|
 |
|
Way Of Life
Like snowflakes in blizzards,
change comes thick and fast,
Obliterates landmarks
that link to the past.
We need tell our stories,
share memories amassed,
To help those who follow
ride out the storm's blastby Jane Morton. written for Cowboy Poetry Week, 2007
read her poem written for earlier Cowboy Poetry Week celebrations here
2008 Cowboy Poetry Week activities (on page 2)
Selections for Reading and Listening:
Contemporary Anthologies, Books, Recordings and More
Classic Cowboy PoetsPage two:
2008 Cowboy Poetry Week activities (on page 2)
Cowboy Poetry Week proclamations, recognitions, and declarations
have been received from the governors of
Utah, Nevada, Washington, Montana,
South Dakota, Georgia, Missouri, Colorado
Arizona, Idaho, Wyoming, Texas,
North Carolina, California, Minnesota, Oklahoma
Oregon, New Mexico, North Dakota, Kansas
The Mayors of Spearfish, South Dakota, Safford, Arizona, and Liberal, Kansas have also issued proclamations recognizing Cowboy Poetry Week; Nevada Senator Ensign issued a declaration of recognition; and United States Senate Majority Leader and Nevada Senator Harry Reid issued a letter of recognition.
Some examples of official recognition:
2008
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Recognizes Cowboy Poetry Week
Proclamation from Governor Rick Perry of Texas:
The great philosopher Plato once said, "Poetry comes nearer to vital truth than history." Throughout the history of the American West, and especially the history of Texas, cowboy poets have played a large part in preserving western heritage and culture through oral and written poetry. While history books inform us of the past, cowboy poetry has allowed us to truly experience the past.
Through cowboy poetry, we have been allowed into the emotions and thoughts of those making history. We can feel the excitement, sympathize through hardships and hear their hopes and dreams. Cowboy poets have inspired and informed, bringing to their many fans education, art, and the best of our heritage and history.
Just as the cowboy way of life has been passed from generation to generation, cowboy poetry continues to transcend time as well. Through festivals held across the Lone Star State, this art work is sure to inspire future generations of cowboys and poets.
To emphasize the importance of cowboy poetry and the many contributions of cowboy poets, an educational campaign is being conducted during the month of April.
At this time, I encourage all Texans to participate and join in the celebration, By encouraging a love of history, reading and storytelling through cowboy poetry, we highlight the best of Texas.
Therefore, I, Rick Perry, Governor of Texas, do hereby proclaim April 20-26, 2008
View the proclamation here.
2007
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Recognizes Cowboy Poetry Week
April 15, 2007
Center for Western and Cowboy PoetryIt's a pleasure and honor to send my warmest greetings to all who are observing Cowboy Poetry Week.
Ever since the days of the "Old West," people around the world have been captivated by the life and times of the cowboy. Steeped in folklore, stories about cowboys are an indelible part of our nation's heritage. California also celebrates its own rich cowboy history, dating back to Spanish colonial times when skilled vaqueros rode across this land.
Much has been written about cowboys—both those who rode in frontier times and those who still ride and ranch today—and this week provides a special opportunity to enjoy and learn more about these unique works. I commend all those whose dedicated efforts not only help preserve these writings, but promote an ongoing artistic appreciation of cowboy culture.
On behalf of all Californians, please accept my gratitude for your contributions to the arts and my best wishes for an enjoyable observance.
2007
Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue Proclaims Cowboy Poetry Week
Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue issued a 2007 Cowboy Poetry Week proclamation and is pictured above with Dave Scrogum, Jerry Warren, and Doc Stovall of the Booth Museum of Western Art. Read more here and view the proclamation.
2007
United States Senate Majority Leader, Nevada Senator Harry Reid
Senator Reid comments in a letter recognizing Cowboy Poetry Week in 2007, in part:
"...Cowboy Poetry is an important part of our Western heritage, and the efforts of many Cowboy poets...help preserve this valuable tradition...I will also work to honor this important tradition in the United States Senate...."
