David Heska Wanbli Weiden

David Heska Wanbli Weiden [deɪvɪd hɛskɛn wɒnbliː waɪdɛn] is a Lakota American[1] author of crime and thriller novels[2] and a professor of political science at Metropolitan State University of Denver.[3] His debut novel, Winter Counts, won an Anthony Award, Lefty Award, ITW Thriller Award, Barry Award, Macavity Award, and Spur Award.[2]

Life

Weiden grew up in the Swansea/Elyria neighborhood of Denver, Colorado.[4] As an enrolled member of the Sicangu Lakota Nation,[1][5][6] he spent summers at the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota.[4]

A first-generation college student,[7] 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.[4][3] After practicing law for several years, he decided to pursue academia, earning a PhD in political science from the University of Texas at Austin.[3][4]

After receiving his doctorate, he taught at Hofstra University, Illinois State University, and the United States Naval Academy.[4] 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.[4]

He is a tenured professor of Native American studies and political science at Metropolitan State University of Denver.[3][4][6] His academic work focuses on Native American issues and he provides legal assistance to various Native American organizations.[7] He has been an instructor in the MFA programs at Cedar Crest College and Regis University.[8][9] In 2022, he served as a mentor for PEN America's Emerging Writers program.[10]

Weiden lives in Denver with his family.[11]

Awards and honors

Weiden has received two MacDowell Fellowships (2018, 2022)[12][7] and the PEN America Writing for Justice Fellowship (2018).[13][6] He has also been a Ragdale Foundation Resident in Fiction[11] and a Tin House Scholar (2019).[7][14]

His debut novel Winter Counts was named one of the best crime novels of the year by The Guardian,[15] NPR,[16] and Publishers Weekly.[17] It was also a New York Times Editors' Choice selection in October 2020.[18]

Awards
Year Title Award Result Ref.
2014 "Sourtoe" Tribal College Journal Fiction Contest Winner [19]
2018 "Carlisle Longings" PRISM International Creative Nonfiction Prize Longlist [20]
2019 Winter Counts Shamus Award for Best First PI Novel Finalist [2]
2020 Spotted Tail Spur Award for Best Western Juvenile Nonfiction Winner [21]
Winter Counts Goodreads Choice Award for Debut Novel Nominee [22]
Goodreads Choice Award for Mystery & Thriller Nominee [22]
2021 Winter Counts Anthony Award for Best First Novel Winner [2][23][24]
Barry Award for Best First Novel Winner [2][25]
Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best First Novel Finalist [2][26]
Hammett Prize Finalist [2]
High Plains Book Award for Indigenous Writer Winner [27]
International Thriller Writers Award for Best First Novel Winner [2]
Lefty Award for Best Debut Mystery Winner [2][28]
Macavity Award for Best First Mystery Novel Winner [2][29][30]
Spur Award for Best Western Contemporary Novel Winner [31]
Spur Award for Best First Western Novel Winner [31]
2022 "Skin" Spur Award for Best Western Short Fiction Winner [32]

Selected works

Books

  • Spotted Tail, illustrated by Jim Yellowhawk (2019)[33]
  • Winter Counts (2020)[34]
  • Wisdom Corner (2026)[35]

Short works

Creative nonfiction

  • “Carlisle Longings,” published in Shenandoah (2020)[36]
  • “Writing in the Time of Family Separations,” published in Shenandoah blog The Peak (2020)[37]

Other nonfiction

  • “This 19th-Century Law Helps Shape Criminal Justice in Indian Country,” published in The New York Times (July 19, 2020)[38]
  • “Distractions,” published on the Poisoned Pen blog (August 19, 2020)[39]
  • “Seven Essential Native American Crime Novels,” published in The Strand Magazine (September 5, 2020)[40]
  • “Why Indigenous Crime Fiction Matters,” published in CrimeReads (September 9, 2020)[41]
  • “A Year in Reading,” published in The Millions (December 9, 2020)[42]
  • “Writing to Change the World” published in Writer’s Digest (July/August 2021)[43]
  • “Writing Winter Counts,” published in The Bookseller (August 13, 2021)[44]
  • “Looking Back on ‘There There,'” published on Alta Online (November 9, 2021)[45]

