"Jazz and the Western are the only truly unique American
art forms"
Clint
Eastwood
As usual, since the reviewing media largely ignores our "American"
literature, here are my selections as the best of the genre for the
last year or so--I'm sure I missed a few titles .
Note: Since the 2009 awards are given for titles published in the
previous year, some of the titles were actually published in 2008.
The 2010 awards for works published in 2009 are not out yet.
Willa (Willa Cather) Award
http://www.womenwritingthewest.org/willaaward.html
Spur Award (Western Writers Of America)
http://www.westernwriters.org/spur_award_history.htm
Western Heritage Award--novel
http://www.nationalcowboymuseum.org/events/wha/WHA_Winners.aspx
Another Man's Moccasins by Craig Johnson (2009 Spur Award)
Leadville by James D. Best (2009)
Under This Unbroken Sky: A Novel by Shandi Mitchell (2009)
The Night Birds by Thomas Maltman (2008)
Shavetail by Thomas Cobb (2009 Spur Award)--YA interest/character
Rio Chama by Johnny D. Boggs (2009)
The Branch And The Scaffold: The True Story Of The West's Legendary
Hanging Judge by
Loren D. Estleman (2009)--historical novel
Trouble At The redstone by John D. Nesbitt (2009 Spur Award)
Last Cowgirl by Jana Richman (2009 Willa Award)
Charley's Choice: The Life And Times Of Charley Parkhurst by Fern J.
Hill (2009 Willa Award for historical fiction)
Buffalo Bill's Defunct: A Latouche County Mystery by Sheila Somonson
(Willa award historical)
I Am Apache by Tanya Landman (2009 Spur Award--YA)
Ghost Medicine by Andrew Smith (2008)--YA interest/characters
Dreams Beneath My Feet by Win Blevins (continues 'Sam Morgan' saga)
God's Thunderbolt: The Vigilantes Of Montana by Carol a. Buchanan
(2009 Spur Award)
Full-Court Quest; The Girls From Shaw Indian School--Basketball
Champions Of The World by
Linda Peavy & Ursula Smith--NON-FICTION (2009 Spur Award/2009
Willa Award)
Jackalope Dreams by Mary Clearman (2009 Western Heritage Award)
Twisted Tree (2009) by Kent Myers
Brimstone by Robert B. Parker (2009)--3rd in series
Savagery Of The Mountain Man by William w. Johnstone (2009)
Other Men's Horses by Elmer Kelton (2009)
WESTERN MYSTERIES
Leaden Skies by Ann Parker (2009)--3rd in the "Silver Rush" mystery
series
The Crack In The Lens by Steve Hockensmith (2009)--4th in the "Holmes
On The Range" series
One needs to mention the death of Western writer, Elmer Kelton at age
83. He was not only a great writer of Westerns but one of our best
writers. Until you've read one of his novels especially his classics:
The Day The cowboys Quit or The Time It Never Rained, you can not
consider yourself knowledgeable or well read on modern American
Literature--his prose flows like water and the pages turn themselves.
Of course, because he only wrote Westerns, his passing and
accomplishments were ignored by most of the media.
Bob Hicks
Arkansas City High School
Arkansas City, KS 67005
bob.hicks@usd470.com
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