Como es tradición en este blog, les pongo al día de los mejores premios literarios (los que de verdad importan) y sus ganadores. Como no hay muchos de estos, no corro peligro de trabajar demasiado. Aquí los tienen, les aseguro que algunas de estas novelas son maravillosas.
Damas y caballeros, en pie para recibir con un aplauso a los ganadores de los Spur Awards 2014 y el Owen Wister Award, que serán entregados en la convención del Western Writers of America del 24 al 28 de junio, en Sacramento (California).
Anne Hillerman’s Spider Woman’s Daughter – which continues the popular mystery series created by her late father, Tony Hillerman – won the 2014 Spur Award for Best First Novel, while Mark Lee Gardner won two Spurs for works dealing with the James-Younger Gang.
Gardner won in the Best Western Nonfiction – Historical category for Shot all to Hell: Jesse James, the Northfield Raid, and the Wild West’s Greatest Escape (published by William Morrow/HarperCollins) and for Best Western Short Nonfiction with “The Other James Brother,” an article published in Wild West magazine that deals with Frank James, Jesse James’s older brother. HarperCollins published Spider Woman’s Daughter.
Since 1953, Western Writers of America has promoted and honored the best in Western literature with the annual Spur Awards, selected by panels of judges. Awards, for material published last year, are given for works whose inspiration, image, and literary excellence best represent the reality and spirit of the American West.
The 2014 Spur winners and finalists will be honored during WWA’s annual convention, June 24-28 in Sacramento, California.

In the novel categories, mystery writer James Lee Burke’s Light of the World: A Dave Robicheaux Novel (Simon & Schuster) won for Best Western Contemporary Novel; Henry Chappell’s Silent We Stood (Texas Tech University Press) won for Best Western Historical Novel; and Gary Schanbacher’s Crossing Purgatory (Pegasus) won for Best Western Traditional Novel.
The Storyteller Spur for Best Illustrated Children’s Book went to Yosemite’s Songster: One Coyote’s Story (Yosemite Conservancy), written by Ginger Wadsworth and illustrated by Daniel San Souci.
Other winners:
Earle Labor’s Jack London: An American Life (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) for Best Western Nonfiction – Biography; William Philpott’s Vactionland: Tourism and Environment in the Colorado High Country (University of Washington Press) for Best Western Nonfiction – Contemporary; Ellen Gray Massey Papa’s Gold (Pen-L) for Best Western Juvenile Fiction; Jean A. Lukesh’s Eagle of Delight: Portrait of the Plains Indian Girl in the White House (Field Mouse Productions) for Best Western Juvenile Nonfiction; Waddie Mitchell and Juni Fisher’s “Still There” (Red Geetar Music) for Best Western Song; Brett Cogburn’s “Cabin Fever” (High Hill Press) for Best Western Short Fiction Story; Amy Glynn Greacen’s “Chamise” (Orion) for Best Western Poem; and Indian Relay by M. Smoker (Dye Works Film) for Best Western Documentary Script.
Robert J. Conley is the 2014 recipient of the Owen Wister Award for Lifetime Contributions to Western Literature.  The award is given by Western Writers of America as its highest honor and will be presented during the organization’s annual convention in June in Sacramento.
Conley, a member of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, is the Sequoyah Distinguished Professor in Cherokee Studies and Founding Director of the Tsalagi Institute at Western Carolina University. He is the immediate past president of Western Writers of America, and the author of around 80 books, including the Spur Award-winning novels “The Dark Island” and “Nickajack.” He also won a Spur for his short story “Yellow Bird: An Imaginary Autobiography,” published in “The Witch of Goingsnake.” Among his other novels are “Mountain Windsong,” “War Woman,” “Cherokee Dragon,” “Sequoyah” and “Brass.”
Conley has blended a career as a novelist with historical research and publishing, including material about his tribe: “A Cherokee Encyclopedia” and “Cherokee Thoughts Honest & Uncensored.” His poems and short stories have been published in numerous periodicals and anthologies over the years in Germany, France, Belgium, New Zealand and Yugoslavia. They appear in multiple languages: English, Cherokee, German, French, and Macedonian. He also wrote the novelization of a screenplay, “Geronimo: An American Legend,” published in the United States by Pocket Books.
His first novel, “Back to Malachi,” was written “out of anger,” Conley says, rooted in misrepresentations of Ned Christie, “a Cherokee who was falsely accused of murder and hounded for 4½ years before he was killed by a huge posse.” At the time, publishers did not believe they could publish a Western with an Indian protagonist, but Conley’s work broke the threshold and he would go on to assist in the early development of Wordcraft Circle of Native American Writers, which encourages American Indian writers.

