October 19, 2024
Jane Kirkpatrick was honored with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the Will Rogers Medallion Awards for her contribution to Western literature. Reflecting on her journey, she recalled 1984 when she and her husband, Jerry, moved to their homestead. Seven years later, she published Homestead and thought her writing was done. But another story, A Sweetness to the Soul, called to her, demanding she continue. Forty years and forty books later, Jane is still following that path.
In her acceptance, she humbly acknowledged that the award truly belongs to the remarkable people she’s written about. She also highlighted the legacy of Will Rogers, the beloved Cherokee actor, comedian, and writer who became a prominent public figure in his short life. Five of Jane’s titles have previously won gold medallions from the Will Rogers Medallion Award Foundation, placing her among esteemed company like Longmire author Craig Johnson.
Jane expressed her admiration for the young authors, illustrators, and filmmakers recognized at the event, applauding their courage to follow their creative paths. She shared a short speech, available on her website, and hinted at her next book coming in May. Even after all these years, Jane Kirkpatrick isn’t finished telling stories.
Watch Jane’s Acceptance speech from the event Here or in the video below:
P.S. I often get requests from those wishing a book list of my titles. Incidentally, Wikipedia has some errors. Visit my Bibliography webpage for the real scoop.