ABOUT WWA

History     Literature of the West for the World^®     WWA Presidents

Western Writers of America, Inc., was founded in 1953 to promote the literature of the American West and bestow Spur Awards for distinguished writing in the western field. The founders were largely authors who wrote traditional western fiction, but the organization swiftly expanded to include historians and other nonfiction authors, young adult and romance writers, and writers interested in regional history.

Today it has over 500 members who write everything from mainstream fiction to local history. Its annual convention occurs during the last week of June in a western city. At that time, members, guests, editors, and agents gather together to renew friendships, do business, attend panels, go on field trips, and conduct the organization's business. Each convention concludes with the Spur Awards banquet, the moment when the WWA honors those who win the coveted awards.

WWA actively helps its members promote their books and articles, and aggressively promotes the literature of the American west, which it considers this country's unique contribution to world literature.

Literature of the West for the World ®

Literature of the West for the World describes the collective product of WWA members.  Western literature ranges far and wide across Western America.  From traditional western fiction to penetrating historical analysis, from yesterday to today, from mysteries to biographies, from romance to short stories, from screen writing to documentary writing, from poems to songs.

 

Western literature is of the spirit, our spirit, the spirit of America.  It is  unique, ever developing and ever changing, as we uncover new facts, deal with new issues, seek more understanding, and offer more and more for readers to enjoy. 

 

The “western” – as a term -- is, in and of itself, misleading to some.  Western literature is today as well as yesterday.  Western literature is the motivation of people to succeed in lands greater than themselves.  The “western” is full of souls filled with concern, fear, joy and desire.

 

The “western” is history, adventure, mystery, romance and more.  It is yesterday, today and tomorrow.  In a phrase, it is the literature of America’s soul.  In fact, the “western” is America’s only unique brand of literature, now enjoyed throughout the world.

 

Readers enjoy stories set in the West, whether they are about the challenges of today or the confrontations of yesteryear.  They like the great tests brought by the land itself, vital and grand.  They like memorable characters dealing with real life brought by some of America’s finest storytellers.  They like the absorption into intrigue and adventure, into learning and love, into twists of plot and personality. 

 

Readers like the west as it really was – and really is.  Making western literature profitable for you as a writer – and a member of Western Writers of America.

 

WWA Presidents:

For further information about WWA write Executive Director Paul Andrew Hutton, wwa@unm.edu.

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Officers and Appointees

President: Cotton Smith, spiritfire@kc.rr.com

Vice President: Johnny D. Boggs, jdboggs@aol.com

Secretary-Treasurer: Paul Andrew Hutton, wwa@unm.edu

Executive Director:  Paul Andrew Hutton, wwa@unm.edu

Board Members: Rita Cleary, Don Birchfield, Kathleen Gear, Dusty Richards

Elections: Kathryn Swarthout

2008 Convention: Paul Andrew Hutton, wwa@unm.edu

Marketing: Paul Andrew Hutton, wwa@unm.edu

Spur Chairman: Deborah Morgan, deborahmorgan@earthlink.net

Publicity: Melody Groves melodygroves@comcast.net

Membership: Rod Miller rod@holmesco.com

Subscriptions: Paul Andrew Hutton, wwa@unm.edu

Webmaster: Steven Law's Web Studio, steven@stevenlaw.com

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