Best Western Contemporary Novel
Winner: Light of the World: A Dave Robicheaux Novel James Lee Burke Simon & Schuster
Finalist: Kind of Kin Rilla Askew Ecco/HarperCollins
Finalist: The Old Man’s Love Story Rudolfo Anaya University of Oklahoma Press
Best Western Historical Novel
Winner: Silent We Stood Henry Chappell Texas Tech University Press
Finalist: The Promise Ann Weisgarber Mantle/Pan Macmillan
Finalist: Greasy Grass: A Story of the Little Big Horn Johnny D. Boggs Five Star Publishing
 
Best Western Traditional Novel
Winner: Crossing Purgatory Gary Schanbacher Pegasus
Finalist: Destiny Made Them Brothers Andrew J. Fenady Pinnacle/Kensington
Finalist: The Hardest Ride Gordon L. Rottman Taliesin Publishing
 
Best First Novel
Winner: Spider Woman’s Daughter Anne Hillerman HarperCollins
Finalist: Crossing Purgatory Gary Schanbacher Pegasus
Finalist: La Grulla John R. Wright Dryland Publishing
 
Best Western Nonfiction Historical
Winner: Shot all to Hell: Jesse James, the Northfield Raid, and the Wild West’s Greatest Escape Mark Lee Gardner William Morrow/HarperCollins
Finalist: Shooting Arrows and Slinging Mud: Custer, The Press and the Little Bighorn James E. Mueller University of Oklahoma Press
Finalist: The Heart of Everything that Is: The Untold Story of Red Cloud, An American Legend Bob Drury and Tom Clavin Simon & Schuster
 
Best Western Nonfiction Contemporary
Winner: Vacationland: Tourism and Environment in the Colorado High Country William Philpott University of Washington Press
Finalist: Trees in Paradise: A California History Jared Farmer W. W. Norton
Finalist: Bright Light City: Las Vegas in Popular Culture Larry D. Gragg University Press of Kansas
Best Western Nonfiction Biography
Winner: Jack London: An American Life Earle Labor Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Finalist: Cowboy Stuntman: From Olympic Gold to the Silver Screen Dean Smith with Mike Cox Texas Tech University Press
Finalist: In the Shadow of Billy the Kid: Susan McSween and the Lincoln County War Kathleen P. Chamberlain University of New Mexico Press

Best Western Juvenile Fiction
Winner: Papa’s Gold Ellen Gray Massey Pen-L
Finalist: How I Became a Ghost Tim Tingle The RoadRunner Press
Finalist: Summer of the Star Johnny D. Boggs Five Star Publishing
 
Best Western Juvenile Nonfiction
Winner: Eagle of Delight: Portrait of the Plains Indian Girl in the White House Jean A. Lukesh Field Mouse Productions
Finalist: Magnificent Sam: The Amazing Adventures of Sam Houston Laurie Cockerell Kinderfable
Finalist: Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales: Donner Dinner Party Nathan Hale Amulet
 
Storyteller
Winner: Yosemite’s Songster: One Coyote’s Story Ginger Wadsworth and Daniel San Souci Yosemite Conservancy
Finalist: May Finds Her Way Betty Selakovich Casey The Roadrunner Press
Finalist: Standing in for Lincoln Green David Mackintosh Abrams Books for Young Readers
 
Best Western Short Fiction
Winner: “ Brett Cogburn High Hill Press
Finalist: “Chouteau’s Crossing” McKendree Long High Hill Press
Finalist: “Gethsemane” Clay Reynolds Lamar University Press
 
Best Western Short Nonfiction
Winner: “The Other James Brother” Mark Lee Gardner Wild West
Finalist: “Donner Party Cannibalism: Did They or Didn’t They?” Kristin Johnson Wild West
Finalist: “Celebrating ‘Progress?’: Art, Ambivalence, and Vanessa Helder’s Grand Coulee Suite” Victoria Grieve Western Historical Quarterly
 
Best Western Poem
Winner: “Chamise” Amy Glynn Greacen Orion
Finalist: “Coyanosa” Larry D. Thomas Southwestern American Literature
Finalist: “Skulls” Dixon Hearne Laughing Cactus Press
 
Best Western Song
Winner: “Still There” Waddie Mitchell and Juni Fisher Red Geetar Music
Finalist: “Race with the Wind” Jim Jones and Bruce Huntington East Mountain Music
Finalist: “Old Poly Rope” Trinity Seely Bucket Bail Press
 
Best Western Documentary Script
Winner: Indian Relay M. Smoker Dye Works Film