January 2019 - The 5: Steven J. Westman

Five questions answered by some of our New Mexico Favorites!

What inspires your writing?

For more than half my life, I have been writing about traveling all over the state of New Mexico, and about the folks who live here and how they connect. My grandfather, Chisel Smith, was a general contractor. From the 1940s to the early 1980s, his companies built many of the New Mexico roads & highways & runways & bridges, that connected the city to the town to the village to the county. Six years after his passing in 1990, I began writing about traveling these roads. I was raised here and spent weekends as a kid in the back of a station wagon taking in the scenery. I’m now like the dog that sees the squirrel, and can be known to pull over on the side of the road when spotting a barn that was built before 1950 or a bridge that’s been unused for years. I find the beauty of the landscapes that jot our map, in every corner and region. I’m a firm believer in taking a slow drive.

What publications have you worked for?

Weekly Alibi, New Mexico Business Weekly (now Albuquerque Business First), Transmission Magazine, La Cocinita Magazine and Local iQ Magazine (with a well-loved column called “The Curious Townie”).

What is it about New Mexico that you love?

When people share their stories about living here, and loving it.

What upcoming projects are you working on?

Reinventing “The Curious Townie.” Stay tuned…

What do you feel is missing from "The Land of Enchantment?"

People taking the side roads on a road trip.