David Heska Wanbli Weiden [deɪvɪd hɛskɛn wɒnbliː waɪdɛn] is a Lakota American author of crime and thriller novels and a professor of Native American studies at Metropolitan State University of Denver. His debut novel, Winter Counts, won an Anthony Award, Lefty Award, ITW Thriller Award, Barry Award, and Macavity Award.[1]
Weiden grew up in the Swansea/Elyria neighborhood of Denver, Colorado.[2] As an enrolled member of the Sicangu Lakota Nation,[3][4][5] he spent summers at the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota.[2]
A first-generation college student,[6] Weiden received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Colorado Boulder and a Juris Doctor degree from University of Denver's Sturm College of Law.[2][7] After practicing law for several years, he decided to pursue a job in academia, so he earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in political science from the University of Texas at Austin.[7][2] After receiving his doctorate, he taught at Hofstra University, Illinois State University, and the United States Naval Academy.[2] Following the birth of his children, he decided he wanted to devote time and energy to writing creatively, so in 2011, he began a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree at Vermont College of Fine Arts, later transferring to the Institute of American Indian Arts.[2] He is currently a tenured professor of Native American studies and Political Science at Metropolitan State University of Denver.[7][2][5] His academic and legal work focuses on Native American issues, and he provides legal assistance to various Native American organizations.[6] He also works with MFA programs at Cedar Crest College and Regis University.[8] In 2022, he served as a mentor for PEN America's Emerging Writers program.[9]
Weiden presently lives in Denver with his family.
Weiden has received a MacDowell Fellowship (2018, 2022)[10][6] and the PEN America Writing for Justice Fellowship (2018),[11][5] He has also been a Ragdale Foundation Resident in Fiction[12] and a Tin House Scholar (2019).[6][13]
His debut novel, Winter Counts was named one of the best crime novels of the year by The Guardian,[14] NPR,[15] and Publishers Weekly.[16] It was also a New York Times Editors' Choice selection in October 2020.[17]
Year | Title | Award | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2014 | "Sourtoe" | Tribal College Journal Fiction Contest | Winner | |
2018 | "Carlisle Longings" | PRISM International Creative Nonfiction Prize | Longlist | |
2019 | Winter Counts | Shamus Award for Best First PI Novel | Finalist | [1] |
2020 | Spotted Tail | Spur Award for Best Western Juvenile Nonfiction | Winner | [18] |
Winter Counts | Goodreads Choice Award for Debut Novel | Nominee | [19] | |
Goodreads Choice Award for Mystery & Thriller | Nominee | [19] | ||
2021 | "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" | Stirrup Award for best article published in Roundup Magazine | Winner | |
Winter Counts | Anthony Award for Best First Novel | Winner | [1][20][21] | |
Barry Award for Best First Novel | Winner | [1][22] | ||
Edgar Award for Best First Novel | Finalist | [1][23] | ||
Hammett Prize | Finalist | [1] | ||
High Plains Award for Indigenous Writer | Winner | [24] | ||
ITW Thriller Award for Best First Novel | Winner | [1] | ||
Lefty Award for Best Debut Mystery | Winner | [1][25] | ||
Macavity Award for Best First Mystery | Winner | [1][26][27] | ||
Spur Award for Western Contemporary Novel | Finalist | [19][18] | ||
Spur Award for Best First Novel | Winner | [18] | ||
2022 | "Skin" | Spur Award for Best Short Story | Winner | [18] |