Western Writers of America Star Speakers Bureau

Author names are listed alphabetically by last name

A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O   P   Q   R   S   T   U   V   W   X   Y   Z

Boggs, Johnny D.

CONTACT DETAILS: Office/Home: (505) 466-3680, Email: jdboggs@aol.com.

BIO: Boggs is a three-time winner of the Spur Award from Western Writers of America, and has won other national honors, including the Western Heritage Wrangler Award, for his fiction. His novels include Northfield, Camp Ford and East of the Border, and he is also a frequent contributor to many Western magazines. He assumes the office of president of Western Writers of America in 2008. His website is www.johnnydboggs.com.

SPEECH TOPICS: Children or adult material: Most aspects of Western history, specializing in Jesse James, Buffalo Bill Cody, Western jurisprudence, Civil War and the cattle-drive era; writing and research instructions, seminars, workshops and motivational presentations.

FEE ARRANGEMENTS: Negotiable Honorarium plus all travel expenses.

Boling, Fredrick

CONTACT DETAILS: 35 La Canada Way, Hot Springs Village, Arkansas.  Pho:  501-922-3379,  E-mail:  fboling@sbcglobal.net.

BIO:  I am a third generation descendant of early pioneers who homesteaded farms and ranches in Oklahoma Territory.  I practiced medicine and general surgery in Wyoming, Texas and Oklahoma for over forty years.  I retired in 1993 and began writing historical western fiction.  Two of my novels, a collection of short stories, and several magazine articles have been published.  Several of my works, including an article, A Tribute to the Frontier Doctor, published in Western Writers of America ROUNDUP MAGAZINE, can be accessed on my website: http://www.fredrickboling.com.

SPEECH TOPICS:  Frontier Medicine—the development of medicine in frontier America.

FEE ARRANGEMENTS: $500.00 honorarium plus travel expenses.

Braun, Matt

Contact Details: email address winpro@snet.net

Bio: WWA Spur Award for "The Kincaids" and "Dakota" and WWA Wister Award for Lifetime Achievment in Western Literature. "Black Fox" adapted for 6-hour CBS miniseries and "One Last Town" adapted for TNT movie. Author of forty-seven historical novels of the American West, with over 40 million copies in print. Author of the acclaimed "How To Write Western Novels."

Subject Topic: The American West: The Myth vs. The Reality (compares how the truth of the Old West was transformed into the mythology of America). Also, a clinic or a symposium on How To Write Novels That Sell.

Fee Arrangements: Fee $1,000 - $1,500 plus all travel expenses.

Bullis, Don

CONTACTS DETAILS: Phone: (505) 892-9177, E-mail address: donbullis@msn.com, Mailing address: 3100 Ann Circle, Rio Rancho, NM  87124

BIO: Don Bullis graduated from Eastern New Mexico University (ENMU) in 1970 with a bachelor's degree in American History and American Literature.  He attended graduate school at the University of New Mexico in 1971.  During the 1970s he worked in public relations, educational projects and business.  In the early 1980s he became a columnist for the New Mexico Independent newspapers and editor of the Sandoval County Times-Independent.  In the late 1980s, he began writing a regular column for the Rio Rancho Observer called "Ellos Pasaron Por Aqui."

Bullis began a law enforcement career in 1982 that included stints as deputy sheriff / criminal investigator (Sandoval County), town marshal (San Ysidro) Commissioner (Governor's Organized Crime Prevention Commission), and criminal intelligence operational supervisor (New Mexico Department of Public Safety). 

After retirement, Bullis continued to work as a columnist.  He also wrote book reviews and served as a political correspondent for the Observer.  His columns also appear in the New Mexico Stockman and in Tradicion Revista magazines.  He teaches Criminal Justice at IIA College in Albuquerque. 

He is the author of four non-fiction books and two novels: The Old West Trivia Book (1993), New Mexico's Finest: Peace Officers Killed in the Line of Duty, 1847-1991 (2nd edition, 1996 and 3rd edition 1999), Bloodville (novel 2006) Finalist in the Novel / Mystery Category, NM Book Awards, 2007, New Mexico: A Biographical Dictionary (2007) Winner, Best Book in New Mexico, NM Book NM Book Awards, 2007, and five other awards for excellence

SPEECH TOPICS: Lawmen and Law Enforcement in America's Old West. Outlaws, Crime and Punishment in America's Old West. Significant Personalities in New Mexico History (1540-Present).  New Mexico Peace Officers Killed in the Line of Duty (1847-2000). New Mexico's Lincoln County War (1878-1881).

FEE ARRANGEMENTS: $200-$500, plus expenses, which is negotiable depending on the event and/or organization.

Campbell, Jeff C.

CONTACT DETAILS: P.O. Box 262, Eads, Colorado 81036, 719-248-0571 (24 hrs), kiowalone@yahoo.com

BIO: Jeff C. Campbell is a requested speaker throughout the southwest and has conducted seminars since 1996 for the Southwest Writer's Workshop and the Panhandle Professional Writers' and Frontiers in Writing among others.  He has been a professional writer for the past thirty years and come from a background in teaching and law enforcement / criminal investigations and training.  His home is the southwest and received a degree and post-grad education from the University of Texas at El Paso in History and Geology. 

SPEECH TOPICS: Several themes based on his investigation into the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864, including "Misconceptions" "Primary Sources" "Research Techniques" "U.S. Volunteers and Militia" and outlines of the events in the West, New Mexico, Texas and Colorado during the Civil War period.  He currently conducts interpretive programs at the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site and has written several booklets and articles in conjunction with and for the National Park Service.  He also conducts seminars on criminal investigations, law enforcements techniques and procedures, weapons and how to make police and criminal characters real, which are aimed at writers of fiction, mysteries, articles and true crime.  He will work closely with clients to customize the topic for their group.  References available on request.

FEE ARRANGEMENTS: Travel expenses, lodging (if necessary), and stipend which is negotiable.  In some cases for non-profit or community organizations a minimum fee will be negotiated.