2007
Proclamation from Governor Rick Perry of Texas:
During April, enthusiasts across the nation come together to support National Poetry Month.As the Lone Star State joins in celebration, we pause to recognize cowboy poetry and poets.Poetry expresses emotions both fleeting and fixed. An age-old medium, poetry mirrors dreams and disappointments, hopes and joys; altogether, they are treasured sentiments that transcend time.Cowboy poetry inspires and informs, bringing to its many fans education and art and the best of our heritage and history. Throughout the history of the American West, and especially the history of Texas, cowboy poets have played a large part in preserving western heritage and culture through oral and written poetry.At this time, therefore, I encourage all Texans to join in celebrating cowboy poetry and its contributions to the best of Texas.Therefore, I, Rick Perry, Governor of Texas, do hereby proclaim April 15-21, 2007,
View the entire proclamation here.
2006
Proclamation from Governor Jon Huntsman of Utah
Utah Governor Jon M. Huntsman, Jr. met with members of the Cowboy Poets of Utah and signed a state Cowboy Poetry Week proclamation on April 7, 2006. In attendance were Phil Kennington, Jo Lynne Kirkwood, Terri Taylor, Kathie Kern, Sam DeLeeuw, Paul Kern, Steve Taylor, Rod Miller, Val Carter, and Curly Syndergaard. See more photos and the proclamation here.
Proclamation from Mayor Jerry Krambeck of Spearfish, South Dakota
Photo by Heather M. Murschel, Managing Editor, Black Hills Pioneer, Spearfish, South DakotaSpearfish, South Dakota Mayor Jerry Krambeck presents the city's Official Cowboy Poetry Week Proclamation to Heritage of the American West Director, Francie Ganje. The community's western legacy, with its slogan of "Best In The West," is the basis of the poem, "Queen of the Cowtowns," by Yvonne Hollenbeck, included in her book, From My Window.Francie Ganjie has also obtained a 2008 proclamation from South Dakota Governor M. Michael Rounds. In 2006, she was the first to pursue a governor's proclamation and to inspire others to do so. See both proclamations here.
Read about other official recognition and news for Cowboy Poetry Week, 2008, here.
Rural Library Project
The Rural Library Project is an important outreach program for Cowboy Poetry Week, conducted as a part of the Center for Western and Cowboy Poetry's mission to serve rural communities as it works to preserve and promote cowboy poetry and Western heritage.
In 2008, libraries in the following states and provinces received posters and an invitation for a complimentary copy of The BAR-D Roundup: Volume III (2008): Alberta, Arizona, British Columbia, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Ontario, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.
The production of The BAR-D Roundup, the Cowboy Poetry Week poster, and other Cowboy Poetry Week activities are made possible by the generous funding support from the Center for Western and Cowboy Poetry's sustaining donors.
To suggest a library for inclusion in the Rural Library Project, please email us the complete library address. We particularly like to add libraries that serve ranching communities.
Cowboy Poetry Week Art
Reproduction prohibited without express written permission
"Waxed Jacket"
© 2006, William Matthews, www.williammatthewsgallery.com
We are honored to have master painter, designer, and musician William Matthews' painting, "Waxed Jacket," as the 2008 Cowboy Poetry Week poster art.
Matthews has been called "today's Frederic Remington." He earns praise from Western Folklife Center Founding Director Hal Cannon, "William Matthews fashions water and color to evoke the billow of a cowboy's shirt at full gallop, the patina of a well-used saddle, the blistering mirage of Nevada. Simply put, he sees the West with new eyes." Cowboy poet and buckaroo Waddie Mitchell comments, "Willy's work is so dead right and real, a buckaroo can see what is beyond either side of the painting."
William Matthews' work has been featured in gathering posters for the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, the Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival, the Southeastern Cowboy Festival and Symposium, and others. He has painted Don Edwards, Randy Rieman, Waddie Mitchell, R. W. Hampton, Wallace McRae, and many other cowboys and ranchers. Some of those images are included in his landmark 1993 book, Cowboys and Images.
