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Think of New Mexico Writers as a tree whose branches are still spreading.

The organization鈥檚 newest branch is its sponsorship of the New Mexico Book Awards.

New Mexico Writers took on the awards program this year, with winners and finalists announced Oct. 1.

Starting in 2007, the awards were managed by Paul Rhetts and his late wife Barb Awalt under the aegis of New Mexico Book Co-op.

For some of the intervening years, the awards had been expanded to a two-state affair 鈥� the New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards.

Rhetts credited his late wife with coming up with the idea for the book awards.

鈥淲e were sitting on the front porch of the sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Press Club. There were six or eight of us sitting around with a glass of wine. We were decompressing after a book event at the Jewish Community Center,鈥� Rhetts said.

鈥淚 believe it was Barb who said, 鈥榃hat about a book awards program?鈥� Everybody agreed that that鈥檚 exactly what we needed at that time.鈥�

Rhetts said that he carried on the awards program for the last five years until he retired in 2024.

He expressed his confidence that New Mexico Writers will continue his work.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e a terrific group to pass the baton to. I know that they are an organization that will give it the loving care that I hope I gave. They do love New Mexico books as much as I do," Rhetts said.

New Mexico Writers honored Rhetts for his role in administering the awards by naming the most highly rated book in the 2025 competition the inaugural Paul Rhetts Award.

That award was given to Vaunda Micheaux Nelson鈥檚 poetry book 鈥淩adiant.鈥� Nelson is a retired Rio Rancho librarian.

鈥淩adiant鈥� was also the winner in the awards鈥� juvenile category and it was one of 18 finalists in the poetry category.

New Mexico Writers has been in existence since 2016 with the overarching goal of bringing together members of the state鈥檚 literary community.

Its annual dinner connects aspiring writers with established writers, said Lisa McCoy, New Mexico Writers鈥� administrator and the director of the New Mexico Book Awards program.

In addition, its Rising Writers Program links aspiring writers with professionals in related literary fields, among them editors, publishers, literary agents and book publicists.

Since 2019, New Mexico Writers has also sponsored a grant program.

That program offers grants in three categories 鈥� the New Mexico Writers Annual Grant, the Douglas Preston Travel Grant and the Preston Young Writers Grant.

Residents of New Mexico and members of the greater Navajo Nation are invited to apply for grant funding which supports new or ongoing projects in one of these genres 鈥� fiction, nonfiction, poetry, journalism, playwriting and screenwriting, according to the New Mexico Writers website.

As of Dec. 1, grant applications may be submitted for 2026. The grant submission deadline is March 6, 2026. Visit for application details.

Recipients of grants will be announced at the New Mexico Writers annual dinner on April 30, 2026, in Santa Fe.

McCoy said New Mexico Writers is a nonprofit and all of its programs are funded by donations.

鈥淏oard members and committee members are all volunteers,鈥� she said.

McCoy said she and Saleema Ishq, editor of the organization鈥檚 monthly publication, The New Mexico Writer, are the only paid staff members.

The organization鈥檚 board chair is JJ Amaworo Wilson.