D. West
(July 8, 1945 – September 25, 2015)
Donald West – Don to friends – who used a byline of only his first initial, was a fan artist and fan writer known for his mordant sense of humor and dry wit. He was a "Yorkshire lad" who was "skinny as a lath, with a straggly beard and usually a roll-up." In later life his partner was Hazel Ashworth West.
His work appeared in numerous fanzines and he won the Nova Award for Best Fan Artist eleven times between 1984 and 2014 as well as the Nova for Best Fan Writer in 1987. In 2011, he declined the Rotsler Award, claiming Bill Rotsler did “harm” by “artistic dumbing-down” and that he didn’t care to be associated with him.
West was nominated for the 1979 Best Fan Writer Hugo, the 1987 Best Fan Writer Hugo, and for the 1999 Best Fan Artist Hugo. He also won 4 FAAn Awards.
In 1984, he ran for TAFF against Rob Hansen and lost; through no fault of his own (he accepted defeat philosophically and with apparent relief) this was one of the triggers of the 1980s TAFF Wars.
In the 1970s, he created the Astral Leauge (sic) in Leeds. His work appeared in Ansible, Banana Wings, Chunga, Drilkjis, Izzard, Lip, Tappen and many other zines.
Awards, Honors and GoHships:
- 1979 -- Best Fan Writer Hugo nominee
- 1987 -- Nova Award for Best Fan Writer, Best Fan Writer Hugo nominee
- 1999 -- Best Fan Artist Hugo nominee
- 2010 -- Past president of the FWA
- 2011 -- Rotsler Award (West declined the award)
- 11 Nova Awards for Best Fan Artist between 1984 and 2014
- 4 FAAn Awards.
| Person | 1945—2015 |
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