William Matthews' sumptuous new book, Working the West, includes 180 color plates of his Western subjects. The publisher describes the book, "Watercolorist William Matthews has long been hailed as the preeminent painter of the American West. In this new collection of 180 staggering paintings, he captures the full range of western experience: endless skies, high plains, the last working cowboys, the Navajo, the mystique of the Living Desert. Steeped in introspection and connected to land, tradition, and identity, Matthews' work evokes a place that is authentic, anachronistic, and dynamic."
Learn more about William Matthews at his web site: www.williammatthewsgallery.com.
Cowboy Poetry Week posters are not sold. They are offered to libraries in our Rural Library Project and to supporters of the Center for Western and Cowboy Poetry, which sponsors CowboyPoetry.com, Cowboy Poetry Week, the Rural Library project, and all of our programs.
The 2008 poster was printed by Arizona Lithographers in Tucson, Arizona.
2008
Reproduction prohibited without express written permission
"At His Own Pace" by Tim CoxWe were honored to have top Western artist Tim Cox' painting, "At His Own Pace," as the 2007 Cowboy Poetry Week poster art.
Tim Cox is one of the best known western artists in America. His depiction of the contemporary western cowboy, rancher and the modern southwest strikes a familiar note with thousands of people.
Tim Cox comments on this painting: "This depicts a ranch hand on the T-4 Ranch near Tucumcari, New Mexico. This is during fall works and we were always taught that the fastest way to work cows is slow: at his own pace."Cowboy Poetry Week posters are not sold. They are offered to libraries in our Rural Library Project and to supporters of the Center for Western and Cowboy Poetry, which sponsors CowboyPoetry.com, Cowboy Poetry Week, the Rural Library project, and all of our programs. Read more about Tim Cox in our feature here and at his web site: www.TimCox.com.
The 2007 poster was printed by Arizona Lithographers in Tucson, Arizona.
2006
It was a privilege to have the late Joelle Smith's "Heading Home" as the painting for the 2006 Cowboy Poetry Week poster.
A notable Western artist, Joelle Smith was invited to display her work at the 2006 Prix de West at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum before her death in August, 2005, an accomplishment she strived for during her entire career. Her work is familiar to many in the posters she has done for Cowboy Poetry and Music Gatherings, including the Santa Clarita Cowboy Poetry And Music Festival, the Monterey Cowboy Poetry and Music Festival, the Visalia Roundup; for the Cowgirl Hall of Fame; and for Western music albums, including those for Don Edwards, Lorraine Rawls, and Wylie and the Wild West. Joelle Smith's "Heading Home" is also the cover art for The Bar-D Roundup, a 2006 compilation CD of classic and contemporary cowboy poetry from CowboyPoetry.com.
Read more about Joelle Smith and her art here, along with some tributes to her life, and see more of her art at www.JoelleSmith.com.
2005
The photograph for our Cowboy Poetry Week poster in 2005 was "Ridin' Out" by Kent Rollins, Oklahoma photographer, cowboy, rancher, award-winning storyteller, poet, and noted chuckwagon cook.
2004
The painting for our Cowboy Poetry Week 2004 poster was "Dust 'n Tails" by Utah artist Julie Rogers.
2003
The painting for our Cowboy Poetry Week poster for 2003 was "Best Laid Plans," by Arizona artist Bill Anton.
2002
There was no poster in 2002.
Favorite Cowboy and Western Poems Project
We launched our Favorite Cowboy and Western Poems Project in conjunction with Cowboy and Western Poetry Week, which we celebrate the third week of April each year, during National Poetry Month.
In part, the inspiration for this project came from The Favorite Poem Project by former United States Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky. In that project's first year, over 18,000 Americans responded. A selection of those responses were recorded on audio and videotape.
Read about the poems our visitors have named as their favorites here.
We invite you to tell us about your favorite classic or contemporary Western or Cowboy poem.
Simply send an email and tell us:
the name of your favorite Western or Cowboy poem
the author's name
why it's a favorite
your name
Art Spur
It's been said that a picture is worth a thousand words...we know many that are worthy of a poem.
In Art Spur, we invite poets to let selections of contemporary Western art inspire their poetry.
