The Edgar Award, as Denver author and Edgar finalist David Heska Wanbli Weiden puts it, is “like the Oscars for crime writers. It’s like our National Book Award.” So it was a big deal when Weiden’s thriller
Winter Counts was shortlisted. It’s an even bigger deal that he’s only the second Native American writer to be named a finalist in the prize’s storied history.
Not that the Edgars are the only organization recognizing Weiden’s work far from it. He’s already won a Lefty Award for Best Debut Novel, and the Western Writers of America presented his book with the Best Contemporary Novel and Best Debut Novel awards. Still pending is a cornucopia of other awards: the Barry, the Thriller, a Colorado Book Award, a Reading the West prize, and the VCU Cabell First Novelist Award. Weiden is going to be busy and he might want to be making space on his fireplace mantel for all those pen-shaped trophies and whatnot.
The Beginning of the End
As February bled into March, COVID-19 started making headlines in Colorado, but nobody had any idea how bad things would get. On March 12, concert-promotion giants Live Nation and AEG suspended tours through April (Post Malone managed to squeeze in one last show); over the next few weeks, those concerts were all canceled or pushed to the fall and, ultimately, 2021. Workers were laid off, musicians canceled tours, fans mourned their lost summer plans. A few venues like the Lion’s Lair shut down early of their own volition, but soon the State of Colorado issued a stay-at-home order that turned off the entire live-music industry. While some limited-capacity shows took place over the summer and early fall as restrictions were loosened, those are again forbidden, and some venues have closed permanently.
holmes? reporter: i talked to two folks who had and met him several times at the zephyr lounge, a bar down the street. one gentleman, jackie mitchell, is a furniture mover and he said tuesday he walked into the bar after work. they were having a happy hour special. he saw james sitting there with a backpack and a friendly look on his face. they started talking and shared a couple of beers on the happy hour special. he said james was relaxed, calm, friendly. they were talking about football and the denver broncos, how many touchdown passes peyton manning would throw this year. nothing at all more disturbing. stephanie simon with reuters. thank you very much for that. reporter: thank you. bye-bye. one of the people killed in the shooting was an aspiring sports caster who barely escaped a mass shooting at a mall in toronto last month. her name is jessica ghawi.