Champlin, Tim

CONTACT DETAILS: E-mail: westbook@comcast.net. Phone: (615) 889-1166, Address: 2600 Crealewood Dr. Nashville, TN  37214

BIO: Born John Michael Champlin in Fargo, North Dakota, the son of a large animal veterinarian and a school teacher.  Grew up in Nebraska, Missouri and Arizona.  Was graduated from St. Mary's H.S. in Phoenix in 1955.  Later obtained a BS degree (major in English, minor in Speech) from Middle Tennessee State College.  In 1964, earned an MA in English from Peabody College, Nashville, (now a college within Vanderbilt University).

Currently working on 30th novel.  Next novel due for publication: West of Washoe, April, 2009, from Thorndike Press (Five-Star logo).  Have written and published approx. 30 short stories and articles in various periodicals, including a story in The American Way.  American Airlines' in-flight magazine.

Retired in 1994 after a career with the U.S. Civil Service.  Wife of 41 years, Mary Ellen, and I have 3 children and 9 grandchildren.   Hobbies include sailing, tennis, shooting and typewriter collecting.

SPEECH TOPICS: Researching the historic west; Persistence in getting published; Details that make fiction come alive; Writing historical vs. present day

FEE ARRANGEMENTS: To be discussed at the time of contact.

Cleere, Jan

CONTACT DETAILS: Email: Jan@JanCleere.com. Phone: (520) 909-2299

BIO:  Jan Cleere distinguishes herself in the field of historical nonfiction by tirelessly pursuing long-forgotten manuscripts, tear-stained diaries, and old-timers with a story to tell. Amazing Girls of Arizona: True Stories of Young Pioneers has been selected by Pima County Library Association as one of the best Southwest books of the year (2007). Outlaw Tales of Arizona: True Stories of Arizona’s Most Famous Robbers, Rustlers, and Bandits, received national acclaim by winning the 2007 National Federation of Press Women’s Literary Competition for historical nonfiction. More Than Petticoats: Remarkable Nevada Women also placed as a Finalist in regional competitions. All books published by The Globe Pequot Press.

SPEECH TOPICS:  Pioneering young Arizona girls, Pioneering Nevada women, Arizona Outlaws.

FEE ARRANGEMENTS:  Speaking fee range: $100 - $500 depending on length of speaking time, plus travel expenses outside of Tucson, AZ. Library presentations and some charitable organizations – no fee. Permission to sell my books at presentations.

CONTACT DETAILS: Ph./fax 505-466-3639

kellis1848@aol.com

BIO: Santa Fe-based television and feature film-writer/producer Kirk Ellis received an Emmy nomination and won the Writers Guild of America and Humanitas Awards for the ABC miniseries "Anne Frank."  He received the Western Writers of America's Golden Spur Award for Best Drama Script for "Hell on Wheels," an episode of the Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated TNT/Dreamworks miniseries "Into the West," on which he served as supervising producer and writer.  (Past recipients include Larry McMurtry for "Lonesome Dove" and Michael Blake for "Dances With Wolves.")  In addition to the Golden Spur Award, Ellis received the Wrangler Award for Best Television Feature from the National Western Heritage Museum, and a Critics' Choice  Award, for his work on the miniseries.

Ellis' most recent project as writer and co-executive producer is the seven-part HBO miniseries, "John Adams," starring Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney.  The project, based on David McCullough's Pulitzer Prize-winning biography, aired to considerable acclaim and record ratings during March/April, 2008.  Following "John Adams," Ellis will continue his association with David McCullough and the American Revolution as writer and co-executive producer of "1776," based on McCullough's book.  The project is slated as a six-hour HBO miniseries, to be produced like "John Adams" with Tom Hanks' Playtone Co.  For the screen, Ellis' upcoming feature projects include "Blood and Thunder," an epic drama of Kit Carson and the Navajo Wars, for Steven Spielberg/Dreamworks, and an untitled Jackie Robinson project chronicling the remarkable partnership between Jackie Robinson and Brooklyn Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey.  Robert Redford will direct and play Rickey, and produce with "Ray" producers Howard and Karen Baldwin.

Ellis made an unprecedented deal at the end of 1996 with Francis Ford Coppola to write an unlimited number of projects over a one-year term.  In 1997, he completed five screenplays for Coppola.  He has additionally collaborated on projects with such directors as Roland Joffe ("The Killing Fields") and William Friedkin ("The Exorcist").  His other credits include his debut feature "The Grass Harp," based on the coming-of-age novel by Truman Capote, and the award-winning ABC miniseries "The Beach Boys: An American Family," "Life With Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows," and "The Three Stooges."  His additional work for HBO includes a series adaptation of James Ellroy's "American Tabloid."

A Texas native, Ellis was steeped in the tradition of Southern gothic writing pioneered by authors like William Faulkner, Thomas Wolfe, Truman Capote, Eudora Welty, and Flannery O'Connor.  At the University of Southern California's School of Cinema and Television, he became the first undergraduate to achieve degrees in both film production and history/criticism, and began his professional career as a film critic for The Hollywood Reporter.  In 1985, at the age of 24, he was named the trade paper's international editor--the youngest journalist to ever serve in the post.  In 1992, he was named Editor-in-Chief of the London-based European trade magazine Moving Pictures and simultaneously formed Shadow Catcher Productions, an independent production banner under which Ellis develops his own independent productions and documentaries.

SPEECH TOPICS: Western Film and Television, Manifest Destiny, Founding Fathers, History on Film, Genre Writing, Television/New Media and the Future of Storytelling.

FEE ARRANGEMENTS: Negotiable but must include travel.

Gilhuly, Marilyn

Contact Details: Cell phone: 770 597-1865, E-mail address: michaelgilhuly@aol.com Web address: www.calltoglory.info.