Short stories

  • “Spork,” published in Transmotion (2016)[46]
  • “Skin,” published in Midnight Hour, edited by Abby Vandiver (2021)
  • “Turning Heart,” published in This Time For Sure, edited by Hank Phillippi Ryan (2021).[47] Reprinted in the Best American Mystery and Suspense 2022, edited by Jess Walter and Steph Cha[48]
  • “Colfax and Havana,” published in Denver Noir, edited by Cynthia Swanson (2022)[49]
  • “Hooch,” published in The Perfect Crime, edited by Maxim Jakubowski and Vaseem Khan (2022)[50]
  • “Sundays,” published in Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology, edited by Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst, Jr. (2023)[51]

References

  1. 1 2 Miller, Kerri (2020-11-09). "Thread: Wanbli Weiden's 'Winter Counts' deserves more fanfare". MPR News. Retrieved 2023-01-19.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "David Heska Wanbli Weiden". Stop, You're Killing Me!. Archived from the original on 2023-01-19. Retrieved 2023-01-19.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Faculty". Metropolitan State University of Denver. Archived from the original on 2023-01-19. Retrieved 2023-01-19.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Eli, Cranor (2022-03-03). "Shop Talk: David Heska Wanbli Weiden Takes His Craft Seriously and His Coffee Very Strong". CrimeReads. Archived from the original on 2023-01-19. Retrieved 2023-01-19.
  5. ↑ Lill, Avery (September 20, 2019). "Local Author Delves Into Native American Injustices In Upcoming Novel, Literary Festival". Colorado Public Radio. Archived from the original on 2023-01-19. Retrieved 2023-01-19.
  6. 1 2 3 Mui, Sandy (2020-10-20). "The PEN Pod: Elevating Indigenous Authors with David Heska Wanbli Weiden". PEN America. Archived from the original on 2020-11-01.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "David Heska Wanbli Weiden". PEN America. 2018-10-09. Archived from the original on 2023-01-19. Retrieved 2023-01-19.
  8. ↑ "David Heska Wanbli Weiden". Regis University. Archived from the original on 2023-01-19.
  9. ↑ "David Heska Wanbli Weiden - Staff". Cedar Crest College. Retrieved 2026-04-14.
  10. ↑ "PEN America 2022 Emerging Voices Fellows Selected from Largest Applicant Pool Ever". PEN America. 2022-05-31. Archived from the original on 2023-01-19. Retrieved 2023-01-19.
  11. 1 2 "David Heska Wanbli Weiden". Ragdale. Archived from the original on 2023-01-19. Retrieved 2023-01-19.
  12. ↑ "David Heska Wanbli Weiden - MacDowell Fellow in Literature". MacDowell. Archived from the original on 2023-01-17. Retrieved 2023-01-19.
  13. ↑ Nelson, Juliann (2019-01-24). "A PEN Ten Interview with the 2018 Writing for Justice Fellows". PEN America. Archived from the original on 2023-01-19. Retrieved 2023-01-19.
  14. ↑ "Tin House Scholars". Tin House. Archived from the original on 2023-01-19.
  15. ↑ Wilson, Laura (2021-12-02). "Five of the best crime and thrillers of 2021". the Guardian. Retrieved 2023-01-19.
  16. ↑ "Books We Love". NPR. Archived from the original on 2020-07-08. Retrieved 2023-01-19.
  17. ↑ "Best Books 2020". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on 2023-12-13. Retrieved 2023-01-19.
  18. ↑ "10 New Books We Recommend This Week". The New York Times. 2020-10-01. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2022-11-29. Retrieved 2023-01-19.
  19. ↑ Shreve, Brad (2014-03-13). "2014 TCJ Student Writing Contest Winners". TCJ Student. Retrieved 2026-04-14.
  20. ↑ "2018 PRISM Creative Non-Fiction Prize- Longlist Announced!". PRISM international. 2018-09-21. Retrieved 2026-04-14.
  21. ↑ "2020 Winners". Western Writers Of America. Retrieved 2026-04-14.
  22. 1 2 "Winter Counts". Goodreads. Retrieved 2026-04-13.
  23. ↑ "Announcing the 2021 Anthony Award winners". CrimeReads. 2021-08-30. Archived from the original on 2021-08-31. Retrieved 2022-07-31.
