetry, memoirs, and short stories. NMBA purchased fifty copies of two books by Baca, and the author himself brought a stack of titles for NMBA members. ​

NMBA Board Members

Photos by Bill Frej & Pat Galagan.