BIO: Published author, Past Chairman, State of Georgia Civil War Commission, Past President, Atlanta Civil War Round Table, Past DAR Regent, Past State officer of 8 Historic Organizations Speech Topics: Texas Rangers in the 1800's, The Cattle Drives, especially the Chisholm Trail, West Point Graduates in the Civil War, Several programs about Civil War Battles & Generals, The role of West Point Graduates in settling the Western Frontier, George Washington (with slide presentation from Mount Vernon Ladies Association), Battles of the War of 1812 (with slide presentation).

Fee Arrangements: Expenses plus reasonable fee, usually $500. Exceptions for Charitable & Military organizations.

Gilhuly, Michael J., MD, JD

Contact Details: E-mail: michaelgilhuly@aol.com  Web address: www.calltoglory.info. Telephone: 770 597-1865 (Marilyn's Cell)

BIO: Graduate United States Military Academy, West Point

Graduate: Emory University Law & Medical Schools Published author, practicing physician, legal consultant Speech Topics: Civil War Battles, West Point & Leadership Skills, Texas Rangers

History, Medical & Legal topics.

Fee Arrangements: Expenses plus reasonable fee, usually $1,000. Exceptions for Charitable & Military organizations.

Groneman III, William

CONTACT DETAILS: Email -- wgroneman@yahoo.com;

BIO:  William Groneman is a former Captain of the New York City Fire Department, and a long time student of the battle of the Alamo.  His books include Alamo Defenders; Defense of a Legend, Battlefields of Texas; Eyewitness to the Alamo; Death of a Legend; and David Crockett – Hero of the Common Man. He has been a member of the Western Writers of America since 1994, and is a former member of the board. His web site is www.wgroneman.com.

SPEECH TOPICS:  The Alamo; Alamo defenders; Eyewitness History; David Crockett as hero of the common man; 9/11 from a firefighter’s perspective; Eyewitness history at the World Trade Center; the De La Peña; writing; John Steinbeck.

FEE ARRANGEMENTS $100 -- $500, and/or travel expenses.  Very negotiable

Hatley, Allen G.

CONTACT DETAILS: P.O. Box 170, Mimbres, NM  88049; Phone: 575-536-3837; Email: allen@gilanet.com

BIO: Wrote 7 non-fiction books Military: 1) Civil war; early Texas (1822-1835); Militias campaigns against Indians. 2) Outlaws & Lawmen, Courts & Texas Rangers (1850-1993).  Background in oil & gas exploration in South America & Asia.

SPEECH TOPICS: Civil War campaigns east of Mississippi River.  Early Texas (1822 cavalry 1835).  Indian West; Outlaws in the Old West; Texas Ranger.

FEE ARRANGEMENTS: Transportation & one night in hotel.  Fee $400 for 2 hour talk, questions answered, etc.

Holt, Anne Haw

CONTACT DETAILS: 2636 W. Mission Road, #146, Tallahassee, FL  32304; Phone: 850-576-0721, Fax: 850-576-6883; website contact: www.ahholt.com; E-Mail: ahholt@ahholt.com or ahholt1@aol.com

BIO: AA Liberal Arts, PVCC, Charlottesville, VA, BA Liberal Arts Mary Baldwin College, Staunton, VA, MA/HAPH, FSU, Tallahassee, FL, Ph.D., Social History, FSU, Dissertation--A History of Florida Prisons - 1821-1925.  A.H.Holt is a poet, grant writer, storyteller, a writing teacher, author of seven novels and a book of poetry.  She is president and fundraiser for Tallahassee Writers' Assoc., serves on the "Art in the Court Committee" of the Florida Supreme Court and as grant writer for the Tallahassee Film Society, Dr. Holt is a member of WWA, Women Writing the West, Florida Library Assoc. and ALAN

SPEECH TOPICS: Writing family westerns---Research the West---Write, publish and promote fiction---Write your non-fiction book---Restorative Justice--Parents in prison/children at rick

FEE ARRANGEMENTS: $100--$500 plus travel expenses, exceptions for charity, libraries and schools

Jackson, Louise A.

CONTACT DETAILS: 2550 S. Brentwood Blvd., Springfield, MO 65804; Phone: 417-886-9679; website contact: www.louiseajackson.net. 

BIO: Louise A. Jackson is a child of the west. She grew up on a small Texas ranch, attended a three-teacher elementary school, and spent much of her professional life in Wyoming. She is the author of four novels: Exiled!,  Gone To Texas: From Virginia to Adventure, Grandpa Had a Windmill, Grandma Had a Churn , and Over on the River and has also been published in The Reading Teacher, Language Arts, and Journal of the West.

 Much in demand as a speaker, Jackson is known for her spirited presentations  and for her ability to inspire and encourage writers of all ages. She now lives in Springfield, MO and likes to garden and read and collects antique girls’ books of the American West.

SPEECH TOPICS: Soldiers' Orphans Homes (1865-1870); 19th century Westward Movement Through Child Eyes; Researching and Writing Historical Fiction; A Publicity Primer for Writers, How my Newest Book came into Being, Writing for the Juvenile Market.

FEE ARRANGEMENTS: $500 per day plus expenses with some exceptions for charitable, library and writing organizations.

Joyner, C. Courtney

CONTACT DETAILS: Email: Olcourt@yahoo.com.

BIO: A screenwriter with over 25 produced credits. 

SPEECH TOPICS: Crafting The Western Screenplay and Sales in the current workplace.

Writing for Comics and Graphic Novels.

FEE ARRANGEMENTS: $300 - $1000 w/travel.  Fee exceptions for charitable and military. 

Kearby, Mike

CONTACT DETAILS: E-mail: Kearb@texasisp.com; Cell: 254-246-2545

BIO: Mike Kearby, a retired high school English and coach began writing in 2005.  The Texas history devotee has garnered praise for his Free Anderson / Parks Scott trilogy.  His third book in the trilogy, Ambush at Mustang Canyon, was selected as a 2008 Spur Award finalist in the Juvenile Fiction category.

A sought after guest speaker for Texas History & English classes, Mike's presentations bring to life Texas' rich history and motivate teenagers to become lifelong readers.  Teachers write that Mike "puts it in their lingo", "reinforces classrooms instruction", and sends teens "buzzing into the library."

