EWC Faculty Provides Expertise at Writers Conference
September 26, 2002
(Torrington, WY, September 26, 2002) EWC instructor in English and Spanish, John Nesbitt, recently helped a group of novice writers at a writers conference. Writing the West is the name of the conference sponsored by Western Writers of America (WWA). WWA is an association of
professional writers dedicated to preserving and celebrating the heritage of the American West, past and present. Almost any western author you can think of is most likely a member of WWA,? Nesbitt shared. It is a very prestigious group. The Writing the West conference was held in
Gunnison, Colorado, and Nesbitt was one of eight faculty sharing their expertise at this intensive, four-day event. Writing western fiction, focusing on learning the elements of western and historical fiction, was the topic of Nesbitt's class, which he team-taught with western novelist Mike
Blakely. This is the second year he has been selected as a faculty presenter at this conference. Plans are currently being made for the conference to be held in 2003.
An exciting thing happened to Nesbitt at this last writers conference. On occasion, one of his books will contain a western song that one of the characters will deliver in the story. Some members of WWA got together and put the song from For the Norden Boys to music. Nesbitt, who does not claim to be a song-writer, was very honored to have such a special song to him put to music in front of a large group. It was very emotional, Nesbitt revealed. For the Norden Boys, Nesbitt's newest book, was released in June 2002. The book?s main character is a chuck wagon and bunk house cook who works for a couple of brothers that run into some trouble with some neighbors. There ends up being quite an injustice in the story that allows the main character to rise to the occasion and find his dignity. This book is currently available in area bookstores and gift shops as well as in most internet book stores.
Other things that Nesbitt is working on include another book soon to be released Black Hat Butte, which will be released in February 2003, is similar in tone to For the Norden Boys. He also has a work in progress, a booklet about Laramie poet Robert Roripaugh, who is the poet laureate of the state of Wyoming. For more information about Nesbitt?s books, please contact him at Eastern Wyoming College, 532-8292.
