Laura Pritchett is an American author whose work is rooted in the natural world. Known for championing the complex and contemporary American West and giving voice to the working class, her books have garnered the PEN USA Award, the Milkweed National Fiction Prize, the WILLA, the High Plains Book Award, and others. Both her fiction and nonfiction often focus on issues of ecology, conservation, climate change, and social justice issues.

Laura Pritchett
Laura Pritchett alt text
Born1971, Fort Collins, Colorado
OccupationAuthor
EducationB.A., M.A. Colorado State University, PhD Purdue University
GenreLiterary Fiction
Websitewww.laurapritchett.com

Primarily a novelist, her seven works of fiction hail from various presses, including Ballantine, Counterpoint, Milkweed Editions, and Torrey House. She cites her childhood on a ranch in northern Colorado as a primary influence on both her writing and environmental ethic.

Biography

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Laura Pritchett grew up on a small ranch in northern Colorado. She received her BA and MA in English at Colorado State University in 1995.[1] She has a PhD in English with an emphasis in Contemporary American Literature and Creative Writing from Purdue University.[1]

In 2024 she released two books: Playing with (Wild)Fire, released by Torrey House Press and Three Keys, released by Ballantine. Her 2014 novel, Stars Go Blue, released by Counterpoint, was heavily inspired by her father's struggle with Alzheimer's disease and the impact of his disease on her extended family. The book had an enthusiastic critical reception, including starred reviews from Booklist, and Library Journal. It won the High Plains Literary Award and was a finalist for several others. Her other novels include The Blue Hour, Red Lightning, Sky Bridge, and Hell’s Bottom, Colorado, which won the PEN USA Award for Fiction[2] and the Milkweed National Fiction Prize.[3]

Pritchett also writes for several magazines, most often about environmental issues in the American West.[4][5] She was a regular columnist with The Colorado Sun.[6]

She teaches for writing programs around the United States and is the Director of the Nature Writing MFA program at Western Colorado University.[7][8]

Awards

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Works

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Fiction

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  • Hell’s Bottom, Colorado Milkweed Editions. 2001. ISBN 978-1-57131-036-1
  • Sky Bridge Milkweed Editions. 2005. ISBN 978-1-57131-054-5
  • Stars Go Blue Counterpoint. 2014. ISBN 978-1-61902-308-6
  • Red Lightning Counterpoint. 2015. ISBN 978-1-61902-533-2
  • The Blue Hour Counterpoint. 2017. ISBN 978-1-61902-889-0
  • Playing with Wild(fire) Torrey House Press. 2024. ISBN 1948814900
  • Three Keys Ballantine Books. 2024. ISBN 9780593724200

Nonfiction

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Books

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As Editor/Contributor

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Short stories

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Essays

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Play

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In the Media

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Interviews

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Articles

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Critical Reception

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Playing with Wild(fire)

References

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  1. ^ Gregory Vogl. "Laura Pritchett". Lib.colostate.edu. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  2. ^ "Past Winners". PEN America. December 19, 2018. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Laura Pritchett". Western Colorado University. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  4. ^ "The Normal People". Thenormalschool.com. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  5. ^ "Laura Pritchett". 5280.com. Archived from the original on January 9, 2015. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  6. ^ "Laura Pritchett, Author at The Colorado Sun". The Colorado Sun. February 11, 2024. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  7. ^ "Lighthouse Writers Workshop - Laura Pritchett, PhD". Lighthousewriters.org. Archived from the original on January 9, 2015. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  8. ^ "Laura Pritchett". Western Colorado University. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  9. ^ "Laura Pritchett". October 4, 2016.
  10. ^ "Milkweed Prize Winners". Ouray.colibraries.org. Archived from the original on January 9, 2015. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  11. ^ "Hell's Bottom, Colorado". Penusa.org. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  12. ^ "2006 WILLA Literary Award Winners and Finalists" (PDF). Womenwritingthewest.org. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  13. ^ "Colorado Book Awards History | Colorado Humanities". Archived from the original on November 19, 2015. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
  14. ^ "Winners". highplainsbookawards.org. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  15. ^ Booklist Editors' Choice: Adult Books, 2017, by | Booklist Online.
  16. ^ T. Marlin Normal (December 2, 2008). "The Normal School". Thenormalschoolblog.blogspot.co.uk. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  17. ^ "Stories on Stage: Another all-star lineup in 2011-12". Running Lines. January 28, 2013. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  18. ^ "Our 2021 Pushcart Prize Nominations!". Deep Wild Journal. November 19, 2021. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  19. ^ "LAURA PRITCHETT". LAURA PRITCHETT. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  20. ^ ""Dirt: A Terra Nova Expedition" Premieres at Bas Bleu theatre". Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  21. ^ Wright, Maddie. "CSU alumna Laura Pritchett's play, 'Dirt, A Terra Nova Expedition,' to open at Bas Bleu Thursday". The Rocky Mountain Collegian. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
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