The University Libraries is pleased to extend a warm invitation to the University community, donors, friends, literary lovers and Northern Nevada community members alike as it gears up to host and celebrate the 38th Annual Nevada Writers Hall of Fame. The 2025 event will honor inductee and Silver Pen awardee .
Dean of University Libraries Catherine Cardwell will host this year’s event, scheduled for Nov. 7, at 7 p.m. inside the Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center’s Marilyn R. Melton Nevada Writers Hall of Fame Gallery, the Leslie Harvey and Robert George Whittemore Tower Entry and Reception Gallery, and Wells Fargo Auditorium, .
The event program includes a welcome and introductions from Dean Cardwell. Next will be a remembrance of Joan Zenan, longtime librarian, founding director of the Savitt Medical Library, University Libraries supporter and Friend of the Libraries. 2025 honorees Keene and Katsimbras will give remarks and do brief readings of their work. Wine and desserts will be served after the program. The Radical Cat bookstore will be on site handling book sales. Both Keene and Katsimbras will be available to sign books after the formal program.
per person in advance. Free parking for the duration of the event will be available in the . For more information contact Maggie Ressel by email or 775-682-5653.
What is the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame?
The Nevada Writers Hall of Fame was established in 1988 through the vision of Marilyn Melton, former President of the Friends of the University Libraries. Melton was interested in creating this distinguished Hall of Fame guided by two principal objectives. The first, to create an annual event that honors Nevada’s most distinguished literary figures. And, the second, to foster a culture of excellence among emerging writers throughout the Silver State.
Induction into the Hall of Fame is a prestigious recognition, awarded to individuals who have garnered commercial success and critical acclaim and demonstrate a meaningful connection to Nevada—either through writing themes or resident and community engagement. Their literary contributions consist of a substantial and high-quality body of work.
In 1996, Larry Struve founded the Silver Pen Award as an extension of the Hall of Fame’s mission. This award recognizes mid-career writers who reside in or write about Nevada and who have already achieved notable success for their work. It serves not only to honor the recipients’ talent but also to inspire continued excellence among both emerging and mid-career writers.
Get to Know 2025 Nevada Writers Hall of Fame Inductee Jarret Keene
Jarret Keene is an assistant professor in the Department of English at UNLV, where he teaches fiction writing, American literature, and the history of the graphic novel. He is the series editor for Las Vegas Writes, sponsored by Nevada Humanities and published by Huntington Press. He is the author of the dystopian adventure novel Hammer of the Dogs (University of Nevada Press), and the middle grade books Decide and Survive: The Attack on Pearl Harbor, Decide and Survive: The Battle of Gettysburg, and Heroes of World War II: 25 True Stories of Unsung Heroes Who Fought for Freedom, published by Bushel & Peck. Keene’s Kid Crimson trilogy of Western novels was published in 2024 by Wolfpack Publishing. His latest book is the story collection Gateways to Annihilation, published by Dark Wolf in 2025. Keene has been interviewed by Writer’s Digest, Publisher’s Weekly, EcoTheo Review, Library Thing, Black Fox Literary Magazine, and Coast to Coast AM.
Writers as Architects of Imagination
When asked to reflect on his career after learning of his approaching induction into the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame, Keene said that early on, from a very young age, he viewed writers as architects of imagination. He was fascinated by old TV show and comic book story credits.
“I’d watch the names that flashed by at the end of old TV shows and comic books, studying who created the stories I loved. I knew, for example, that Rod Serling was both a screenwriter and the visionary behind The Twilight Zone,” Keene said. “I recognized that Jack Kirby wasn’t just an artist but a world-builder—a storyteller with a pencil. That awareness—of writers as architects of imagination—never left me.”
The road to getting published was long. Keene said it took hundreds – maybe thousands – of hours writing, failing, and trying again. He wrote as often as he could. Thinking back on that time he said, “there is no substitute for time spent at the keyboard.”
Much like Keene did for himself, he encourages other writers to carve out time for themselves: a space, sit down, and write your world into being.
