Observations and Insights on the Nature of Things This monthly column features brief essays, poems, poetic micro essays and photography by Eve West Bessier, Poet Laureate Emerita of Silver City and Grant County, New Mexico. Look for a new post on the first of the month. Fluent – Decode – Retain Oh, to be fluentin […]
Philip Connors has made not one career but two from “looking out.” Since 2002, Connors has spent five months of the year as a fire lookout in the Gila Wilderness, living in a 7 x 7 glass and steel cube fifty feet in the sky. In this occupation, his main task is to watch for the telltale string of smoke winding up the sky that signifies a forest fire. But his acute observations—his other “looking out”—have also powered his writing career. The possessor of an exquisite eye for detail, as […]
This writing will not be a history of all the monumental things that Bonnie did and the awards she won for her writing and her community work. As important as they are, this is a personal kind of tribute. I have been so very fortunate to know Bonnie, as a friend and fellow poet. We met at the poetry critique group that Larry Godfrey used to hold in his home almost 20 years ago. We came to know each other through our poetry, our histories speaking to each other. We discovered our mothers were so alike they probably would’ve hated each other. Both of them had expansive ideas that could not fit into a Minnesota town or a farm in […]
A multitude of delightful places to write (and read) exist in our Silver City area. A few of us reflected on some of our favorite choices which we are sharing with you. You may share your own personal selections in our Forum section. Contributors: Kris Neri, Ted Presler, JJ Amaworo Wilson, and Lynne Zotalis. 1. Bear Mountain Lodge Described as”… a tranquil oasis on the edge of the New Mexico wilderness…”the Lodge, built in 1928, once served the members of the Nature Conservancy. Now it’s a top of the line lodging, a place one can relax with pen or pencil in hand, surrounded by drought adapted plants. If writers block strikes, try a hike or go bird watching. 2. The […]
by SWWFClose to home
Rolling coal is becoming a crisis in Silver City, but nobody’s talking about the permanent solution. At a recent town council meeting, three citizens from among the many who regularly protest at Silver Heights Boulevard and Swan Street complained that coal-rollers try to disrupt their events by emitting black clouds of sooty smoke from their diesel trucks. We’re all familiar with teenagers and young adults acting rebellious to upset the old fogeys. This case is unusual in that the old people are rebelling against the government, and the young people […]
ONE TRUE PODCAST
One True Podcast is back with a look at another Hemingway short story, an under-discussed gem from Winner Take Nothing. One of the weirdest works in his career, “Homage to Switzerland” is a Modernist experiment that tells a similar story three times, each one set in a different Swiss train station …
This writing will not be a history of all the monumental things that Bonnie did and the awards she won for her writing and her community work. As important as they are, this is a personal kind of tribute. I have been so very fortunate to know Bonnie, as a friend and fellow poet. We met at the poetry critique group that Larry Godfrey used to hold in his home almost 20 years ago. We came to know each other through our poetry, our histories speaking to each other. We […]
Observations and Insights on the Nature of Things This monthly column features brief essays, poems, poetic micro essays and photography by Eve West Bessier, Poet Laureate Emerita of Silver City and Grant County, New Mexico. Look for a new post on the first of the month. Fluent – Decode – Retain Oh, to be fluentin the languageof ordinary hope, adept at decodingthe compounded interestof unremarkable moments. Easy enough to graspthe billboard-sized missivesthat arrive by way of life’soutsized experiences. But how to comprehendthe mysticism of the mundane? It is not the […]
Each spring, Silver City becomes the center of one of the most demanding cycling races in North America. The Tour of the Gila brings riders from across the United States and from around the world to compete on the roads of Grant County in southwest New Mexico, where mountains, high desert, and winding canyons create a course known for both its beauty and its difficulty. First held in 1987, the Tour of the Gila has grown into a major stage race on the American cycling calendar. Professional and amateur cyclists […]
Observations and Insights on the Nature of Things This monthly column features brief essays, poems, poetic micro essays and photography by Eve West Bessier, Poet Laureate Emerita of Silver City and Grant County, New Mexico. Look for a new post on the first of the month. Fluent – Decode – Retain Oh, to be fluentin the languageof ordinary hope, adept at decodingthe compounded interestof unremarkable moments. Easy enough to graspthe billboard-sized missivesthat arrive by way of life’soutsized experiences. But how […]
Rolling coal is becoming a crisis in Silver City, but nobody’s talking about the permanent solution. At a recent town council meeting, three citizens from among the many who regularly protest at Silver Heights Boulevard and Swan Street complained that coal-rollers try to disrupt their events by emitting black clouds of sooty smoke from their diesel trucks. We’re all familiar with teenagers and young adults acting rebellious to upset the old fogeys. This case is unusual in that the old […]
When the Swedish Academy announced that the 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature would go to László Krasznahorkai, readers around the world nodded in recognition. For decades his name has carried the quiet gravity of a secret shared among those who love literature’s darker miracles. To read him is to step into sentences that stretch beyond reason, to feel the pulse of thought as it wrestles with chaos. The world has finally caught up to the man whose prose has long whispered the end of things and the stubborn beauty that […]
SWWF Bookshelf Spotlight
Award-winning author Charmayne Samuelson joins the SWWF Bookshelf with Poetry of the Clay: Poesía del Barro, a bilingual tribute to the master potters of Mata Ortiz. Winner of two major 2025 book awards!