For Cowboy Poetry Week 2008, we have master painter, designer, and musician William Matthews' painting, "Waxed Jacket" to "spur" the imagination. The painting is the image on our 2008 Cowboy Poetry Week poster.
Read more about Art Spur here.
What is Cowboy Poetry?
Now there's a question sure to start a lively conversation among cowboy poets. Is it only rhymed, metered verse? Can only cowboys write it? Read some historical and contemporary commentary on the question (and weigh in yourself if you like) in our feature on the topic here.
Those less familiar with cowboy poetry often have misconceptions about it. In 2001, Professor Tom Mayo, columnist for the Dallas Morning News (who also wrote the foreword to The Big Roundup, our anthology of classic and contemporary Cowboy Poetry) shared his views in his regular column:
Learning the Pleasant Truth About Cowboy Poetry
By Tom Mayo
As National Poetry Month gets under way, it would be easy to write a column about cowboy poetry that was mildly ironic, if not downright sarcastic, and ultimately dismissive of the genre. It would be easy - but it would also be wrong. Here are some of the misconceptions I've been carrying about cowboy poetry, and - by way of expiation - some of the truths I have lately learned.
1. Cowboy poetry is all about heavy metrical patterns and simple (and often forced) rhymes - in short, unsophisticated and simplistic poetry for people who don't like "real poetry. Even if this were true, which it isn't, what would be the problem? As the massive attendance at cowboy poetry festivals attests, this is just as much "people's poetry" as what you would hear at any urban poetry slam, where strong meter and in-your-face rhymes win prizes, not criticisms. The success of cowboy poetry is dependent upon its oral tradition, and that tradition depends on attention to precisely these poetic devices. If this is the kind of cowboy poetry you like, you will love Baxter Black's A Cowful of Cowboy Poetry (Coyote Cowboy Co., $24.95), which features the sardonic poetry and prose of National Public Radio's poet, columnist, philosopher and former large-animal veterinarian.Universal themes
2. Cowboy poetry is to poetry as cowboy cuisine is to cuisine. Or, slightly restated: Cowboy poetry is serviceable, no-frills stuff that more or less resembles the real thing but isn't anything you would serve if you were trying to impress the boss. This myth is related to the first but goes further. It asserts that cowboy poetry succeeds only because its aim is not particularly high. The opposite is true. The themes are universal, with a heavy emphasis on nature, history, folklore, family, friends and work (especially danger and tedium), as well as delight in the language itself. Happily, this lesson has not been lost on the academic community, which last year produced a thoroughly engaging collection of essays titled Cowboy Poets & Cowboy Poetry, edited by David Stanley and Elaine Thatcher (University of Illinois Press, $49.95 hardback, $21.95 paperback). This book demonstrates that even though cowboy poetry tends not to take itself too seriously, it is worthy of serious study.
3. Cowboy poetry lacks diversity. I will assume, for the sake of argument, that most cowboys have been white males and that "cowboy" usually denotes "American West." As a number of essays from the Stanley and Thatcher volume illustrate, however, the cowboy poetry tradition includes Mexican-American cowboys, gauchos, cowboys and loggers of the Pacific Northwest, and the poetry of the Australian bush. The notion that cowboy poetry is exclusionary almost certainly starts with the word "cowboy," which does not on its face allow for the possibility of "cowgirl." Wrong again! A good place to start refuting that myth is this year's Cowgirl Poetry: One Hundred Years of Ridin' and Rhymin', edited by Virginia Bennett (Gibbs Smith, $10.95 paperback). My other strong recommendation in this vein is Graining the Mare: The Poetry of Ranch Women, edited by Teresa Jordan (Gibbs Smith, $14.95 paperback). These are spectacular poems by 35 women ranging in age from their 20s to their 90s; this 1994 book is, unfortunately, already out of stock. Happily, some of the writers featured in Graining the Mare are included in Cowgirl Poetry as well.