  24. ↑ Schaub, Michael (2021-08-30). "Winners of the Anthony Awards Are Revealed". Kirkus Reviews. Archived from the original on 2022-10-30. Retrieved 2022-07-31.
  25. ↑ "The Barry Award Winners 2021". Deadly Pleasures – Mystery Magazine. August 5, 2021. Archived from the original on January 15, 2022. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  26. ↑ "Congratulations to the Winners of the 2021 Edgar Awards". CrimeReads. 2021-04-29. Archived from the original on 2021-06-21. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
  27. ↑ "Winners". High Plains International Book Awards. Retrieved 2026-04-14.
  28. ↑ Cogdill, Oline. "Left Coast Crime Lefty Award Winners". Mystery Scene Magazine. Archived from the original on 2023-01-04.
  29. ↑ Easter, George (26 August 2021). "Macavity Award Winners". Deadly Pleasures. Archived from the original on 2023-01-02. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
  30. ↑ "Macavity Awards". Lincoln City Libraries. September 2022. Archived from the original on 2023-01-02.
  31. 1 2 "2021 Winners". Western Writers Of America. Retrieved 2026-04-14.
  32. ↑ "2022 Winners". Western Writers Of America. Retrieved 2026-04-14.
  33. ↑ "Spotted Tail Trade Book (Paperback)". Benchmark Education Company. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
  34. ↑ "Winter Counts". HarperCollins. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
  35. ↑ "Wisdom Corner". HarperCollins. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
  36. ↑ Weiden, David Heska Wanbli (Fall 2020). "Carlisle Longings". Shenandoah. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
  37. ↑ Weiden, David Heska Wanbli (2020-09-03). "Writing in the Time of Family Separations – The Peak". Shenandoah. Archived from the original on 2020-09-21.
  38. ↑ Weiden, David Heska Wanbli (2020-07-19). "Opinion | This 19th-Century Law Helps Shape Criminal Justice in Indian Country". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
  39. ↑ "David Heska Wanbli Weiden's Distractions". The Poisoned Pen Bookstore. 2020-08-19. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
  40. ↑ Weiden, David Heska Wanbli (2020-09-05). "Seven Essential Native American Crime Novels". Strand Magazine. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
  41. ↑ Weiden, David Heska Wanbli (2020-09-09). "Why Indigenous Crime Fiction Matters". CrimeReads. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
  42. ↑ Weiden, David Heska Wanbli (2020-12-09). "A Year in Reading: David Heska Wanbli Weiden". The Millions. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
  43. ↑ Jones, Amy (2021-06-15). "Writer's Digest July/August 2021 Cover Reveal". Writer's Digest. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
  44. ↑ Weiden, David Heska Wanbli (2021-08-13). "Writing Winter Counts". The Bookseller. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
  45. ↑ Weiden, David Heska Wanbli (2021-11-09). "Looking Back on 'There There'". Alta Online. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
  46. ↑ Weiden, David Heska Wanbli (2016-11-28). "Spork". Transmotion. 2 (1&2): 136–136. doi:10.22024/UniKent/03/tm.203. ISSN 2059-0911.
  47. ↑ Ryan, Hank Phillippi, ed. (2021-09-19). This Time For Sure: Bouchercon Anthology 2021.
  48. ↑ Walter, Jess; Cha, Steph, eds. (2022-11-01). The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2022: A Collection. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-326449-6.
  49. ↑ "Denver Noir". Akashic Books. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
  50. ↑ Khan, Vaseem; Jakubowski, Maxim, eds. (2022-03-03). The Perfect Crime. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-00-846234-5.
  51. ↑ Shultz, Christopher (2023-09-19). "'Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology' edited by Shane Hawk & Theodore C. Van Alst, Jr". LitReactor. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
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