SPEECH TOPICS:

Colonial Horses in the New World.

Captured! Your First Week as a Comanche Hostage.

African-American Texas Heroes.

Elements of the Novel.

Never The Same-The Assimilation of the Southern Plains Indians into White Society.

FEE ARRANGEMENTS: $750 per day plus expenses.  Schools $400.00 per day plus expenses.

Knight, Arthur Winfield

CONTACT DETAILS: 303 Sherry Way, Yerington, NV 89447

arthurkit@mvqn.net

BIO: Much of my work has dealt with larger than life figures--Jesse James, Billy the Kid, James Dean and Marilyn Monroe--and virtually all of it is set in either the old or the contemporary west. My most recent novel, MISFITS COUNTRY (2008), is set against the making of THE MISFITS movie.

SPEECH TOPICS: Movies and the American West

FEE ARRANGEMENTS: $1,000 plus travel expenses

Kraft, Louis

CONTACT DETAILS: louiskraft@dslextreme.com (email), 818.667.2072 (cell)

BIO: Award-winning author and historian Louis Kraft has been writing and talking about race relations and the Indian wars since the mid-1980s. Books include Custer and the Cheyenne, Gatewood & Geronimo, and Lt. Charles Gatewood & His Apache Wars Memoir. His current writing project deals with soldier/Indian agent Edward Wynkoop’s years with the Cheyennes (Ned Wynkoop: Walking Between the Races, University of Oklahoma Press). A study of the Sand Creek tragedy and a biography of the life and times of actors Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland are also progress. For more details, see http://louiskraft.com.

SPEECH TOPICS:

1) Soldier/Indian agent Edward Wynkoop and the Cheyennes (1860s)

    * Note that there is also a Wynkoop one-man dramatic play available

2) Soldier Charles Gatewood and the Apaches, including Geronimo (1880s)

3) Soldier George Armstrong Custer and the Cheyennes (1860s)

4) Actor Errol Flynn & actress Olivia de Havilland (1930s-1950s)

FEE ARRANGEMENTS: For speaking engagements: $750.00, plus expenses (travel, lodging, per diem).  Special cases are negotiable.

* For the Wynkoop one-man play, minimum $3000.00, plus expenses (travel, lodging, per diem) for Kraft and director/producer. Lighting and sound technicians are also required, as is a simplistic set.

Mahoney, Sylvia Gann

CONTACT DETAILS: sgmahoney@sbcglobal.net

Phone: 940-552-5532

Cell: 940-357-1269

P.O. Box 1518, Vernon, TX  76385

BIO:  Sylvia, a native Texas reared in New Mexico, is an author, editor, photographer, educator, and has been a rodeo pageant judge, founder of a national college rodeo alumni organization, founder and executive director of a cowboy hall of fame museum, college rodeo coach, and author of the definitive book on the history of college rodeo, College Rodeo: From Show to Sport, published in 2004 by Texas A&M Press.  She is co-chairman of "Marking of the Great Western Cattle Trail from Mexico to Canada through nine U.S. States."  She spoke about the writing process and college rodeo history using a PowerPoint presentation as the 2008 Third Annual Guy Caldwell Western Heritage Lecture Series Guest lecturer at Hardin-Simmons University. 

SPEECH TOPICS:

1. "History of College Rodeo" College rodeo was started by students on the Texas A&M campus in 1920 and became a national organization in 1949, which has helped make rodeo into a collegiate sport, a big business professionally, and spread it internationally.

2. "The Western Cattle Trail" This trail extended from Mexico to Canada and was the longest in length and in time (1874 - 1893), carried more cattle than any other cattle trail starting in Texas, and contributed to the legend and lore of the cowboy.  In the 21st century, Rotarians are marking the trail every six miles with a seven-foot white cement post from Matamoros, Mexico, to Saskatchewan, Canada, which is another tale of the cattle trail. 

FEE ARRANGEMENTS: $1,000 plus travel expenses

Monahan, Sherry

CONTACT DETAILS: sherry@wildwestinfo.com or 919-577-6399

BIO: Sherry's publications include award-winning, Taste of Tombstone, Pikes Peak: Adventures, Communities and Lifestyles, The Wicked West, and Tombstone's Treasure: Silver Mines & Golden Saloons.

She's appeared on the History Channel in the Lost Worlds, Investigating History, and Wild West Tech series.  She's a contributing editor for True West magazine.

Sherry focuses on what life was really like in the Victorian west--including what the pioneers ate and

drank, how they dressed, and what the saloons and towns themselves really looked like.  She's also

skilled in dealing the game of faro, which was popular in the saloons.

SPEECH TOPICS: The Victorian West.  Life in western towns like Tombstone, Colorado Springs,

Deadwood, and Virginia City.  Western saloons, gambling, mines, food, and recipes. 

FEE ARRANGEMENTS: Speaking fees range from $250-$1,000, plus travel expenses.  Some

exceptions for charitable and military organizations. 

Moore, Mike

CONTACT DETAILS: amm1616@comcast.net; Phone: 303-238-4656

BIO: Staff writer on "On The Trail" magazine last 11 years.  Over 110 articles published.  Four books on early west (Heros To Me, Rocky Mountain Album, Life in the Early West, A View to the West).  Do 3-5 lectures a year.  On the History Channel - "Jedediah Smith & the opening of The West." 

Historical Reenactor.  Member of WWA.

