TORRINGTON – Eastern Wyoming College (EWC) welcomed back western author John D. Nesbitt, who retired from EWC in 2021 after a 40-year teaching career. In addition to his teaching career, Nesbitt is a prolific writer whose works have spanned traditional westerns, crossover mysteries, contemporary and retro/noir fiction, poetry and nonfiction. The EWC library was filled with current and retired college staff, peers, and readers who were able to purchase from an extensive collection of Nesbitt’s works and have their books signed by the author. The proceeds from book sales were donated to support the EWC Library.  

With a literary career spanning over 30 years, Nesbitt has penned more than 50 books and earned widespread recognition in the Western literary world. His accolades include four Spur Awards from the Western Writers of America– twice for paperback novels, once for a short story, and once for a poem– as well as two Peacemaker Awards from Western Fictioneers. He is also a multiple-time finalist for the Spur, Peacemaker, and Will Rogers Medallion Awards and has received two creative writing fellowships from the Wyoming Arts Council.

Just this month, Nesbitt released a new novel, Forgotten Rose. It is the third in the series featuring cowboy Jess Delaine as he investigates a mysterious death and finds a dark criminal network. 

Nesbitt encouraged any reader to pick up the new book as it celebrates western culture while exploring current events. 

“Among other things,” he said, “it’s about human trafficking, human decency, human dignity, and people who transgress against that. I think that’s important. It has a western setting but I think all of these stories still mean something today. I try to write stories that are bigger than the individual, that speak to the larger culture.”

"it just calls my name. Something will come around and I follow it. Earlier this year, I just felt like it was time to write some poems and so I read some poems and wrote some poems," when asked what motivates him to write in so many different literary styles and genres, Nesbitt said. "Then it was time to do a short story and I did that and then I thought, well, it’s time to work on something longer and so I’m doing that. I follow where the ideas lead.”

The book signing served not only as a celebration of Nesbitt’s prolific career but also as a heartfelt homecoming for a writer who has given so much to EWC and the broader Western literary tradition.