Inaugural inductees to Authors’ Hall of Fame recognized

DENVER — Twenty-one authors who have published books in or about Colorado — from pioneers and politicians to educators and entrepreneurs — will be the first inductees into the Colorado Authors’ Hall of Fame on Saturday, Sept. 14.

The induction ceremony will be from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Marriott Courtyard Cherry Creek, 1475 South Colorado Blvd., Denver. Tickets are $75 each and available at https://www.coloradoauthorshalloffame.org/info—tickets.html.

Following the induction, a ticketed $30 after party with a light supper will be at the same location. 

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Dr. Judith Briles of Aurora said she and her founding board members created the Hall of Fame to honor and promote the works of outstanding published authors from all genres and generations who have a vibrant connection to Colorado to ensure their legacies won’t be lost.

“It’s authors who best explain our history, provide insights and solutions to questions and deliver storytelling that provides countless hours of pleasure and is passed on from generation to generation,” Briles said. “Now we can acknowledge them and their works purely on their own merit.”

Inductees who are still living include:

Madeleine Albright, former Secretary of State and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. A prolific author, she has written 13 books and contributed many forewords for other authors. Her first home in America was Denver, where her father was a professor at Denver University.

Rex Burns, a professor of American Literature at the University of Colorado, has been writing Colorado-based mysteries since 1975. To date, he has published 17 novels.

Margaret Coel is the author of the Windriver Mystery Series, the first and only series featuring the Arapaho people. She also wrote the Catherine McLeod Mysteries, set in Denver, her original hometown.

Clive Cussler, a Colorado resident for many years, began writing novels in 1965 and published the first work featuring his continuous series hero, Dirk Pitt, in 1973. He is an internationally recognized authority on shipwrecks.

John Dunning has revealed some of book collecting’s most shocking secrets in his bestselling series of crime novels featuring Cliff Janeway: Booked to Die. As the owner of the Old Algonquin Bookstore in Denver for many years, he became an expert on rare and collectible books.

John Fielder is the photographer of more than 40 coffee table books, guide books and children’s books, all but four about Colorado. He has worked tirelessly to promote the protection of Colorado’s open space and wildlands.

W C Jameson is the award-winning author of more than 100 books, 1,500 published articles and essays, 400 songs and dozens of poems. He is the bestselling treasure author in America. A professional fortune hunter, he has been a consultant for the “Unsolved Mysteries” TV show and the Travel Channel.

Jerry Jenkins has sold more than 70 million copies of the Left Behind series and has written more than 190 books across several genres including romance, mysteries, children’s adventures and biographies. He owns the Jerry Jenkins Writers Guild and trains writers online from his home in Black Forest.

Stephen King, the recipient of more than 100 book and writing awards, including the Grand Horror Master, has sold over 350 million copies of his books, several of which have transitioned from print to television and film. He lived in Colorado for a year to create the movie “The Shining,” which is set at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park. At least two other books feature Boulder locations — “The Stand” and “Misery.”

Ann Parker is the author of the Silver Rush Mystery Series, including six novels, set in the 1880s mountain town of Leadville. Ann has uncovered a tremendously rich vein in Colorado history, all connected to the state’s many years of mining for gold, silver and other metals.

Helen Thorpe is the author of three highly acclaimed books, “Just Like Us,” “Soldier Girls,” and “The Newcomers.” Her works of narrative nonfiction have prompted a rich national conversation about difficult but important topics as she documents in a very human and intimate way the lives of immigrants, refugees, and veterans of foreign conflicts.

Jill Tietjen is ensuring that women are reflected in the historical narrative of the United States. The author of nine books, she is a pioneer for STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) and has conducted research into historical women around the world.

Kris Tualla writes and publishes historical romances whose heroes are all Norsemen. She started in 2006 with nothing but a nugget of a character in mind and has created a 30-book series.

Marilyn Van Derbur and her words “I am an incest survivor,” opened the door for tens of thousands of people to speak about their own sexual abuse. Her inspiring book, Miss America By Day, has been used in colleges and mental health associations as a teaching tool.

Connie Willis creates science fiction and fantasy that is out of this world from her Colorado home. She is known for writing romantic “screwball” comedy in the manner of 1940s Hollywood movies.

Mary Taylor Young is an award-winning nature writer who has been bringing the West to life in books and other significant ways for more than 25 years. She is the author of 18 books.

The Colorado Authors’ Hall of Fame is also giving its first Lifetime Achievement Award to Joyce Meskis, former owner of The Tattered Cover bookstore who is known as Denver’s Literary Lioness. During its 40 years of growth, her store gained influence and recognition as one of the premiere independent bookstores in the United States.

Inductees who are deceased:

Sybil Downing (1930 – 2011) wrote novels based on historical events, including “The Binding Oath,” about the Ku Klux Klan in Denver, “In Plain Sight” about child labor in the Northern Colorado beet fields and “Fire in the Hole” about the Ludlow Massacre.

George Cory Franklin (1872 – 1962) sold his first story at the age of 55. Through more than a thousand articles and stories, he defined the American West through authentic tales of the people and the creatures that lived in the rugged Colorado backcountry.

Louis L’Amour (1908 – 1988) wrote more than 100 published works that sold more than 325 million published copies. His books defined the American West and created a legacy of American history because of his vivid imagination and extensive research.

Minnie Reynolds (1865 – 1936), the society editor for the Rocky Mountain News, was one of a handful of professional women journalists in Denver in the 1890s. She used her writing platform to fight for women’s rights and served as press chair for the state’s successful women’s suffrage campaign of 1893.

Ann Haymond Zwinger (1925 – 2014), Colorado’s most outstanding naturalist/author, wrote 20 books, 10 anthologies, 20 forewords and numerous periodicals for such magazines as the Smithsonian, Adventure Travel, Orion and Audubon.