February 2019 Blast

The registration page for this year’s membership conference in Albuquerque is up and live on our website, http://www.mwsadispatches.com, under Events. I encourage everyone to come to the conference and take advantage of our early bird rates. We have a great venue for this conference - it may be our best one yet. Bring your family and enjoy the sights in and around Albuquerque.

Remember, we hold the Awards Banquet during the conference. What better PR is there than having a photo of you being presented with a medal for your award winning book?

In addition to holding our annual meeting and our annual awards banquet during the conference, the bulk of the conference this year will be a joint conference with the SouthWest Writers (SWW), focused on improving our writing skills and getting better as authors. This will also be an excellent networking opportunity as SWW is another large organization of authors like MWSA.

Our last mass email, a request for presenters at the VA Writing Class, also held in Albuquerque the first day of the conference, had one error. The correct email address for one of the responses provided in that message should have read outreach@mwsa.co rather than outreach@mwsa. If you want to be a presenter but had trouble responding, please use this corrected address.  Even if you don’t want to be a presenter, attendees at the conference are welcome to attend this free course.

We continue to look for more book reviewers and volunteers to help out with our social media efforts. One of the projects the MWSA Board is working on this year is to come up with ways we can better exploit social media to benefit MWSA and its members. If you have ideas or want to help, let us know.

       Also, to those who haven’t seen our prior correspondence on this, MWSA Education Director, Jack London recently uploaded a video to YouTube outlining his experiences at the Meuse Argonne Cemetery on November 11th last year.  Technical problems kept us from seeing Jack’s live transmission during our annual conference in Charleston, but you can see the video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrHjNTeb_7o&feature=youtu.be

Don’t forget to take advantage of the early bird special discount for the conference.  See you all in Albuquerque!

May 2018 Info Blast

NEW MWSA OFFICERS and DIRECTORS
Nominating committee lead Rob Ballister wants to remind everyone that elections are coming up, and that we are always looking for motivated individuals to serve in our all-volunteer organization.  This year we will be holding elections to the offices of President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, as well as four additional at large Directors.  If you wish to throw your hat into the ring, or have ANY questions, please do not hesitate to contact Rob at rballister@verizon.net.

ARMISTICE DAY
November 11, the day the guns went quiet.  MWSA will honor the memory of the men and women who served in WW1 on the 100th anniversary of the armistice that ended the fighting in the Great War.  Our member Jack Woodville London, MWSA Director of Education, will represent MWSA at the memorial service at the Meuse - Argonne American Military Cemetery in Romagne-sous-Montfaucon, France on that day. 
Is one of your ancestors, family friends, or other man or woman who is special to your history buried in that cemetery, the largest American military cemetery in Europe?  Please share the name of someone you would like to be honored and Jack will do his best to place a flag or poppies at the headstone and offer our gratitude for such sacrifice; jack@jackwlondon.com.

MAKE PLANS NOW FOR CHARLESTON
 A city rich in history, tradition, and restaurants, Charleston awaits you November 8 through 11 during MWSA's Annual Meeting.  Whether a novice or seasoned pro, you will benefit from gathering with kindred spirits and participating in inspirational workshops. Take advantage of the early bird special of $195 to register for the conference  (www.mwsadispatches.com)  and the low hotel rate of $125 a night at the Hilton Garden Inn, Mount Pleasant (843-606-4600).  Be sure to tell the hotel you are with MSWA.

In addition to the book awards banquet, there is much to do and see in Charleston.  Its fun, entertaining, and educational.  Make your reservation now.

NEW MAILING ADDRESS
On April 1st, the Military Writers Society of America, or MWSA, mailing address was changed to:
          1906 South 70th Street, Fort Smith, Arkansas 72903
The web sites and correspondence reflect this address change. 
 

March 2018 Info Blast

NEW MWSA OFFICERS and DIRECTORS
We'd like to remind everyone that this is an election year for MWSA.  In August we will be sending a ballot to all members with candidates so you can cast your votes. Between now and the beginning of August, we will be seeking volunteers to run for office.  Elections will be held for President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and for four additional at large Directors.  Please get involved, and if you'd like to run for office, let us know.  More information will be forthcoming, but for now, think about stepping up and running for office or for a position on the board.
 

