Moderated by Jenny Shank, and featuring panelists Claire Boyles, William Haywood Henderson, BK Loren, and Nina McConigley.
For decades, very few of the books about the West focused on the urban West—the cities that the majority of the people in this region live in. Instead, literary fiction overwhelmingly focused on rural stories or cowboys and cowboy-type people (even if they were contemporary). Most of the characters were white, and many of these novels were historical.
The past few years have seen a shift in the industry standard, with more books set in the west set in contemporary times, with urban or suburban settings, and with diverse characters. Join us as we discuss the tradition of American Western literature, and whether writers see themselves as fitting into the genre, or breaking the mold.
This panel is a part of West Fest, a celebration of writing in and about the American West, the weekend of November 7–8. To learn more and explore passes, which include entry to this panel, click here.
This is the in-person registration for this event. To register for the livestream, click here.