Going Deeper: Deep POV for Writers
A Free Writing Workshop with E.J. Randolph
Join local author E.J. Randolph for a hands-on workshop on Deep POV—a powerful way to draw readers into your characters’ worlds. Saturday, June 7, 1:30–3 PM, Silver City.
Southwest Word Fiesta celebrates our Poet Laureate, Heather Frankland, featured twice in the September issue of Desert Exposure. We’re proud of Heather and grateful for the ongoing spotlight on poetry in Silver City and Grant County. Read and share the September issue. Your support keeps community arts thriving.
John Enright, a poet and participant in the 2023 Southwest Word Fiesta, passed away on Tuesday after a long illness. He will be missed by our community. What follows is an obituary John wrote for himself, likely many years ago. It is shared here as written, in his own voice. One of the great losses of the 19th century was that John was not born then. Enright, whose organic support systems finally surrendered sometime this past weekend, often expressed fondness […]
ONE TRUE PODCAST
One True Podcast is back with a look at another Hemingway short story, an under-discussed gem from Winner Take Nothing. One of the weirdest works in his career, “Homage to Switzerland” is a Modernist experiment that tells a similar story three times, each one set in a different Swiss train station.
To walk us through this bizarre tale, we call on excellent Hemingway scholar and actual citizen of Switzerland, Boris Vejdovksy, professor at the University of Lausanne. Vejdovksy explains the story’s structure, its setting, its Modernist qualities, the way the iceberg principle functions in the story, and even its “Swiss-ness.”
Join us as we explore this fascinating triptych!
Philip Connors has made not one career but two from “looking out.” Since 2002, Connors has spent five months of the year as a fire lookout in the Gila Wilderness, living in a 7 x 7 glass and steel cube fifty feet in the sky. In this occupation, his main task is to watch for […]
John Enright, a poet and participant in the 2023 Southwest Word Fiesta, passed away on Tuesday after a long illness. He will be missed by our community. What follows is an obituary John wrote for himself, likely many years ago. It is shared here as written, in his own voice. One of the great losses of the 19th century was […]
ONE TRUE SENTENCE #32 WITH TIM O’BRIEN
Tim O’Brien, the author of The Things They Carried, Dad’s Maybe Book, and America Fantastica, shares his one true sentence from The Sun Also Rises. Toward the end of the episode, we also reflect on Tim’s riveting speech at Dominican University during the 2016 Hemingway Society conference in Oak Park, Illinois.
Haiku is a traditional form of Japanese poetry, consisting of three lines with a syllable count of 5-7-5 and inspired by nature. Fill out the submission form with your name, email, and text of the poem, making sure it is well-written and formatted. Your haiku will be reviewed and, if accepted, added to the Haiku section of the website for all to enjoy.
