Las Cruces, NM – On this edition of PUENTES a la comunidad, bridges to the community, host Emily Guerra met with Southwest Festival of the Written Word (SWFWW) steering committee member, Ted Presler, and with Western New Mexico University’s Professor of Political Science and Vice President of External Affairs, Dr. Magdaleno Manzanáres, also a keynote speaker for SWFWW. Manzanáres is also the co-author of two books with Laurence Armand French: "North American Border Conflicts: Race, Politics, and Ethics," and "Borders and Immigration: The Geo-Politics of Marketplace Demands and Ethnic Relations."
The Southwest Festival of the Written Word celebrates authors who live and work in the Southwest - Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Texas. Founded in 2010 by members of major cultural institutions in Silver City: Western New Mexico University; Silver City Public Library; and the Western Institute of Lifelong Learning, it is held every other year, making 2019 the fourth festival since 2013, with over 50 presenters this year. The theme this year is Writing Sin Fronteras! (Writing without borders!)
Masterclasses will be held Monday, September 30th - Thursday, October 3rd prior to the Festival, Friday, October 4th – Sunday, October 6th. The Opening Ceremony will be held on Friday evening, October 4th from 6:30 - 9 p.m.at the Global Resource Center with keynote talks by Magdaleno Manzanáres and Don Bartletti. All events are FREE. Something new this year is the Borderlands Story Booth at the Silver City Public Library, offering visitors a chance to record meaningful conversations about the role of borders in their lives. More information and schedules available at www.swwordfiesta.org, and on Facebook.