EWC Instructor Receives National Award
March 26, 2009
TORRINGTON, WY -
Eastern Wyoming College English and Spanish instructor John D. Nesbitt has been awarded the Spur Award by the Western Writers of America (WWA). Nesbitt received the award for Best Original Mass Market Paperback for his book Trouble at the Redstone, which was released in 2008.
According to the WWA website, the Spur Awards are given annually for distinguished writing about the American West and are among the oldest and most prestigious in American literature. The awards were established in 1953. Winners of the Spur Awards in previous years include Larry McMurtry for Lonesome Dove and Michael Blake for Dances With Wolves. Each year, judges pick one winner and two finalists in each category. In 2008, Nesbitt was a finalist for the award with his novel Raven Springs.
"This is a great honor for me," said Nesbitt. "Winning a Spur Award is the dream of all members of Western Writers of America. This is a major event in my writing career."
Winners were announced March 22 during the National Festival of the West. Winners and finalists will be honored June 16-20 at the WWA Convention in Oklahoma City.
On April 1, 2009, Nesbitt will be releasing his 17th traditional western novel. The novel, Stranger in Thunder Basin, is about a young man who goes out to find the killer of a man who was like a father to him. In preparation for writing this book, Nesbitt went on a field trip to Thunder Basin, between Wright and Newcastle, and was inspired by the vastness of the landscape there.
This paperback original will be available in regular retail outlets.
Nesbitt is currently an English and Spanish instructor at Eastern Wyoming College in Torrington, Wyoming. He has taught at the College for 28 years.
