John D. Nesbitt

John Dunville Nesbitt (born December 14, 1948) is an American educator and writer of Northern Irish and Hungarian descent, known for his fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and song lyrics about the American West. He is best known for his traditional western novels, and has also published in retro/noir fiction set in California, memoirs set in California, contemporary fiction set in Wyoming, and poetry set in the West. His work is noted for its realism, sense of place, characterization, prose style, and blending of popular and literary styles

Nesbitt was a professor of English and Spanish at Eastern Wyoming College, having earned degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of California, Davis. He is now Professor Emeritus. His recognitions include a Wyoming Arts Council Literary Fellowship for fiction in 1988 and for nonfiction in 2008; the Western Writers of America Spur Award for original paperback novel in 2009 and 2010, short story in 2010, and poem in 2019; the Western Fictioneers Peacemaker Award for Best Western Novel in 2021 and Best Short Fiction in 2020, and the Orland Alumni Association distinguished alumni award in 2019 for his achievements in writing.

Early life Nesbitt was born in Lompoc, California, in Santa Barbara County. His father was a farmer and rancher, and his mother was an aspiring writer and artist. When he was about a year old, his father and his grandfather sold out their interests in California and bought a ranch in eastern Oregon. Citing economic troubles, the family moved back to California, where Nesbitt's parents divorced, and his father ended up with custody of Nesbitt and his three brothers. In 1956, shortly before Nesbitt's eighth birthday, he learned that his mother had died. When Nesbitt and his brothers were old enough to work in the fields, they and their father followed the seasonal agricultural work and lived in and near several small towns across California. He attended Chico State College, majoring in mathematics, but changed to English, out of a desire to become a published author.

Notably in 1994, Nesbitt earned a degree in Spanish Philology from the Instituto de Filología Hispánica in Saltillo, Coahuila.

Career Nesbitt worked as a teaching assistant and, later, a lecturer at the University of California, Davis, from 1972 to 1981. During this time, he also worked as a lecturer at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and as an adjunct professor of English at California State University, Sacramento, Solano Community College, and Yuba College. president of WyoPoets (1996–1997), and as board member for Western Writers of America (2008–2010).

Writing In 1978, Nesbitt first piece, a short-story called "West of Dancing Rock," was published in the commercial magazine Far West.

Nesbitt's first book, One-Eyed Cowboy Wild, was published as a hardcover western with Walker and Company in New York City in 1994. After three novels with Walker and Company, he moved into paperback original western novels for several years, and later returned to hardcover publishing with Five Star. Since the publication of his first novel, he has published several short story collections, contemporary novels, nonfiction works, poems, and song lyrics. Nesbitt's work has been commended for its realism, descriptive settings, development of characters, and unique blend of genres, such as his works in frontier fiction and niche noir fiction. He also noted that the migrant way of life of his youth in California had a great effect on his career aspirations and on his writing. Nesbitt was also awarded a Creative Writing Fellowship for fiction and nonfiction from the Wyoming Arts Council in 1988 and 2008, respectively.