Kathleen O'Neal Gear (born 1954) is an American

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

, historian, author. Her novels have been published in 29 languages.

Biography

Gear was born in

Tulare, California Tulare ( ) is a city in Tulare County, California, United States. The population was 68,875 per the 2020 census. It is located in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley, south of Visalia and north of Bakersfield. The city is named after the Tul ...

, and graduated with a

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

from

California State University, Bakersfield California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB, Cal State Bakersfield, or CSU Bakersfield) is a public university in Bakersfield, California. It was established in 1965 as Kern State College and officially in 1968 as California State College Ba ...

, then went on to do graduate work in archaeology at the

Hebrew University of Jerusalem The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; ) is an Israeli public university, public research university based in Jerusalem. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Chaim Weizmann in July 1918, the public university officially opened on 1 April 1925. ...

. She received her M.A. from

California State University, Chico California State University, Chico (Chico State) is a public university in Chico, California. It was founded in 1887 as one of about 180 "normal schools" founded by state governments in the 19th century to train teachers for the rapidly growing ...

, and conducted Ph.D. studies in American Indian history at the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...

. Gear is a former state historian and

for

Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

, and

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

for the

U.S. Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal lands and natural resources. It also administers programs relating t ...

. She is perhaps best known for the '' North America's Forgotten Past'' series, co-authored with her husband

W. Michael Gear William Michael Gear, better known as W. Michael Gear, (born May 20, 1955) is an American writer and archaeologist. He is the author of North America's Forgotten Past series, co-written with his wife Kathleen O'Neal Gear. His novels have been p ...

Selected bibliography

*'' People of the Wolf'' (1990) *'' People of the Fire'' (1990) *'' People of the Earth'' (1992) *'' People of the River'' (1992) *'' People of the Sea'' (1993) *'' People of the Lakes'' (1994)

Awards and honors

*2015 – inducted into the California State University, Bakersfield, Hall of Fame. *2021 – The Owen Wister Award for lifetime achievement in Western literature *2023 - Spur Award for Best Short Fiction of the Year for "No Quarter" *2023 - THE ICE GHOST awarded International Book Award for Best Young Adult Novel of the year. *2023 - inducted into the Colorado Authors' Hall of Fame.

References

External links

Kathleen O'Neal Gear & W Michael Gear's Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:ONeal Gear, Kathleen 1954 births Living people 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American historians 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American short story writers 21st-century American women writers American archaeologists American historical novelists Writers of fiction set in prehistoric times California State University, Chico alumni People from Thermopolis, Wyoming People from Cody, Wyoming American non-fiction writers American women historians American women short story writers American women archaeologists American women historical novelists Novelists from Wyoming 20th-century American women writers