Kansas literary great Don Coldsmith has died at 83:
The Kansas Center for the Book nominated Dr Coldsmith for the MPLA Literary Contribution Award earlier this year; he was presented with that award at the joint MPLA/KLA conference in Wichita on April 2.
An overview of Dr Coldsmith's literary career and a bibliography of his works (prepared by Megan Schulz at the State Library for his MPLA award nomination) follows.
Rest in peace, Don Coldsmith.
Rhonda Machlan
State Library of Kansas
300 SW 10th Rm 343
Topeka KS 66612-1593
Don Coldsmith: MPLA Literary
Contribution Award Nomination
Don Coldsmith was born, raised and still lives in Kansas, just
outside of Emporia on a farm. He began his writing career in the 1960’s mostly
writing articles for horse magazines and “some medical, non-technical stuff”. He has had a self-syndicated weekly
newspaper column in various Kansas newspapers including the Emporia Gazette for about 35 years,
since the early 1970’s. But what Don Coldsmith is best known for both inside
and outside of the Kansas community is for his fiction. His fiction writing
career began in the 1970’s during his time in the practice of medicine. Today
he is the widest published living Kansas author. Topics of writing include:
Historical fiction with Western and Indian themes - focuses on the Indians of
the Great Plains from the time of first contact with Europeans.
Denise
Low, Kansas Poet Laureate on Don Coldsmith: “His work is important to Kansans
and Midwesterners because he really shows the sweep of geography from Colorado
Springs and the Rockies east to the Marais des Cygnes and from the Platt down
into northern Oklahoma so you really get a sense of this region and there is
not much literature in the country or the world based on that geographic
region.” KTWU Sunflower Journeys 1712A - Don Coldsmith, Produced by Bill
Shaffer.
Don
Coldsmith: “My goal has always been that I would write historically accurate
enough that nobody can prove it didn't happen. I don't claim that it did. I
claim it could have and I defy anybody to prove it didn't and I think it's
intellectually dishonest to distort history and so I'm just not going to do
it.” KTWU Sunflower Journeys 1712A - Don Coldsmith, Produced by Bill Shaffer.
o
Misc.
information
o 45 books published, 1600 newspaper columns, and over 150 magazine articles
o More than 6 million copies in print, as well as editions in German, French and Spanish
o Speaker/Lecturer/Educator (especially on topics dealing with the Great Plains and the American West)
o Professor - Emporia State University
o Member of the Speakers’ Bureau for the Kansas Humanities Council
o Speaker at Kansas Library Tri-Conference (1998)
o Presenter at the 2006 and 2007 Kansas Book Festivals
o Western Writers of America - “To promote the literature of the American West,” WWA actively helps its members promote their books and articles, and aggressively promotes the literature of the American West, which it considers this country's unique contribution to world literature
o Past President of the Western Writers of America - (1983-1984)
o Spur Award recipient (6-time finalist) - “Distinguished writing about the American West” (1990)
o Owen Wister Award - “Lifetime Achievement” in Western history and literature (2003)
o
Native
Sons and Daughters of Kansas
o Distinguished Kansan - “Selection criteria: significant contribution to Kansas and to the history of Kansas, role model and/or mentor who has made exceptional contribution to our Kansas heritage, created an awareness of his/her field of expertise or has created an impact through his/her participation” (1993)
o
Friends
of the Library, Kansas City, Kansas Public Library
o Edgar Wolfe Literary Award - “selects local or regional writers who remain true to the ideals of integrity and creative excellence taught by Edgar Wolfe” (1995)
o
Book of
the Month Club
o 1997 selection
o
Doubleday
Book Club
o 1997 selection
o Writers Hall of Fame of America - Founded to foster an interest in writing among people of all ages; recognizes those who made a major contribution to writing, stimulates interest in writing among young people, and promotes lifelong writing
o Inducted into the Writers Hall of Fame of America- “recognizes writers who have made significant contributions to the art we celebrate” (2000)
o Listed among the twenty most important writers of the 20th Century by his fellow professional writers that same year
o
Kansas
Authors Club
o William Allen White Award - “for his contributions to the literary heritage of Kansas” (2004)
o True West Magazine – “Relates our history back to the present day, to show readers the important role our heritage plays in keeping spirit of the West alive during our everyday travels and adventures out West”. The magazine is the oldest, continuously published Western Americana publication in the world.
o Voted the “Best Living Western Historical Novelist” (2004)
Spanish Bit Saga
- Trail of the Spanish Bit (1980)
- Elk Dog Heritage (1982)
- Follow the Wind (1983)
- Buffalo Medicine (1981)
- Man of the Shadows (1983)
- Daughter of the Eagle (1984)
- Moon of Thunder (1985)
- Sacred Hills (1985)
- Pale Star (1986)
- River of Swans (1986)
- Return to the River (1987)
- Medicine Knife (1988)
- Flower in the Mountains (1988)
- Trail from Taos (1989)
- Song of the Rock (1989)
- Fort de Chastaigne (1990)
- Quest for the White Bull (1990)
- Return of the Spanish (1991)
- Bride of the Morning Star (1991)
- Walks in the Sun (1992)
- Thunderstick (1993)
- Track of the Bear (1994)
- Child of the Dead (1995)
- Bearer of the Pipe (1995)
- Medicine Hat (1998)
- Lost Band (2000)
- Raven Mocker (2001)
- Pipestone Quest (2004)
Super Editions
1. Changing Wind (1991)
2. Traveler (1991)
3. World of Silence (1992)
Great Plains
Saga
- Tallgrass (1997)
- Southwind (1998)
Rivers West Series
1. Smoky Hill (1989)
Non-Fiction
- Horsin' Around (1975)
- Horsin' Around Again (1981)
- Still Horsin' Around (2004)
General Fiction
- Runestone (1995)
- Long Journey Home (2002)
Short
Stories (Anthologies)
- “The Guardians”, in American West (2000)
- “A Fresh Start”, in Stagecoach (2003)
- “First
Horse”, in Westward (2003)
- “To Shoe a Horse”, in Lost Trails (2009)
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