“Epic in scope and meticulous in the telling, this is a thoroughly considered, consummately rendered and timely testament to immigrant life and hard-scrabble existence in the face of avaricious progress and covetous venture. A compelling, evocative and ambitious paean to the human spirit and togetherness; to grit and defiance and resilience; to the scrape and chisel to be from a place.”
—Alan McMonagle, author of Ithaca and Laura Cassidy’s Walk of Fame“Readers who love stories about extraordinary women, the histories of labor, Irish Immigrant stories, and the American West will love The Sleepers!”
—Sarah Valentine, PhD, author of When I Was White: A Memoir, and Decoding the Devil: Black Women and The Secret War Against Stalin’s Bomb
“A beautifully inviting, immersive portrait. Sturdevant excels at showing how economic hardship, labor organization, and family bonds intersect in the daily lives of working people. It feels personal. She is one of the most talented storytellers of our generation.”
—Shannon O’Neill, Chicago playwright and winner of The Jeff Award for Best New Work: The Kelly Girls
“Reads like a painting; beautiful dialogue, tensions hang over this novel like icicles.”
—James Walsh, University of Colorado Denver, Professor of Political Science
“But this mountain will not leave me alone, wanting not only sweet soft words but everything I have left, which is not so much really.”
—C.A. Davids, How to be a Revolutionary (Verso Books, 2023)
Sturdevant’s writing ranges widely in form. Her poetry, essays, and short stories include several Best of the Net and Pushcart nominations, and she has been a finalist for The Montana Prize for Fiction. As a Western Federation of Miners Union scholar, Sturdevant writes to explore class consciousness and shared power.
Her work consistently serves as a study of place and environment, focusing on the landscapes and histories of the Rocky Mountain West and Midwest.
Her forthcoming novel (Regal House, 2026) is based on a true historical event: a year-long silver-mining strike in 1896 in the central Rocky Mountains. Her research has taken her to the Lake County Public Library Archives and the Western Federation of Miners' Unions Archives at the University of Colorado Boulder.
Awards, Professional Development, Recognition
Finalist, The Mary Blinn Prize in Poetry, After Hours Press, September 2025.
Pushcart nominee, poetry, The Goodlife Review, October 2025.
Speaker, History of Colorado Exhibition Opening: Unearthed. Voices of Leadville’s Shanty Irish. Leadville Colorado, Sept. 2023
Participant, Mesa Verde Writer’s Conference, Mancos Colorado, 2023.
Participant, The Clearing Folk School, Poetry Course. Door County Wisconsin. Summer 2022.
Supported Researcher, Western Federation of Miners Union Archives, Norlin Library Rare and Distinctive Collections, University of Colorado Boulder.
Best Small Fiction nominee, SunDog Lit, December 2021
Pushcart nominee, poetry, The Midwest Review, October 2021
Best of the Net nominee, fiction, The Westchester Review, October 2021
Pushcart nominee, poetry, The Lily Poetry Review, September 2020
Semi-finalist, flash fiction, The Chestnut Review Summer Fiction Contest, 2021
Finalist, poetry, Three Mile Harbor Press Chapbook Contest, February 2021
Honorable Mention, Connecticut River Review Annual Poetry Contest, October 2020
Second Place, Westerns, The League of Utah Writers, August 2019
Finalist, The Montana Prize for Fiction, Cutbank, 2019
Winner, New Millennium Writings Fiction Contest Winner, October 2017
Top 25 Emerging Writers, Glimmer Train Press, October 2017
Recent Work
Americana
Excited for this poem to appear in (rednoisecollective.com). Will post when I receive the print copy!
View from an Indiana Window
Poem available in (rednoisecollective.com). Will post when print copy arrives!