Fort Lewis College professor and Journal contributing writer Andrew Gulliford was awarded a Colorado Book Award prize for his essay collection “Outdoors in the Southwest” on Sunday, June 21, at the Aspen Institute Doerr-Hosier Center.
Three writers from the Four Corners area were nominated for Colorado Book Awards, which have been presented annually since 1991 to authors, editors, illustrators and photographers from around the state who represent the best in their categories.
In the Best Anthology category, Gulliford was nominated for his essay collection “Outdoors in the Southwest.” Gulliford also writes the monthly column “Gulliford’s Travels” about his trips in the Four Corners, for The Cortez Journal and Durango Herald.
In the General Nonfiction category, Durango restaurateur Katrina Blair was nominated for her book “The Wild Wisdom of Weeds: 13 Essential Plants for Human Survival.” In the Mystery category, Cortez author Chuck Greaves was nominated for his novel “The Last Heir”.
Two of the authors made a stop Thursday to the Cortez Public Library as part of a three-stop book tour leading up to the awards ceremony.
The Cortez area had high hopes for its nominees. Kathy Berg, library assistant at the Cortez Public Library, said:
“It’s wonderful to have such amazing talent in our small corner of the Southwest and to have this talent recognized by being nominated for the prestigious Colorado Book Award is remarkable. Win or lose; we are officially on the map in the literary world. These authors are the ultimate storytellers as they weave and wind their own stories about their writings, thoroughly engaging and entertaining audiences.”
2015 Colorado Book Awards
Anthology
“Outdoors in the Southwest: An Adventure Anthology” by Andrew Gulliford, editor (University of Oklahoma Press)
Children’s Literature
“Mama Built a Little Nest” by Jennifer Ward, illustrated by Steve Jenkins (Beach Lane Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster)
Creative Nonfiction
“Both Sides Now; A True Story of Love, Loss, and Bold Living” by Nancy Sharp (Books & Books Press)
General Nonfiction
“Eating Dangerously: Why the Government Can’t Keep Your Food Safe -- And How You Can” by Michael Booth and Jennifer Brown (Rowman & Littlefield)
Historical Fiction
“Song of the Jayhawk Or, The Squatter Sovereign” by Jack Marshall Maness (Wooden Stake Press)
History
“Encounters at the Heart of the World: A History of the Mandan People” by Elizabeth A. Fenn (Hill & Wang, a division of Farrar, Straus & Giroux)
Juvenile Literature
“Searching for Silverheels” by Jeannie Mobley (Margaret K. McElderry Books, imprint of Simon & Schuster)
Literary Fiction
“The Painter: A Novel” by Peter Heller (Alfred A. Knopf)
Mystery
“Trapline: An Allison Coil Mystery” by Mark Stevens (Midnight Ink, an imprint of Llewelyn Worldwide Ltd.)
Pictorial
“High Road to Aspen: Leadville To Aspen Over The Continental Divide” by Paul Andersen with photographs by David Hiser (ERG Press)
Poetry
“Abide” by Jake Adam York (Crab Orchard Review & Southern Illinois University Press)
Short Story Collection
“The Rise & Fall of the Scandamerican Domestic” by Christopher Merkner (Coffee House Press)
Thriller
“The Intern’s Handbook: A Thriller” by Shane Kuhn (Simon & Schuster)
Young Adult Literature
“Lost Girl Found” by Leah Bassoff and Laura DeLuca (Groundwood Books, House of Anansi Press).