Modern as today4. Cowboy poetry is musty stuff about the Old West that lacks any connection to modern life. This is probably not the place to wrestle with my generation's college battle cry, "Make it relevant." Suffice to say that if the poetry of Chaucer or of an anonymous Tombstone madam are not "relevant," the problem probably stems more from the reader's lack of imagination than from any limitations of the writer. Cowboy poetry is not merely a nostalgic stroll down Memory Cowpath, and two anthologies from the past year prove this point nicely. The first is Cowboy Poetry Matters: From Abilene to the Mainstream: Contemporary Cowboy Writing (Story Line Press, $17.95 paperback). The first 200 pages consist mostly of poems by real cowboy (and cowgirl) poets, as well as a few by New Hampshire-ites Donald Hall and Maxine Kumin. The collection concludes with a handful of thought-provoking essays about the genre, most of them (as the book's title suggests) offered as responses to Dana Gioia's classic, "Can Poetry Matter?," which is also included.
The genre gets busted wide open in Poetry of the American West ($18.95 paperback), edited by Alison Hawthorne Deming and published (with 40 stunning photographs) by Columbia University Press. Starting with Nahuatl flower songs of the 15th century Aztecs, this anthology ranges from Walt Whitman to American Indian songs of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, from William Cullen Bryant to D.H. Lawrence and Philip Levine, and from Robinson Jeffers to Allen Ginsberg, Lucille Clifton, Czeslaw Milosz and Juan Felipe Herrera. Cowboy poetry is well represented here, but this collection offers a vast array of poetic responses to the West and the lives that were made and lost there.
© 2001 Thomas Wm. Mayo
Tom Mayo, an associate professor of law at Southern Methodist University, teaches "Law, Literature & Medicine" at the law school and at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School at Dallas.
This article first appeared in the Dallas Morning News, April 1, 2001. It is reprinted with the author's kind permission
Professor Mayo wrote the foreword to our anthology, The Big Roundup, and included the above topics.
Selections for Reading and Listening:
Contemporary Anthologies, Books, Audio, Video, and More
Contemporary Anthologies, Books, Audio, and Video Selections and More
Cowboy poetry volumes abound. Many poets have books and recordings, and there are numerous anthologies. These are just a few of the most popular books and recordings found on cowboy poetry fans' shelves:
The BAR-D Roundup CDs are produced annually by the Center for Western and Cowboy Poetry, which sponsors CowboyPoetry.com. The CDs contain recordings by top poets and reciters performing the best classic and contemporary cowboy poetry.
CDs are released each year as a part pf the Cowboy Poetry Week celebration. They are offered to rural libraries in the Center's Rural Library Project, offered to Center supporters, and are available for purchase. Read more here.
The BAR-D Roundup: Volume Three (2008)
Tracks by Robert Service, Buck Ramsey, Joel Nelson, Red Steagall, Wallace McRae, Paul Zarzyski, Randy Rieman (reciting a Henry Herbert Knibbs poem), Ross Knox (reciting a D.J. O'Malley poem), Jerry Brooks (reciting a Badger Clark poem), Ken Cook, Doris Daley, DW Groethe, Yvonne Hollenbeck, Paul Kern, Linda Kirkpatrick (reciting a Bruce Kiskaddon poem), Deanna McCall, Andy Nelson, Susan Parker (reciting an A. V. Hudson poem), Pat Richardson, Georgie Sicking, Bill Siems (reciting a Curley Fletcher poem), Jay Snider (reciting a Luther A. Lawhon poem), Rhonda Sedgwick Stearns, Hal Swift (reciting a James Barton Adams poem), Mick Vernon (reciting an S. Omar Barker poem), and Smoke Wade.
The BAR-D Roundup: Volume Two (2007)
Tracks by Badger Clark, Joel Nelson, Sunny Hancock, Randy Rieman, Jerry "Brooksie" Brooks (reciting a Katherine Fall Pettey poem), J. B. Allen (reciting a Gail I. Gardner poem), Gail Steiger (reciting a Delia Gist Gardner poem), Buck Ramsey, Doris Daley, Elizabeth Ebert, Paul Zarzyski (reciting an S. Omar Barker poem), Jay Snider, Smoke Wade, Jo Lynne Kirkwood, Peggy Godfrey, Ken Cook, Darrell Arnold, Pat Richardson, DW Groethe, Don Kennington, Kent Rollins, Virginia Bennett, Janice Gilbertson, Rod Nichols, Diane Tribitt, Yvonne Hollenbeck, Jim Thompson (reciting an Arthur Chapman poem), and a radio Public Service Announcement (PSA) by Andy Nelson.
The BAR-D Roundup (2006)
Tracks by Buck Ramsey, Red Steagall, Mark L. Gardner (reciting a Jack Thorp poem), Georgie Sicking, Larry McWhorter, Virginia Bennett, Dennis Gaines, Doris Daley, Chris Isaacs (reciting a Sunny Hancock poem), Pat Richardson, Yvonne Hollenbeck, Colen Sweeten, DW Groethe, Linda Kirkpatrick, Mick Vernon, A. K. Moss, Jay Snider, Jane Morton, Andy Hedges (reciting a Henry Herbert Knibbs poem), Trey Allen (reciting a Bruce Kiskaddon poem), Deanna McCall, Mike Puhallo, "Buckshot Dot" Dee Strickland Johnson, Dick Morton (reciting a Badger Clark poem), Rod Nichols, Andy Nelson, and a radio Public Service Announcement (PSA) by Jim Thompson.
Deep West Videos DVDs are produced by the Western Folklife Center's Taki Telonidis and Founding Director Hal Cannon. They consist of short films made by ranching families. The official description tells that the films feature "...first hand stories rooted in the values of life on the land in first-hand stories of the people of the rural West, living their daily lives on the land. With the tools of digital communication in hand, our filmmakers make simple productions that are relevant, everyday stories of rural life and its values." The collections of short video pieces on the DVDs are accompanied by descriptive notes for each. The DVDs are available from the Western Folklife Center.
Hal Cannon edited these books, which came out of the Western Folklife Center's National Cowboy Poetry Gatherings. Click on the covers for more details (from Amazon) about these books, both published by Gibbs Smith. See our Anthology Index for a complete list of contents.
New Cowboy Poetry : A Contemporary Gathering
In 2004, poet Virginia Bennett edited a volume that was published to coincide with the 20th Anniversary of the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering (our feature here includes the introduction and table of contents):
Virginia Bennett edited a collection of poetry by women, also published by Gibbs Smith. See our Anthology Index for a complete list of contents and our feature about the book here.
Cowgirl Poetry : One Hundred Years of Ridin' and Rhymin'
Cowboy Poets and Cowboy Poetry, edited by David Stanley and Elaine Thatcher, is an indispensable collection of 27 essays about cowboy poetry, published by the University of Illinois Press:
Cowboy Poets and Cowboy Poetry
Cowboy Poetry Matters, a collection of prose and poetry edited by Robert McDowell likewise offers a comprehensive look at the state of the art. See our Anthology Index for a list of the poems and poets in this book.
Cowboy Poetry Matters : From Abilene to the Mainstream : Contemporary Cowboy Writing
In 2007, Open Range; Collected Poems of Bruce Kiskaddon, edited by Bill Siems and perhaps the most important contemporary cowboy poetry book publication in recent times, was released. This monumental 600-page work includes Bruce Kiskaddon's entire poetic output (481 poems); extensive illustrations (including 323 line drawings by Katherine Field, Amber Dunkerley, and others); biographical and historical introductions; prefaces by Hal Cannon, Waddie Mitchell, and Lynn Held; rare photographs, and more. Read more about Open Range, view excerpts and the table of contents, and find order information at the Open Range web site.
Buck Ramsey ~
Hittin' the Trail was released in 2003.
The Smithsonian
Folkways Recordings web site describes their
2004 Wrangler Award winning recording: "Called
the 'spiritual leader of the cowboy poetry movement,' Buck
Ramsey was beloved by his fellow poets and musicians, his 'cowboy
tribe,' and all who knew him. A National Cowboy Poetry Gathering
favorite and recipient of the highest honor bestowed on traditional
folk artists in America, the
National Endowment for the Arts, Ramsey brought traditional cowboy songs to life." He received two Western Heritage Wrangler Awards from the
National Cowboy Hall of Fame (now the National Cowboy and Western Heritage
Museum) for his recordings.
