Winfred Blevins (October 21, 1938 – July 2, 2023) was an American author of fiction and non-fiction. He wrote many books about the western mountain trappers, and is known for his "mastery of western lore." His notable works include ''Stone Song'', ''So Wild a Dream'', and ''Dictionary of the American West''. According to WorldCat, the ''Dictionary of the American West'' is held in 728 libraries. Blevins won numerous awards, including being named winner of the
Owen Wister Award for Lifetime Achievement in writing literature of the West,
being selected for the Western Writers Hall of Fame,
being twice named 'Writer of the Year' b
Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and winning two
Spur Award
Spur Awards are literary prizes awarded annually by the Western Writers of America (WWA). The purpose of the Spur Awards is to honor writers for distinguished writing about the American West. The Spur awards began in 1953, the same year the WWA wa ...
s for Novel of the West.
Early life and education
Blevins, of
Cherokee
The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...
, Welsh-Irish, and African-American descent, was a native of
Little Rock, Arkansas
(The Little Rock, The "Little Rock")
, government_type = council-manager government, Council-manager
, leader_title = List of mayors of Little Rock, Arkansas, Mayor
, leader_name = Frank Scott Jr.
, leader_ ...
. He was born on October 21, 1938. After attending school in
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...
and receiving a scholarship, he moved to New York, where he received a master's degree from
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
, graduating with honors, and continued to California, where he received a foundation grant and was graduated from the Music Conservatory of the
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...
.
Journalism and writing career
Win Blevins started his writing career as a music and drama reviewer for the Los Angeles Times. He then became the entertainment editor and principal theater and movie critic of the
Hearst newspaper in Los Angeles, the Herald Examiner. His first book was published in 1973 and since then he has made a living as a free-lance writer. He has written articles for magazines, essays, published forty books, one a dictionary, several travel guides to the West, and the rest novels, including fantasy, historical fiction and modern works of the West such as his friends and contemporaries
Rudolfo Anaya
Rudolfo Anaya (October 30, 1937June 28, 2020) was an American author. Noted for his 1972 novel ''Bless Me, Ultima'', Anaya was considered one of the founders of the canon of contemporary Chicano literature. The themes and cultural references of ...
,
John Nichols,
Scott Momaday
Navarre Scott Momaday (born February 27, 1934) is a Kiowa novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet. His novel ''House Made of Dawn'' was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1969, and is considered the first major work of the Native ...
, and Max Evans wrote. For fifteen years he was an editor at
Macmillan Publishing
Macmillan Publishers (occasionally known as the Macmillan Group; formally Macmillan Publishers Ltd and Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC) is a British publishing company traditionally considered to be one of the 'Big Five' English language publi ...
. From 2010 to 2012, Win spent two years as
Gaylord Family Visitor Professor of Professional Writing at the University of Oklahoma.
Screenplays
Blevins also wrote thirteen screenplays, including Atlas Shrugged for
Al Ruddy; several for Paramount Pictures; The King of Paris with
Dale Wasserman
Dale Wasserman (November 2, 1914 – December 21, 2008) was an American playwright, perhaps best known for his book for Man of La Mancha.
Early life
Dale Wasserman was born in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, the child of Russian immigrants Samuel ...
for CBS; The Real Dracula with Dale Wasserman (for Telly Savalas), CBS; Spring in Czechoslovakia for
David Picker
David Victor Picker (May 14, 1931 – April 20, 2019) was an American motion picture executive and producer, working in the film industry for more than forty years. He served as president and chief executive officer for United Artists, Paramount ...
; John Milius's A-Team; Oonadaga for NBC; The Last Free Man for
Fred Read, and six others. (In 1974 David Picker announced he would produce Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail directed by
John Milius and written by Winfred Blevins, about
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...
.)
Books
Most of Win Blevins' books were originally published as hardbacks, and were subsequently made available as mass-market paperbacks, trade paperbacks, book club editions, foreign editions, audio books, and e-books. Almost all are still in print.
* ''Give Your Heart to the Hawks'', Nash Publishing, 1973. Narrative non-fiction.
* ''Charbonneau: Man of Two Dreams'', Nash Publishing, 1975. Historical fiction.
* ''The Misadventures of Silk and Shakespeare'', Jameson Books, 1985. Historical fiction.
* ''The Yellowstone'', Bantam, 1988 (Rivers West series), Bantam Books. Historical fiction.
* ''Roadside History of Yellowstone Park'', 1989, Mountain Press Publishing Company. Guide Book.
* ''Powder River'', Bantam, 1990 (Rivers West series). Historical fiction.