BOOK REVIEWERS WANTED
We are receiving a steady stream of books for our "Review & Awards" program. Our present book reviewers  have their plate full, so we are asking for more members to volunteer for this rewarding endeavor. Just respond to this Blast! with your intentions and you will be contacted with details for reviewers.
 

MAKE PLANS NOW FOR CHARLESTON
 A city rich in history, tradition, and restaurants, Charleston awaits you November 8 through 11 during MWSA's Annual Meeting.  Whether a novice or seasoned pro, you will benefit from gathering with kindred spirits and participating in inspirational workshops. Take advantage of the early bird special of $195 to register for the conference  (www.mwsadispatches.com)  and the low hotel rate of $125 a night at the Hilton Garden Inn, Mount Pleasant (843-606-4600).  Be sure to tell the hotel you are with MSWA.

In addition to the book awards banquet, there is much to do and see in Charleston.  Its fun, entertaining, and educational.  Make your reservation now.
 

NEW MAILING ADDRESS
Come April 1st, the Military Writers Society of America, or MWSA, mailing address will be changing to:
          1906 South 70th Street, Fort Smith, Arkansas 72903
The web sites and correspondence will reflect this address change shortly. 
 

February 2018 Info Blast

We are starting the year off with a bang.  Books are flowing in to be reviewed, membership renewals are coming in as expected, plans for the conference this November 8-10 in Charleston, SC, are being made, and we ended 2017 in good financial shape.

MWSA will hold elections this year for all officers and board positions.  A call for volunteers to run for office or the board will be sent out in the next month or two.  If you want to participate but not hold a formal position we have a number of committees that could always use additional help.  Our website MWSADispatches.com is becoming better and better every day. 

Remember to mark your calendars and save the dates for our conference in November this year. We have kept the rates down again making it one of the least expensive conferences of its kind.  If you want to participate in a panel, or do a presentation, or have a subject you would like to be discussed at the conference, let us know. A conference registration form has been posted on our website under "NEWS & EVENTS." Again, there is an "Early Bird Special" for registration. You may pay through PayPal after completing the registration on-line.
We hope to have representation at the Aisne-Marne American WWI Cemetery in France this year for its centennial celebration of the Armistice.  As part of this effort, we would like to know if any of our membership have relatives who were buried there or elsewhere in France during WWI.  If there are any, we would like to acknowledge them.  

If you have a response to any of the above, please send your response to Bob Doerr at rddoerr@cs.com.

The MWSA WWI Anthology is in the design process . . . no more submissions are being accepted. Plans are for publication in early April.

In memoriam:
Member and author, Albert Ashforth passed. He was a book award winner and contributor to earlier MWSA Anthologies. His wife, Erika, has continued with MWSA membership for the year.

November 2017 Info Blast

Dear MWSA Member:

A few days ago, we honored all who served in our nation’s military on November 11, Veterans Day. It’s a day rich in history and the story of how the day, originally called Armistice Day, came to be can be found at: https://www.va.gov/opa/publications/celebrate/vetday.pdf.
I’m proud to say that we have had an energizing year, capped with our conference in San Antonio. Thanks again to vice president Bob Doerr and everyone who helped make it a success. Your officers and board members are putting together plans to make 2018 even more beneficial.

A quick recap, in 2017, we:

• reorganized the awards program,. a whopping 79 books were submitted and 45 were judged worthy of award,
• computerized the membership list and got it in strong shape,
• hired a management firm to supervise membership list and take charge of the website,
• adopted new bylaws to make us more efficient, and
• worked on writing workshop programs to help members develop their skills.

In 2018, we will:

• continue improvements to the awards program with enriched communication, accelerating the review process, and give members more bang for their buck,
• build on enhancing member communication through polls, email blasts, etc,
• make significant improvements in the website and social media,
• incorporate more members into working committees,
• develop further writing workshop programs for members,
• and more!

Your officers and board of directors have rededicated themselves to serve you. Our organization is strong thanks to you. And 2018 is your opportunity to show both your support and participation as 2018 is the year we elect new officers and board members. It’s your opportunity to step forward and be a candidate or to sign on to one of our committees.
So, when you receive your renewal notice, send it in pronto. And, while you’re at it, get a colleague to join with you. It will be the best investment you make.

Sincerely,
Dwight Jon Zimmerman
President

PS Enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends.