 "The
Best Cowboy Poetry" tops the cover of the April/May,
2010 issue of American
Cowboy magazine, and inside three April gatherings are
highlighted in a brief article: the Santa
Clarita Cowboy Festival (Santa Clarita, California), the
Columbia River Cowboy Gathering & Music
Festival (Kennewick, Washington); and the
St. Anthony Cowboy Poetry Gathering
(St. Anthony, Idaho). Cowboy poets Yvonne Hollenbeck,
Pat Richardson,
Sam DeLeeuw,
B.J. Smith, Layle Bagley, and
Don Kennington are mentioned.A
letter in the "mailbag" asks why cowboy poetry is no longer included in
the magazine, and the magazine responds, "Our new format does not
accommodate regular publication of poetry (editing fiction is not our
expertise), but here's a nice piece of writing..." and includes
R. V. Schmidt's short poem, "Rodeo
Cowboy."
The issue includes music, book, and DVD reviews. Music reviews include
those of Unwired by Wylie & the Wild West,
Lone Cowboy by Michael Martin Murphey, Herdin' Cats
by The Saddle Cats, and other new releases.
Find articles from past issues and web-exclusive features at the
American Cowboy web site.
Posted 3/15
Find
Cowboy Poetry Week news
here.
Lorraine d'Entremont Rawls has captured the
story of the French cowboys of the Camargue area of Provence in a rich,
compelling film now available on DVD, Gardian Nation. Filmed
and edited by Gail Steiger, Gardian
Nation is described:
At the mouth of the Rhone river, in the Camargue area of Provence,
one sees white horses, black bulls, pink flamingos and a small group of
herdsmen known as gardians; France's own cowboys. In this marsh
covered land, the gardians, like many horse cultures, are trying
to hold tight to a rapidly declining way of life. This is their story,
of hard work and creativity to keep their passion for horses, cattle,
nature and Provence itself alive.
With a focus on generations of one family's involvement in the culture,
their story is told against scenes of their ranching life and preparations
for the centuries' old "bull race" competitions. One French
commentator compares the scope of the largest event to the National Finals Rodeo,
and the film
captures the pageantry of the races and excitement of the bull ring
(unlike "bullfighting," a wild bull challenges a dozen "bull racers" who
vie for the tassels and strings on the bull's horns; no blood is shed,
each bull works for only 15 minutes, and it is a show of skill, grace, and
speed).
Though the some of the traditions go back centuries, much about the
gardian
world is relatively recent. At the turn of the 19th century, inspired by
regional pride at a time when official France was attempting to stamp out
regionalism and impressed by the American West, one man, Marquis Folco de
Baroncelli de Javon (1869-1943), is credited with resurrecting the culture
and inspiring the look and activities of the
gardian
as they are today. The film tells (and shows, with vintage stills) that he
housed the Sioux Indians of Buffalo Bill's Wild West show in the early
1900s; he saw them as he saw the
gardian, threatened with extinction by
the forces of a majority culture.
The gardian culture was a focus of the Western
Folklife Center' s National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in 2007.
The family of Patrick and Estelle Laurent—who were at the
gathering—is
the family featured in
Gardian Nation. Viewers
get to know other
gardian,
some bull race competitors, and others involved with the
culture.
The Gitano Family,
traditional gypsy musicians who were also at the 2007 gathering, are
featured in the film and also in separate bonus performance
footage on the DVD.
History and modernity link French and American cowboy
culture and the film offers much to consider about the
establishment and fates of both. T hose
everywhere who care about ranching cultures will come away
impressed by the people of the
Camargue
and the art and vision of the filmmakers.
Film producer Lorraine
d'Entremont Rawls is also the co-author of
Wild Provence.
She has created a traveling museum exhibit and leads travelers
to the region. Find more information at
gardiannation.com and
see our news item here
for order information.
Posted 3/4
The
National Cowboy
and Western Heritage Museum
has announced the recipients of its prestigious
Western Heritage Award,
the "Wrangler
Award." From
their
media release:
For the 49th time, the
National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum announces the
Western Heritage Awards. The awards honor and encourage the
legacy of those whose works in literature, music, film and
television reflect the significant stories of the American
West.
The Western Heritage
Awards are presented at a black-tie banquet at the Museum,
set for April 17, 2010. Each winner in attendance receives a
Wrangler, an impressive bronze sculpture of a cowboy on
horseback. Awards presented in 2010 are for works completed
in 2009. Qualified professionals outside the Museum staff
judge all categories.
The awards announced are (some with the
museum's comments):
Western Music Awards
Outstanding New Artist:
Steve Moulton, Cowboys & Campfires. "This award is
given to someone in the first five years of their career,
who has never received a Wrangler in an individual category
and is striving to continue to produce music of the Western
genre. When Moulton isn’t ranching or building custom
furniture, he entertains weekly at the A Bar A Guest Ranch,
near Encampment, Wyoming. He sings and plays both mandolin
and guitar and serves as president of the Grand Encampment
Cowboy Gathering, performs there and also at the Heber City
Cowboy Gathering. Moulton’s first CD includes his original
song, “Steamboat,” a musical story of the great Wyoming
bucking horse. His great grandfather, Guy Holt, is one of
the few cowboys to ride the horse."
Outstanding Original Composition:
“The Great Western
Trail” by LeRoy Jones, composed by Dave Copenhaver, Terry
Scarberry and LeRoy Jones. "Off the album “Looking Back,”
the song tells the tale of a cattle drive from Texas to
Kansas and conjures up memories of the old West. The entire
album combines authentic Western music with song about
gathering, branding, letters home and the dangers of trail
life."
Outstanding Traditional Western Album:
Welcome to the Tribe, recorded by Andy Wilkinson and
Andy Hedges and produced by Lloyd Maines and Andy Wilkinson.
"This new album joins singers/songwriters Wilkinson and
Hedges and the combination results in a classic Western
album. Both Andys are poets, songwriters and
performers—making this album inspirational. This CD offers a
mix of classic songs with new arrangements and a fresh set
of original music. Make sure to read the liner notes which
add meaning to each of the melodies." [Read more in the news
item below]
Literary Awards
Outstanding Western Novel:
The Sundown Chaser by Dusty Richards
Outstanding Nonfiction Book:
The Last Indian War: The Nez Perce Story by Elliott
West
Outstanding Art Book:
The Masterworks of
Charles M. Russell: A Retrospective of Paintings and
Sculpture by Joan Carpenter Troccoli
Outstanding Photography Book:
Ghost Ranch and the Faraway Nearby
by
Craig Varjabedian
Outstanding Juvenile Book:
Bull Rider by
Suzanne Morgan Williams
Outstanding Magazine Article:
“My Heart Now Has Become Changed to Softer Feelings, A
Northern Cheyenne Woman and Her Family Remember the Long
Journey Home” by
John H. Monnett,
published in
Montana, The Magazine of Western History
Outstanding Poetry Book:
Work Is Love Made Visible by Jeanetta Calhoun Mish
Film
and Television
Outstanding Docudrama:
“Cowboys & Outlaws: The Real Wyatt Earp” by Half Yard
Productions. Written and directed by Pip Gilmour and
produced by Sean Gallagher, Abby Greensfelder and Paul
Cabana
Outstanding Documentary, Contemporary:
“Born to Ride: Cody
Wright and the Quest for a World Title” by SUTV, Southern
Utah University, produced by Jon Smith, written and directed
by Lyman Hafen and narrated by Wilford Brimley
Outstanding Documentary, Historical,
“She Wrote ‘My Friend Flicka.’ ” Directed by Letitia C.
Langord and produced by Rudy Calvert and Kyle Nicholoff,
Wyoming PBS
Read the entire announcement
here.
[pictured, photo courtesy of the National
Western and Cowboy Heritage Museum: "The coveted Wrangler, a stunning bronze sculpture of a
cowboy on horseback, is presented by the National Cowboy & Western
Heritage Museum in 15 categories of Western music, film, television and
literature in the Western genre." ]
Posted 3/2
The venerable
Dry Crik Review has resumed
publishing in an electronic format, available at
www.drycrikreview.com.
Recognized for its innovation and fearless attention to
writers' "well-crafted and artful insights," the journal is a
collection of important modern Western poetry, prose and
commentary.
Dry Crik Review of
Contemporary Cowboy Poetry, edited by
John Dofflemyer
and published by his Dry Crik Press in Lemon Cove, California,
appeared in print format from
1991-1994. In late 2005 a "lost issue" of Dry Crik Review
became
available through John and Robbin Doffleymer's
blog
at the Western Folklife
Center web site. The blog
also has a list of
available back issues.
The new issue
(Volume VI—2010) includes works by
Joel Nelson, Sylvia Ross,
Paul Zarzyski, Laurie
Wagner Buyer, Charles Potts, Matthew Rangel,
Amy Hale Auker, Linda
M. Hasselstrom, Andy Wilkinson, Ted Waddell,
Trudy Wischemann, and Linda Hussa.
The Dry Crik Review
web site
states that it aims to be "an
eclectic site that offers poetry, prose and potentially other
mediums and forms of art from rural cultures, with particular
prejudice for contemporary expression from the American West."
Currently, unsolicited submissions are not accepted.
See our feature
here that includes a collective
index of authors, poems, and prose
for the print versions and the "lost issue."
Read the entire new issue
at
www.drycrikreview.com.
[image:
Fall 1991 issue, Volume 1, Number 4, cover by Lesley Fry]
Posted 2/23
Respected Western artist
Bob Coronato is the featured
artist at the
20th annual
Cattlemen's Western Art Show in Paso Robles,
California, March 26-28, 2010. His painting,
"Where does a cowboy go,... when there's no more range left to ride,"
is featured in the show's advertising.
Bob Coronato lives part of
the year in Hulett, Wyoming—where he is the proprietor of "The Rogues
Gallery," which he calls "my little shop,...studio and freak show"—and the
other part of the year in Atascadero, California. An East Coast native, he
headed to Wyoming after art school, and his working ranch experience
gained there is at the heart of his work.
His painting, "The Horse Wrangler Gather’d The Morning Mounts: 'One
That Had’n Lived The Life ... Couldn’t Paint a Picture ...To Please The Eye,
of One That Had!'" was the image on the official poster for Cowboy Poetry
Week, 2009 and the subject of a related
Art Spur. See our feature
about Bob Coronato here.
See the Cattlemen's Western Art Show feature
about Bob Coronato
here on their web site.
[Image: "Where does a cowboy
go,... when there's no more range left to ride"; Oil on
canvas, 35 1/8" x 59 1 /8"; © 2008, Bob Coronato, All rights
reserved; reproduction prohibited without express written
permission]
Posted 2/22
We're honored to have the work of premier Western artist
Bill Owen—his
painting "Born to
This Land
" —featured
as the ninth annual
Cowboy Poetry Week
poster. The painting's title is from an outstanding poem
by
past Texas Poet
Laureate,
singer, songwriter, radio and television host, and entertainer
Red Steagall (a poem that was included on the first
edition of
The BAR-D Roundup).
"Born
to This Land" © 1992, by Bill Owen,
www.BillOwenCA.com
Bill Owen (www.billowenca.com), son of a cowboy, is celebrated for his
realistic portrayals of contemporary cowboys and ranchers. He
is a member of the prestigious
Cowboy Artists of America (CA).
He has received numerous awards from the CA, and among other
honors, has received the
Frederic
Remington Award for Artistic Merit by the Cowboy
Hall of Fame (now the
National Cowboy &
Western Heritage Museum
); the
Prix de West Invitational
Show Express Ranches Great American Cowboy Award
from the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum; and the
C. M. Russell Art Auction Honorary
Chairmen’s Award.
Bill Owen founded The Arizona Cowpuncher's
Scholarship Organization, which helps finance college
educations for young people from Arizona ranching families.
The artist comments on his painting, "The title
of this painting is taken from a poem by my friend, Red
Steagall. Fathers often teach the cowboy profession, which
includes respect for the land, to their youngsters." The work
depicts a Northern Arizona rancher and his son "seen enjoying
each other’s company while waiting for the last few head of
cattle to arrive at the hold up.”
Bill Owen is featured in a cover story in
Art of the West magazine
(September/October 2009).
Cowboy Poetry
Week (April 18-24, 2010)—officially recognized by
unanimous resolution of the United States Senate and
22 states' governors—is
celebrated in communities across the West. The annual event,
with a special focus on rural libraries, is held in
conjunction with National Poetry Month in the United States
and Canada. Read more here about Cowboy Poetry Week.
Previous years'
Cowboy Poetry Week poster artists include Tim Cox,
Joelle Smith, William
Matthews, and Bob Coronato
(see past posters here). Posters are sent to hundreds of
libraries as a part of the Center’s outreach
Rural Library
Project, along with an annual compilation CD of classic and
contemporary poetry, The BAR-D Roundup. Each volume
in the growing archive includes today's top poets and vintage
selections of recordings by popular past masters in their own
voices, including Robert Service, Badger Clark, Buck
Ramsey, Gail I. Gardner, and others
Posters are not sold, but are available to Center
supporters. Find more information below.
[Image: "Born to This Land" © 1992, by Bill Owen,
www.BillOwenCA.com;
reproduction without the artist's permission prohibited]
Each year, thanks to individuals and gathering
organizers, many thousands of CowboyPoetry.com information cards are
distributed at gatherings and events. There are two new 2010 information cards:
One is the image selected as the cover for the 2010
CD,
The BAR-D Roundup: Volume Five,
a
circa 1940 photograph of Georgie Sicking,
cowboy, poet, and Cowgirl Hall of Fame Inductee. Georgie told us
it was taken at a "traveling show," when she was on her first
date with the man who became her husband.
(CD available in April, 2010)
Another features
Bill Owen's painting, "Born to This Land," chosen as the image for the
2010
Cowboy Poetry
Week
poster (available in April, 2010).
The reverse sides of the
postcards have information about the Center for
Western and Cowboy Poetry and CowboyPoetry.com. Find larger views,
the reverse-side text, and previous years' cards
here. See a list
here of gatherings,
organizations, and
individuals who are helping to spread the word by making CowboyPoetry.com
information cards available.
Help spread the
word! Email us us for a
supply of handout postcards about CowboyPoetry.com for your event
and places in your community.
Additional recent news items continued
here...
Andy Hedges' and Andy Wilkinson's Welcome to the
Tribe wins Wrangler Award; Autry Museum presents Home
Lands: How Women Made the West;
Georgia O’Keeffe and the Faraway: Nature and Image
at National Cowgirl Museum;
Pendleton Round-up at 100;
Ramblin' Jack receives GRAMMY; National
Cowboy Poetry Gathering; Don
Edwards' Chester A. Reynolds Award;
The Poetry of Larry McWhorter
CDs;
Cowgirl Up! Art from the Other Half of the West; The
National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
The Guitar: Art, Artists and Artisans;
Joel Nelson;
and
much more...
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United
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