SPEECH TOPICS: Early west (often L&C to mid of mass migrations)

FEE ARRANGEMENTS: Usually $300.00 plus expenses

Morgans, James Patrick

CONTACTS DETAILS:

20 S. 41st Street Ste. 64

Council Bluffs, Iowa 51501

712-256-5250

jjmorgans@hotmail.com

BIO: James Patrick Morgans has had over 125 articles appear in a wide variety of magazines and periodicals these include: Farm Journal, Omaha World-Herald newspaper, Dental Economics, San Diego Padres Baseball Gold and Iowa Heritage Illustrated.  In 2006 Mr. Morgans had his nonfiction book John Todd and the Underground Railroad: Biography of an Iowa Abolitionist published by McFarland & Company.  He has since signed another contract with McFarland to produce another book tentatively to be published in 2009 entitled The Underground Railroad and Freedom Escapes on the Western Frontier.  For a dozen years James Patrick presented a writing seminar on Selling What You Write at the Shenandoah campus of Iowa Western Community College.  Mr. Morgans is president of Morgans Books an independent rep firm that markets mostly children's books and other ancillary products to libraries and schools in an eight state region.  James Patrick has made dozens of well received presentations at museums, libraries, schools and other organizations on a variety of topics. 

SPEECH TOPICS: The Underground Railroad and Freedom Escapes on the Western Frontier.  Slavery on the Western Frontier.  How To Sell What You Write No Matter Where You Live (Covers both Adult and Children's Writing).  Also, other miscellaneous topics on Western Americana. 

FEE ARRANGEMENTS: Fee negotiable depending on length of presentation.  Plus reasonable travel expenses.  Discounts available for certain non-profit groups.

Moulton, Candy

CONTACT DETAILS: Candywwa@aol.com  Say “WWA Speaker’s Bureau in subject line of message.

BIO  Candy Moulton is the author of eleven nonfiction books about the American West including Everyday Life in the Wild West from 1840-1900; Everyday Life Among American Indians from 1800 to 1900, both published by WRiter's Digest Books, plus three titles--Wyoming, Colorado, and Nebraska--in the Roadside History series published by Mountain Press Publishing. She won a Spur in 2006 for her biography, Chief Joseph: Guardian of the People, writes for several magazines and newspapers, has three books in progress, and is the editor of Roundup, official publication of Western Writers of America and News From the Plains, official newsletter of the Oregon-California Trails Association (OCTA). She and is currently co-writing and producing an educational television program and video series for OCTA.

SPEECH TOPICSAmerican West, Wyoming, Westward Migration, Writing and Publishing

FEE ARRANGEMENTS Expenses plus fee negotiated with organization. Special rates for schools/libraries

Nelson, W. Dale

CONTACT DETAILS: 1719 Downey St., Laramie, WY  82072-1918; Phone: 307-742-0737; Email: wdnelson@bresnan.net

BIO: W. Dale Nelson's poetry has appeared or is forthcoming in more than 80 magazines, including The Nation, The New Yorker and The Texas Review.  He spent 40 years as a reporter for the The Associated Press and has received a White House Correspondents Association award for presidential  reporting, as well as numerous awards for poetry and a creative writing fellowship from the Wyoming Arts Council.  He is the author of Gin Before Breakfast; The Dilemma of the Poet in the Newsroom and four other non-fiction books.

SPEECH TOPICS: "Not all Western Poets are Cowboys' and "Alan Swallow and the Growth of Quality Publishing in the West."

FEE ARRANGEMENTS: $500 plus travel expenses.

Nicholson, Thomas P

CONTACT DETAILS:                                                                                                                        801-B So Plymouth, Chicago, 60605-2024,                                                                                          phone: 312-922-4165,                                                                                                 coltompn@sbcglobal.net

BIO: Raised in NW Arkansas, grew up watching father in local rodeos.  Went to college at MO School of Mines, BS in Nuclear Engineering.  During summers was a fire fighter for the US Forest Service.  After college was a Uranium miner for a short while, then entered the military.  Became a Green Beret officer and spent over two years in Vietnam.  Afterwards was stationed in Panama, Bolivia, Korea, Somalia, and England, as well as NC, CO, WA, MO, GA, TX, CA, and KY.  After military career, I was a plant manager for motor manufacturer.  I am a Registered Engineer, have my MBA from Pepperdine University, am a registered agent of the IRS and a certified Welding Engineer.  Have written eight books of the West as well as several about Vietnam, the American Civil War and WWII.  I belong to the Western Writers of America, The Civil War Round Table, Westerners International, Western Outlaws and Lawmen of America, the American Legion and VFW.

SPEECH TOPICS: Civil War, American Military in the West, General Western history, famous men of the West, Battles in the West.

FEE ARRANGEMENTS: Expenses plus $0 to $1000 depending on activity

Oswald, Charles

Contact Details:  Info@CharlesOswald.com

Bio:  Attorney and Counselor at Law; WWA member since 1998.

Subject Topic:  Legal Concepts for Creative Professionals in a Digital Age:  Presentations – on topics ranging from inter alia intellectual property content rights, copyright and trademark to the negotiation of publishing, licensing and distribution agreements to agency, collaboration, bundling, compilations, derivative works and extended merchandising rights to libel, defamation and protected expression to foreign rights and international law – may be tailored for audiences that include authors, agents, filmmakers, illustrators, photographers and publishing executives.

Fee Arrangements:  $5,000 plus travel expenses.

Reynolds, Clay

CONTACT DETAILS: Phone: 972-984-1224, or write to: 625 Meadow Drive, McKinney, TX 75069

BIO: Native Texan Clay Reynolds is the author of thirteen volumes, including nine works of fiction, as well as more than eight hundred other publications, ranging from short fiction to essay to critical articles. He has won numerous writing awards, particularly for his western fiction and is a National Endowment for the Arts Fellow. All of his creative work and a good deal of his nonfiction is concerned with the West. He holds a Ph.D. and is on the faculty of the University of Texas at Dallas. He frequently conducts workshops and gives lectures to both academic and community writing organizations, as well as to associations concerned with western history and fiction.

SPEECH TOPICS: He has talked about the state of the western in contemporary fiction, the historical development of the American western, and the process of research and writing regarding western fiction.

FEE ARRANGEMENTS: Speaking fees are negotiable. Travel expenses are required.

