Congratulations to the following Bison Books authors who were nominated for the 33rd annual Reading the West Book Awards! The awards, given to books published in the previous calendar year, celebrate the rich variety of writing in and about this region, and reflect the extraordinary diversity of the reading public.

Independent booksellers across the region are reviewing the titles now and curating shortlists in each category. 

Public voting for the winners begins on May 1, 2023

Debut Fiction:

The Shinnery by Kate Anger. A story of coming-of-age, betrayal, and revenge, The Shinnery is inspired by the author’s family history and a trial that shook the region.

Memoir:

Uphill Both Ways by Andrea Lani. In Uphill Both Ways Andrea Lani walks us through the Southern Rockies, describing how the region has changed since the discovery of gold in 1859. At the same time, she delves into the history of her family, who immigrated to Leadville to work in the mines, and her own story of hiking the trail in her early twenties before returning two decades later, a depressed middle-aged mom in East Coast exile seeking happiness in a childhood landscape.

Nonfiction:

Chasing the Ghost Bear by Mike Stark. Part natural history, part travelogue, and part meditation on extinction and loss, Chasing the Ghost Bear returns these magnificent beasts to their rightful place in our understanding of the world just an epoch past.

Birthing the West by Jennifer Hill. Childbirth defines families, communities, and nations. In Birthing the West, Jennifer J. Hill fills the silences around historical reproduction with copious new evidence and an enticing narrative, describing a process of settlement in the American West that depended on the nurturing connections of reproductive caregivers and the authority of mothers over birth.

Congrats to all of the other nominees!