* ''The Snake River'', Bantam, 1992 (Rivers West series). Historical fiction.
* ''The High Missouri'', Bantam, 1994 (River West series). Historical fiction.
* ''Dictionary of the American West'', 1993, Facts on File.
* ''History from the Highways'': Wyoming, with Thomas Schmidt, 1993, Pruett Press. Guide Book.
* ''Stone Song: A Novel of the Life of Crazy Horse'', TOR-Forge Books, 1995. Historical fiction. According to WorldCat, the book is held in 774 libraries
* ''The Rock Child'', TOR-Forge Books, 1998. Historical fiction.
* ''RavenShadow'', TOR-Forge Books, 1999. Historical fantasy.
* ''Dictionary of the American West'', expanded edition, Sasquatch Books, 2001. Expanded to include the Pacific Northwest, especially Alaska.
''Moonlight Water'' written by Win Blevins and Meredith Blevins, TOR-Forge Books, 2015.
* ''The Darkness Rolling'', written by Win Blevins and Meredith Blevins, TOR-Forge Books, 2015.
* ''Stealing Fire'', written by Win Blevins and Meredith Blevins, TOR-Forge Books, 2016
* ''Going Home'', written by Win Blevins and Meredith Blevins, WordWorx Publishing, 2017
* ''Jedediah Smith: The Story of a Wayfaring Heart'', Wordworx Publishing, 2020
* ''Learning to Soar: Memoir of a Spiritual Awakening,'' Wordworx Publishing, 2020
The Rendezvous Series
* ''So Wild a Dream'', TOR-Forge Books, 2003. Historical fiction. According to WorldCat, the book is held in 1094 libraries, his most widely held book.
* ''Beauty for Ashes'', TOR-Forge Books, 2004. Historical fiction.
* ''Dancing with the Golden Bear'', TOR-Forge, 2005. Historical fiction.
* ''Heaven Is a Long Way Off'', TOR-Forge Books, 2006. Historical fiction.
* ''A Long and Winding Road'', TOR-Forge Books, 2007. Historical fiction.
* ''Dreams Beneath Your Feet'', TOR-Forge Books, 2008. Historical fiction.
Natural history
* ''Buffalo, Rio Nuevo'', 2005 (Looks West series). Natural history.
Cherokee pre-History fantasy
* ''Zadayi Red'', TOR-Forge Books, 2009, published under the pen name Caleb Fox. Historical fantasy. Reissued as 'The Promised One' by Meredith & Win Blevins
* ''Shadows in the Cave'', TOR-Forge Books, 2010, TOR-Forge Books, published under the pen name Caleb Fox. Historical fantasy. Reissued with authors Meredith & Win Blevins
Yazzie Goldman thrillers
* ''Stealing Fire'', TOR-Forge, 2016
* ''The Darkness Rolling'', TOR-Forge, 2015
As general editor
Blevins also created, edited, and co-published the series ''Classics of the Fur Trade''.
* ''The River of the West: The Adventures of Joe Meek, volume one—The Mountain Years'', by Frances Fuller Victor, Mountain Press Publishing Company, 1983. Autobiography.
* ''Journal of a Mountain Man, by James Clyman'', Mountain Press Publishing Company, 1984. Journal.
* ''The River of the West: The Adventures of Joe Meek, volume two—The Oregon Years'', by Frances Fuller Victor, Mountain Press Publishing Company, 1985. Autobiography.
* ''Edward Warren'', by Sir William Drummond Stewart, Mountain Press Publishing Company, 1986. Fiction.
* ''The Personal Narrative of James O. Pattie'', by James Ohio Pattie, Mountain Press Publishing Company, 1988. Memoir.
* ''The Long Rifle'', by Steward Edward White, Mountain Press Publishing Company, 1990. Historical fiction.
Awards
* Owen Wister Award, 2015, for lifetime achievement in writing literature of the West.
* Selection to the Western Writers Hall of Fame, displayed in the Buffalo Bill Museum, Cody,Wyoming, 2015.
* So Wild a Dream- Spur award, 2004.
* Stone Song –Spur Award, Mountains and Plains Booksellers award for best fiction of 1995.
* Dictionary of the American West – Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers (Writer of the Year) 2002.
* Heaven Is a Long Way Off - Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers (Writer of the Year) 2006-2007.
Pseudonyms
Win published two novels and an article in True West Magazine
under the pen name, Caleb Fox.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blevins, Winfred
1938 births
2023 deaths
American male novelists
20th-century American novelists
21st-century American novelists
Native American writers
20th-century American male writers
21st-century American male writers