“I wrote CD reviews, band interviews, essays – anything that would get my name in print,” he said. “Each small publication, each byline, was a spark that kept me going. Every minor success built confidence and momentum until I finally had a book in hand.”
Monster Fashion was Keene’s first published book. It was a collection of poetry he had written while earning his Ph.D. in English. Keene said he mailed his manuscript to a hundred publishers in the year 2000. Ninety-nine rejection letters later, an indie press in San Francisco – Manic D Press – took a chance on him.
“That moment changed everything for me,” Keene said. “I toured the country doing readings from Los Angeles to Boston, signing books in indie stores, and meeting with readers face-to-face. It was an exhilarating time when literary culture still relied on word-of-mouth and personal connection. Those days taught me how much human connection matters in the literary world.”
Keene describes his books and stories as imaginative, excessive, and fun. He draws inspiration from the great American storytellers who combined intellect with wild imagination: Edgar Allan Poe, Ray Bradbury, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Shirley Jackson, Stan Lee, Leigh Brackett, Robert E. Howard, Flannery O’Connor, H.P. Lovecraft, Zane Grey, Louis L’Amour, and Mickey Spillane.
He is especially inspired by the pre-Internet era of science fiction and fantasy—those pulpy magazines, drive-in movies, and paperback adventures that sparked entire generations of dreamers.
“My readers tend to be kindred spirits: people who love the smell of old books, the hum of a VHS tape, and the crackle of a vinyl record,” Keene said. “They crave a rousing adventure told with imagination, humor, and a touch of darkness. That’s the kind of experience I strive to give them.”
Keene is currently working on a trilogy of superhero novels for Dark Wolf Books—set in Las Vegas. The trilogy has everything a great superhero saga needs: Area 51, the Strip, the Mob, the military installations, the nuke-testing sites, and that vast, mysterious desert stretching in every direction. The trilogy is about young people gifted with extraordinary—and sometimes terrible—powers, trying to find their place in a world as strange as ours. Keene said these books are his love letter to comic books, pulp heroes, and the weird, wonderful mythology of Nevada.
“I can’t wait to share these characters with readers and, hopefully, make them proud that they came from the Silver State,” he said.
A Writers Hall of Fame member
When Keene learned he’d been selected as the 2025 Nevada Writers Hall of Fame Inductee, he said he felt an immense sense of surprise and responsibility.
“My first reaction was utter surprise. Then it hit me that I shouldn’t be too surprised – Nevada has always had an extraordinarily supportive literary community, full of people who look out for one another. This recognition tells me that what I’ve been doing all these years matters to readers and to Nevada’s creative community. It is both humbling and energizing!
“To celebrate this honor, I plan to sign another book contract as a way to keep the creative energy flowing and continue contributing to Nevada’s literary legacy. I’ll be celebrating in Reno with my writer friends, and again in Southern Nevada with a dinner gathering after the Las Vegas Book Festival, sponsored by the City of Las Vegas. It feels right to mark this milestone surrounded by the people and places that have shaped my writing life.”
Keene acknowledges and wants to thank those who have supported his career and helped him in his journey.
“My journey as a writer was made possible by the extraordinary people who make up Nevada’s literary ecosystem. I owe deep gratitude to Bobbie Ann Howell, Christina Barr, Geoff Schumacher, Scott Dickensheets, Deke Castleman, Tanya Maynard, Pj Perez, Mike Prevatt, Heidi Kyser, Cindi Reed, John L. Smith, Steve Sebelius, Cathy Scott, Matt O’Brien, Phil Hagen, Sally Denton, Gary Totten, John Hay, Mark Lenker, Manic D Press, Bushel & Peck Books, Huntington Press, Nevada Humanities, University of Nevada Press, and Wolfpack Publishing.
“Each of them, in their own way, nurtured my work and my confidence — often when I least deserved it. I’ve been lucky to live and write in a state where the creative community genuinely supports its artists. That spirit of generosity is Nevada’s secret ingredient.”
To learn more about the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame and past Inductees and Awardees .