Richards, Dusty

CONTACT DETAILS:

PO Box 6460, Springdale, AR 72766

479-751-7246

dustyrichards@cox.net

BIO Raised in Arizona moved to Arkansas in 1960 Worked in management for Tyson Food for 34 years, Radio farm director 13 years TV anchor 9 years, rodeo announcer, professional auctioneer, cattle man and novelist. I have spoken to over 60 writers conventions. References can be furnish. I talk about writing fiction regardless of your genera. Author of 85 novels 100’s of short stories and write a column for Farm and Neighbors magazine and Storyteller magazine. I have won the Cowboy Culture Award for helping others and my success in western fiction

Two Spurs one for best book of the year and one for best short story of the year

Two of my books won book of the year from Oklahoma Writers Federation

I serve in the local PRCA Rodeo board. The Local electric co-op board and the Oklahoma Electric Cooperative state wide board. I am a director of Western Writer of America President of Ozarks Creative Writer Conference, Board member of Ozark Writers League and Oklahoma Writer Federation

SPEECH TOPICS

How to write fiction that sells. The story of Western Fiction and Buffalo Bill. What happened in North Arkansas from 1800-1850 Cattle trails and how they went. History of the Cowboy.

At many of the places I speak I do fund raising charity auctions as well They are fun and things can be gathered by participants to bring in to sell. I also have a pa system and a projector.

FEE ARRANGEMENTS

$500 a day plus but lets talk about what you can afford and how your occasion fits my schedule.

Robson, Lucia St. Clair

CONTACT DETAILS: looshr@aol.com or P.O. Box 682, Arnold, MD 21012.

BIO: Lucia St. Clair Robson's first novel, Ride the Wind, appeared on the New York Times bestsellers list. The Western Writers of America awarded it the Golden Spur for the year's Best Historical Western. Her other novels include Walk in My Soul about Sam Houston and the Cherokees, and Ghost Warrior, the story of Lozen of the Chiracahua Apaches.

Kirkus Reviews wrote, "Few novelists working today have a better grasp of early American history than Robson." Her latest book is Shadow Patriots: A Novel of the Revolution. For more information go to www.luciastclairrobson.com

SPEECH TOPICS: I like to call my talk "Predicting the Past." I discuss historical research and the surprising and entertaining details it uncovers.

FEE ARRANGEMENTS: $500 plus travel expenses. The fee may be waived for charitable organizations.

CONTACT DETAILS: Phone: (800) 295-3607; joroe@verizon.net; 221 Jerome St. Bellingham, WA  98229

BIO: I am the author of 15 books, 10 of them about Pacific NW Mountain and Marine topics--one on the The Columbia River.  I write frequently for national and regional magazines including In-flights, Travel, Western, and General.  A movie was made from one book aired on network TV. Awards include society of American Travel Writers, Governor's, Pac. NW Booksellers.  About 600 published articles.

SPEECH TOPICS: "Frank Matsura Frontier Photographer and his Astonishing Royal roots."

Pacific NW popular history--"Whatever Happened Around Here Anyway?",

How to write and sell articles to magazines.

FEE ARRANGEMENTS: $500-$1000 plus travel expenses.  Possibly less for Pacific NW locations.  Lunch or dinner speech only.

Rosenthal, Philip S. “Phil”

CONTACT DETAILS: e-mail: philiprosenthal@aol.com or phone (770) 993-5734

BIO: While I have written on many subjects, such as military history, alternative history, horror, worldwide travel, sports and business, the one area of expertise I continue to be approached to present on is the Siege and Battle of the Alamo. I have had two books published on the subject, as well as many articles in newspapers, magazines and websites. My concentration is not so much the battle itself, but the people who took place in the battle and what it was like to be there. Being a U.S. Army combat arms veteran of three conflicts myself, I can speak with some experience on these matters, avoiding the “rah-rah”, blindly patriotic type of approach that often accompanies such subject matter.  I  have spoken to schools, businesses, historical groups and military and veteran’s organizations on many  subjects, including various aspects of the west, such as the Civil War, the taming of the west, etc., but the Alamo seems to be the one for which I continue to get the most requests. I currently live in the Atlanta, GA area, spend a lot of time in northern Florida, where I also have a home, and in Southern California, and over the years have spoken throughout the U.S., and in Canada, Israel, South Africa, Europe and Australia on any number of subjects. The primary focus of my current speaking engagements are the southeastern U.S., the State of California and Israel. Besides my travels, I am retired from the financial services industry and currently participate as a mentor, trainer and facilitator in the non-profit sector.

SPEECH TOPICS: Siege and Battle of the Alamo, Civil War, Indian Wars, settling of California, Jewish Westerners.

FEE ARRANGEMENTS _$250-500 plus all travel expenses

Schmid, Vernon

Contact Details: 90 Hudler Lane, North East MD 21901

410-287-2794 / 443-553-5686, E-mail: vls1934@yahoo.com

Bio: A prize winning poet and editor, Vernon Schmid is a member of the prestigious Western Writers of America. Author of over a dozen books of fiction, nonfiction, drama and poetry, his latest are Watie's Wolves, More Houlihans and Horse Sense, Cherokee Myth and Legend and Otium Sanctum. In 1993, his first novel, Seven Days of the Dog, was a Heekin Group fiction finalist and his play Last Letter from Bitter was a workshop selection at the Baltimore Playwrights Competition. A 2004 nominee for Maryland Poet Laureate, over 2,000 of his articles, columns, poems and short stories have been published in the U.S., Canada and England. Recently his work has appeared in Country Magazine, Roundup Magazine, and Amazon.com/shorts. His National Foundation Quarter Horse Journal column “Horse Sense” reaches readers in all fifty states and twenty-four foreign countries. With degrees in journalism, theology, and creative writing, he has taught at Penn Valley Community College, Chesapeake College, Ft. Lewis College, and Cecil College. He has been a guest lecturer and speaker at Illinois Wesleyan University, Saint Paul School of Theology, North Central Missouri State College, University of Toledo, Allegheny College, Syracuse University, Illinois State University, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Kansas State University, Illinois South Central State University, Wesley College, Lafayette College, Dickinson College, University of Kansas, Albright College, Washington College, Parsons (KS) Junior College, University of Pittsburg, Allen County (KS) Community Junior College, Carnegie-Mellon University and numerous public venues. He lives in northeast Maryland where he and his wife, Susan, enjoy their horses, dog and two daughters, not necessarily in that order.

