Military Writers Society of America

The Military Writers Society of America, also known as the MWSA, is non-profit, 501(c)3 association of authors, poets, and artists, many of whom are U.S. military veterans or family members of veterans. Membership is open to anyone with an interest in, affinity for, or connection to the military.

The organization provides a venue for meeting other authors and artists, sharing ideas and learning about writing and the publishing industry. Its goals are: (a) to improve writing skills of its members, and (b) to reach out to schools, military organizations and veterans’ groups to foster and encourage an interest in writing, and (c) to recognize the accomplishments of its members' work in literature and the communication arts.[1]

The organization also reviews and considers for award books and other forms of art and literature each year. Annual award winners are announced during an awards banquet, which is normally held during the organization's annual general membership conference.

The experience level and relative success of the membership varies widely, from relatively obscure, first-time writers to best-selling authors like Joe Buff, Gayle Lynds, Dale Dye, and Joseph Badal.

History

The Military Writers Society of America was the brainchild of its founder and first president, W. H. (Rev. Bill) McDonald Jr.[2] A crew chief/door-gunner on UH-1D Huey helicopters in 1966 and 1967, Bill flew with the 128th Helicopter Assault Company out of Phu Loi, South Vietnam. He was awarded numerous medals, including: the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star, fourteen Air Medals and the Purple Heart.

Like most who encounter the moral extremes of combat, Bill discovered that war is a crucible of spiritual transformation. It is, quite simply, impossible to live through that sort of experience and not be changed by it. To better understand his own experiences, Bill began to write about them. In the years since, he has discovered literally hundreds of other warriors who are driven to explore and reveal their experiences through fiction, non-fiction, poetry and art. It was Bill's vision to bring them together to share and promote their respective arts. With more than 1200 members, the Military Writers Society of America is that vision brought to life.

The MWSA started off as branch of The American Authors Association (AAA)[3] before becoming a fully separated organization of its own. There are annual awards given for books, music Cds and short films.

The current President of MWSA is NY Times Best Selling Author Dwight Zimmerman.[4][5]

The previous president was Joyce Faulkner. She is a ghostwriter, an editor and a web, newspaper & book designer. She has been a member of MWSA since 2006. Her goal is to help veterans record their piece of history—for themselves, their families, their communities—and our country, to make sure that all of our history is recorded and recognized. Her interest in military writing stems from her book In the Shadow of Suribachi, the story of her father's experiences as a young Marine at the Battle of Iwo Jima.[6]

The second president of the MWSA after the Founder McDonald stepped down for health reasons was Tony Lazzarini - a Vietnam combat veteran. After returning to the states, Tony worked for IBM as a service technician on communicating systems with their advanced products group. He left after 10 years to open his own high performance automotive shop. Along with racing and building cars, his other passions include writing and motorcycles. Tony started Voyager Publishing and his writing accomplishments include two award-winning books, a prize-winning musical stage play and two short films.

2018 Award Winners

During an awards banquet, held in the beautiful Hilton Garden Inn Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, the Military Writers Society of America (MWSA) announced its 2018 Medal Winners. The award recipients are listed below by Genre-Subcategory, medal won, and alphabetically by book title.[7]

Children & Young Adult—Picture Book

Silver Medals

        Eddie and Bingo: Destination Christmas by Kathleen and Katherine Taylor
        My Dad Got Hurt. What Can I Do? by Brunella Costagliola
        my daddy is a sailor by Tahna Desmond Fox
        My Daddy Sleeps Everywhere by Jesse Franklin

Children's Chapter Book

Gold Medal

        Jacqueline by Jackie Minniti

Collections—Anthology

Silver Medal

        Love, Sweet to Spicy by the Corrales Writing Group

Collections—Religious/Spiritual

Silver Medal

        Holy in the Moment by Ginger Harrington

Historical Fiction

Bronze Medal

        Uncommon Bond by John House

History

Gold Medals

        The Shadow Tiger by William C McDonald III & Barbara L. Evenson
        Tiger Bravo's War by Rick St John

Silver Medals

        Air Force One by Nicholas Veronico
        Blades of Thunder by W. Larry Dandridge
        Chopper Heroes by William Peterson
        The Solomons Campaigns by William L. McGee

Bronze Medal

        Wonderful Flying Machines by Barrett Beard

Horror/Fantasy/Sci Fi

Silver Medal

        Tested by Connie Cockrell

How to/Business/Self Help

Silver Medal

        Hal Moore on Leadership by Harold G. Moore

Literary Fiction

Gold Medal

        Syllables of Rain by D.S. Lliteras

Silver Medal

        The Perfection of Valor by Bob Mustin

Bronze Medal

        Flowers from Afghanistan by Suzy Parish

Memoir/Biography

Gold Medals

        Marcel's Letters by Carolyn Porter
        Racing Back to Vietnam by John Pendergrass

Silver Medal

        Heroes to the End by Jim Smith

Bronze Medals

        Kanaga Diary by Estelle Lauer
        Through Smoke-Teared Eyes by Johnny F. Pugh

Mystery/Thriller

Gold Medals

        Land of Wolves by Tj Turner
        Soft Target by John D Trudel
        The Consultant by Tj O'Connor

Silver Medals

        Homeland Burning by Brinn Colenda
        Into a Dark Frontier by John Mangan
        Sins of the Fathers by Joseph Badal

Pictorial/Coffee Table

Gold Medal

        Lighthouses of America by Tom Beard

Poetry—Poetry Book

Gold Medal

        War in the Company of Medics by John J. Candelaria

Bronze Medal

        Vietnam Voices by Michael Lepore

Reference

Silver Medal

        The Wicked Problem of Cultural Heritage and Conflict by Christopher Herndon and Joris Kila

Bronze Medals

        African American Warrant Officers by Farrell Chiles
        Bradley vs. BMP by Mike Guardia

Young Adult (Fiction of Non-Fiction)

Silver Medal

        Sebastian's Tale by Dylan Weisse

References
  1. "Bylaws of the Military Writers Society of America" (PDF). MWSA Bylaws. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
  2. http://sbiands.org/rev-bill-mcdonald/
  3. http://www.americanauthorsassociation.com/
  4. https://us.macmillan.com/author/dwightjonzimmerman/
  5. http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Dwight_Jon_Zimmerman
  6. "MWSA Leadership". Military Writers. Retrieved 2017-12-19.
  7. "Press Release".
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