News from Light Art Space
Observations and Insights on the Nature of Things This monthly column features brief essays, poems, poetic micro essays and photography by Eve West Bessier, Poet Laureate Emerita of Silver City and Grant County, New Mexico. Look for a new post on the first of the month. Fluent – Decode – Retain Oh, […]
by SWWF
Christina Nealson was recognized by Mayor Simon Wheaton-Smith on May 26 as the new Poet Laureate of Silver City and Grant County. She is the latest honoree in a long line of distinguished poets beginning in 2012. Christina will serve from 2026-2028, and has exciting ideas to bring poetry into the community. […]
Observations and Insights on the Nature of Things This monthly column features brief essays, poems, poetic micro essays and photography by Eve West Bessier, Poet Laureate Emerita of Silver City and Grant County, New Mexico. Look for a new post on the first of the month. Hope is Audacious Hope is a […]
Observations and Insights on the Nature of Things This monthly column features brief essays, poems, poetic micro essays and photography by Eve West Bessier, Poet Laureate Emerita of Silver City and Grant County, New Mexico. Look for a new post on the first of the month. Its Own Brand of Grace Inspired […]
by SWWF
In celebration of National Poetry Month, for the second year, poet laureate Heather Frankland has curated the Poetry Long Weekend, working with other poets, libraries, and businesses to co-organize the event. The Poetry Long Weekend is a series of interconnected poetry events coordinated to be on the same weekend in order to […]
Observations and Insights on the Nature of Things This monthly column features brief essays, poems, poetic micro essays and photography by Eve West Bessier, Poet Laureate Emerita of Silver City and Grant County, New Mexico. Look for a new post on the first of the month. Cedar – Habitat – Sabbatical Let […]
A kingdom for horse
A horse for a kingdom plus
What about rider?
Ted Presler
After the eclipse
I walk into a new day–
shedding her shadow
Geoffrey Philp
Hibiscus flower
takes me south of the border
for a day or two
Cheryl Howard
A book of haiku
birthday wishes from my wife
a good day begins
Kent Bush
(July 21,1899- July 2, 1961)
A literary lion, some say, others portray him as an author who had an understated style perhaps too economical. But we admit he had a strong impact on the writers of fiction of the last century and even today.. He was probably best known for his seven works of fiction: The Sun […]
This writing will not be a history of all the monumental things that Bonnie did and the awards she won for her writing and her community work. As important as they are, this is a personal kind of tribute. I have been so very fortunate to know Bonnie, as a friend and […]
Every day I drive the same highway to get into town. I have driven this route thousands of times and is my daily commute. I am lucky, I live in a small rural Southwest community nestled in the foothills of the Gila Wilderness. My commute is a beautiful drive through wild country […]
Words in a Wire
Words on a Wire is a radio show about fiction, poetry, the writing community, and whatever other issues concern literary writers and readers of books. Hosted by Daniel Chacón and Tim Z. Hernandez. Originally broadcasted on www.ktep.org Write to us
Poetry Centered Podcast
Poetry Centered features curated selections from Voca, the University of Arizona Poetry Center’s online audiovisual archive.
Mysteries to Die For
Hey, check it out – the newest episode of the “Mysteries to Die For” podcast is available! Ed Teja’s Mystery story, “The Death That Jack Died,” is in the spotlight. Don’t wait, tune in now.
Southwest Word Fiesta celebrates our Poet Laureate, Heather Frankland, featured twice in the September issue of Desert Exposure. We’re proud of Heather and grateful for the ongoing spotlight on poetry in Silver City and Grant County. Read and share the September issue. Your support keeps community arts thriving.
Poetry Centered Podcast
Poetry Centered features curated selections from Voca, the University of Arizona Poetry Center’s online audiovisual archive.
I will do my best
To take life to the next step
Overcome missing you.
Ted Presler
Full moon, ribbon sky
Darkness and light together
Winding through the night
Cheryl Howard
Spring can’t be so near!
A flock of left-winged robins
Birdcasting fake news!
Bruce Welsh
You were like the wind
that softly brushes my skin,
here, then gone again.
Jacqueline Blurton
(July 21,1899- July 2, 1961)
A literary lion, some say, others portray him as an author who had an understated style perhaps too economical. But we admit he had a strong impact on the writers of fiction of the last century and even today.. He was probably best known for his seven works of fiction: The Sun Also Rises, A Farewell to Arms, To Have […]
Mysteries to Die For
Hey, check it out – the newest episode of the “Mysteries to Die For” podcast is available! Ed Teja’s mystery story, “The Death That Jack Died,” is in the spotlight. Don’t wait, tune in now
Words in a Wire
A literary radio show hosted by Daniel Chacón and Tim Z. Hernandez covering fiction, poetry, the writing community and more.