Speech Topics: Cherokee Myth and Legend, The Civil War in Indian Territory, Cowboy Songs, Stories and Downright Lies, Horses and Horse Sense

Fee Arrangements: $200 - $500, plus travel expenses. Some exceptions for Charitable Organizations.

Sherlock, Patti

CONTACT DETAILS: Phone: (208) 523-4190 (Idaho). pattisherlock.com and pattisherlock@gmail.com

BIO: Young adult novels, adult nonfiction, magazine articles.  2004 book Letters from Wolfie won the Merial Human-Animal Bond Award from Dog Writers of America, selected for "One City One Book" by Westminster, Colo, 2005, selected for One County-One Book Kids Read Program, Solano County, California, 2008, Young Readers Choice nominee in California, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Maine and Rhode Island.

SPEECH TOPICS: Illustrated (cartoon) talk, "Creativity."  Also informal talk on Vietnam war dogs.

FEE ARRANGEMENTS: Travel, hotel paid by host.  $500 for a school visit includes the formal presentation, informal talks to individual classes, and lunch with students.  $500 fee for illustrated talk to libraries and library associations. 

Sherwood, Steve

CONTACT DETAILS:

7167 Axis Ct.

Fort Worth, TX  76132

817-294-9426

s.sherwood@tcu.edu

BIO: Steve Sherwood has worked as a trash collector in Rocky Mountain National Park, a reporter and editor in Wyoming, a free-lance writer in Colorado, and a teacher of composition and creative writing in Montana and Texas.  His fiction has appeared in Red Rock Review, Amarillo Bay, descant, Northern Lights, Riversedge, New Texas, and The Chiron Review.  Reflecting his interest in the people and landscapes of the modern American West, his first novel Hardwater revolves around the efforts of a newspaper editor in a small Wyoming uranium-mining town to track down a murderer who has threatened the life of his son.  The novel won the 2003 George Garrett Fiction Prize and was published by the Texas Review Press in January 2005.   Among his other interests, he has studied, extensively, the practical and persuasive uses of humor, having written his doctoral dissertation on the topic.  He is currently the director of the William L. Adams Center for Writing at Texas Christian University.

SPEECH TOPICS: Fiction and creative nonfiction techniques, Rhetoric and humor, Humor in theory and practice, Western landscapes and environment.

FEE ARRANGEMENTS: My fees range widely ($250-$1,500) depending on the amount of time required, the distance traveled, and the nature of the presentation. 

Shuttleworth, Red

Contact Details: Red Shuttleworth, 10482 Road 16 NE, Moses Lake, WA 98837.

Home Phone 509-766-9104. Office Phone 509-793-2205. Email reds@bigbend.edu

Bio: Red Shuttleworth's Western Settings received the first Spur Award for Poetry in 2001. Red has twice been honored by True West magazine for his poetry on the West. His poems appear regularly in a variety of magazines, such as Concho River Review, Flyway, Suisun Valley Review, Elysian Fields Quarterly, Rattle, and Weber: The Contemporary American West. A playwright as well as a poet, Red's plays have been presented widely, including at The Sun Valley Festival of New Western Drama, the Tony Award-winning Utah Shakespearean Festival, The University of Nebraska at Kearney, and Sundance Playwrights Lab. He has read his poems for The Nevada Book Festival, The Clark County -- Las Vegas Public Library, the Churchill Arts Council, and numerous colleges.

Speech Topics: Poetry Readings.

Fee Arrangements: Speaking fees range from $300 to $500, plus expenses.

Slatta, Dr. Richard W.

Contact Details:

109 Maltland Dr.

Cary NC 27518

phone: 919-513-2229

E-mail: Rich@cowboyprof.com <mailto:Rich@cowboyprof.com. Web: http://www.cowboyprof.com

Bio: Slatta, “The Cowboy Professor,” was born in North Dakota and grew up in six other western states. In 1980, he earned his doctorate in history at the University of Texas, Austin. Since then he has taught history at North Carolina State University. He has researched cowboy and ranch life through North and South America and Hawaii. His books include /Cowboy: The Illustrated History /(2006), /The Mythical West/ (2001), /Comparing Cowboys and Frontiers /(1997), /The Cowboy Encyclopedia /(1994), and /Cowboys of the Americas/ (1990). He has lectured throughout the US, as well as in Canada, Austria, and Argentina.

Speech Topics: [all illustrated with color slides or PowerPoint]

* "The New Old West: Changing Interpretations of America’s West"

* "Long Hours and Low Pay: Cowboy Life on the Northern Great Plains"

* "Hispanic Roots of the American Cowboy

* "A Fast Ride with Cowboys of the Americas"

* “Social History in the Saddle: Problems in Frontier Research"

* "The Gaucho: Argentina's Cowboy”

* "South Meets West: Origins of the Quarter Horse”

* "The Cowboy’s Ride from History to Myth"

* "Popular and Political Images of Cowboys of the Americas"

Fee Arrangements: Compensation is flexible, ranging from $500 to $1500 plus expenses, for one to three lectures over a two-day period. Accommodations possible for non-profit organizations.

Smith, Cotton

CONTACT DETAILS: Call 913-432-5923 or email spiritfire@kc.rr.com

BIO: Cotton Smith is the respected author of twelve western novels, Spur Award finalist and immediate past President of the Western Writers of America.  A well-known marketing executive, his advertising agency produced over a hundred honors for creative excellence.  He is the creator of a number of marketing planning aids, including the Positioning Map and a manual on marketing strategy, MarketNavigation: Set Sail With the Wind. 

A horseman, western historian, artist and a gifted speaker, he is also the author of Trail to Eagle, a history of Boy Scouting in Kansas City and Tribesmen Arise!, the history of the Tribe of Mic-O-Say, a unique camp honor society.  A recipient of the Silver Beaver Award, he has been active in Scouting all his life. He was also co-creator of an original musical, First Light, written and produced for the first televising of the world-famous Country Club Plaza Christmas Lighting Ceremony.  

SPEECH TOPICS: Superstitions and why they mean to us (The Thirteenth Bullet) . . . Being successful (Saddle Up and Ride) . . . Marketing strategy (The Lone Ranger System) . . . The human spirit overcoming trials (The Great Spirit) . . . Seven steps to developing memorable characters (Sons of Thunder) . . . Frontier ways (Behold a Red Horse). . . A special talk for Scouting events (The Knighthood).  All talks are tailored to the audience.

FEE ARRANGEMENTS:

$1,000 plus travel expenses. Exceptions made for Boy Scouts of America  and military.

Stearns, Rhonda Sedgwick

CONTACT DETAILS: (307) 746-2030; cow_grl63@hotmail.com; 1159 State Highway 450, Newcastle, WY 82701

BIO – Rhonda Sedgwick Stearns is a ranch-reared Wyoming author, columnist and rodeo historian with thousands of published articles and four books to her credit.  She received the Will Rogers Award as Top Cowgirl Poet of 2002 from the Academy of Western Artists and the 2000 All Around Cowboy Culture award from the National Cowboy Symposium; and is a 1977 Honoree to the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame.  The successful rodeo cowgirl is a Gold Card Member of the PRCA and provided organ music for top prorodeos in 13 states from coast to coast for two decades.

SPEECH TOPICS – Cowboy poetry; The Cowboy Code; Rodeo History; Cowboy Ways; Ranch Life; Women in Rodeo; related topics. As his biographer, I can also speak on the late acclaimed Western artist Keith W. Avery.

FEE ARRANGEMENTS –  $500 - $800, plus travel expenses.  Negotiable; willing to donate some portions of compensation for benefit or charity events.

BIO: Feature film producer, screenwriter, actor, and director. Member Writers Guild of America (WGA), Screen Actors Guild (SAG), and Western Writers of America (WWA). Winner of the 2007 Western Heritage Award as executive producer for “Truce” and 2006 Spur Award as screenwriter for “Miracle at Sage Creek”. Owner Talmarc Productions LLC, full service motion picture company with several films released and in active development, including The Last Horseman, The Rez, Johnny Kidd, The Hard Ride, Buttermilk Sky, Miracle at Sage Creek, Truce, Palominas, 7 Mummies, and Sanctuary Ranch. Published non-fiction author “Wild Bill Hickok: Deadwood City - End of Trail” @ 2001.

Urbigkit, Cat

CONTACT DETAILS:

P.O. Box 1663, Pinedale, WY 82941,

phone: 307.276.5393

email: catu2@mac.com

BIO: An accomplished writer and photographer, Cat Urbigkit is a journalist based in western Wyoming. She’s published five non-fiction photo essay children’s books that primitive agriculture in the West. Her fully footnoted history of wolves in the Yellowstone region of Wyoming will be released in 2008 by McDonald & Woodward Publishing Company.

SPEECH TOPICS:

Livestock guardian dogs

Yellowstone wolves - history

FEE ARRANGEMENTS:

Speaking fees range from $250 to $800 plus travel expenses. Some exceptions.

Wampler, Vance

CONTACT DETAILS: Email: vance@theadmin.com; Phone: 602-996-9608; 4035 East Fanfol Dr, Phoenix, AZ  85028

BIO: BA English Lit at ASU. Have had 6 books published cowboy, poetry, historical novels, fiction, etc.

SPEECH TOPICS: Cowboy poetry originals about the way it was-and still is.

FEE ARRANGEMENTS: $500 plus travel

Wilbur, Bill

Contact: E-mail: gnubill@yahoo.com Phone: 909-720-7476

Bio: Bill Wilbur is a professional writer and photographer. His first novel, SARAGOSA, came out in 2006 and his next is due out this year. He is an expert on Billy the Kid and has lectured extensively about him, the west in general, and professional photography. An easterner who came west at the age of seven, Bill has been writing and researching the west most of his adult life.

Speech Topics: The Truth So Far: The Myth of Billy The Kid. discussion on the myths surrounding the most famous outlaw of the American west. Learn the top 10 myths about The Kid and what really happened. Writing the Traditional Western. Discussion on traditional western fiction. Learn what separates traditional westerns in theme and scope, from modern and epic westerns. Photographing the West and Beyond: Writing a Novel. Discussion panel of three authors from various backgrounds and genres, covering plot, characterization, and theme. This is deigned for any writer looking to improve regardless of genre. Photographing the West. A discussion on when and how best to photograph western locations such as Zion, Monument Valley, Death Valley, and Bodie ghost town. Lecture and slideshow presentation.

Fee Arrangements: Speaking fees range from $250 - $700, plus travel expenses. Some exceptions for charitable and military organizations.

Wyman, Willard

CONTACT DETAILS: Star Route 2, Box 438, La Honda, CA  94020, Phone: (650) 851-9464, E-mail: wypacmules@aol.com

BIO: Wyman won two Western Writers of America "Spur" Awards for his novel, HIGH COUNTRY, which was named Best First Novel as well as The Best Novel of the West for 2006. 

He has been a wrangler, guide, and packer in Montana's Bob Marshall Wilderness and the Sierra Nevada High Country for over forty years, living out experiences portrayed vividly in his story of the last days of the packing profession.  He taught literature and was a dean of students at both Stanford University (where he went on to become Special Assistant to the President during the years of student activism) and Colby College before becoming headmaster of The Thacher School.  He is now Headmaster Emeritus and lives and writes in the coastal mountains of California. 

SPEECH TOPICS: "Packing": The Earliest Western Craft: The Writer's Voice: Memoir vs. Fiction: How an Award Winning Novel Emerged from a Failed Memoir.

FEE ARRANGEMENTS: To Be Arranged