Hal Cannon, founder of the Western Folklife Center, has said that Buck
Ramsey's "... 'Anthem' is probably
thought of as the finest contemporary piece of writing in this
tradition..."See our feature about Buck Ramsey here
and a review of the CD here.
In 2005, Buck Ramsey’s
Grass, With Essays on His Life and Work, a commemorative
edition and CD
edited by Scott Braucher and Bette Ramsey, with a foreword by
Byron Price, was released by Texas Tech University Press. From the publisher's
description, "First published as And As I Rode Out on the Morning,
Buck Ramsey’s epic poem of cowboy life is a classic. In this edition, the
editors have restored the poem’s original title, Grass, and have
gathered insightful commentaries on Ramsey’s work from poets, musicians,
historians, and others devoted to the cowboy way and movement. Completing
the package are Ramsey’s original short story on which he based the poem
and a CD of the original 1990 recording of Ramsey performing Grass in
John Hartford’s home studio in Nashville, introduced by Andy
Wilkinson." Read more here at the publisher's
site. See our feature about Buck Ramsey here.
Spurrin' the Words, a Cowboy Poetry Project from the Montana 4-H Center for Youth Development, is educational and entertaining. The project was supported in part by the Montana Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts, and made possible with the assistance of many others.
, created by Kirk Astroth, Director of the Montana 4-H Center for Youth Development, has a youth guide and an accompanying leader's guide, each with a CD with 13 tracks of classic and contemporary poetry recited by and commented upon by Mike Logan, Gwen Peterson, and Paul Zarzyski. The depth and breadth of the material is impressive, drawing on the best examples of poetry in chapters that address the history of Cowboy Poetry's language, stereotypes about cowboys (with information on American Indian, black, and female cowboys), the basics of rhyme of meter, classic poets, and more. Included are a glossary, a list of resources and references, a directory of poetry gatherings, and many games and activities. See our feature here. Each book is available for just $10 postpaid from the Montana 4-H Center for Youth Development, MSU, 210 Taylor Hall, Bozeman, MT 59717. Specify whether you are ordering the leader's guide or the youth guide.
Released in 2005, the Elko! A Cowboy's Gathering 2-CD set was recorded live in January 2004 at the 20th Annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. It includes nearly 40 tracks of music and poetry by today's top poets and musicians. Read a review here.
The acclaimed Ranch Album video by Gail Steiger, released in 1988, is cited for its insightful portrayal of cowboy life. From the producers' description, "Nationally released as an hour-long PBS special, Ranch Album celebrates rough country ranching in Northern Arizona and shows real cowboy life. Season by season, the people of this film describe what they do and why they do it. In the process, they reveal a sense of something more important—a spirit and culture that have survived in the American west for a very long time."
Released in 2003, this Smithsonian Folkways recording, Cowboy Poetry Classics, includes 24 classic Cowboy poems, delivered by some of today's top poets and reciters. A 20-page booklet includes bios of the classic and contemporary poets; photos of the contemporary poets; some Cowboy Poetry history; and track notes. This CD was compiled, produced, and annotated by David Stanley, editor of Cowboy Poets & Cowboy Poetry.
The classic poets represented are Bruce Kiskaddon, Sharlot Hall, Carlos Ashley, Rhoda Sivell, Charles Badger Clark, S. Omar Barker, Curley Fletcher, D. J. O'Malley, Buck Ramsey, James Barton Adams, Henry Herbert Knibbs, Gail Gardner, and A. B. "Banjo" Paterson. Among the poems are "The Old Night Hawk," "Bob Sears' Chili Joint," "'Purt Near!,'" "The Legend of Boastful Bill," "The Strawberry Roan," "The Sierry Petes," "When You're Throwed," "When They've Finished Shippin' Cattle in the Fall, "Boomer Johnson," "Where the Ponies Come to Drink," "A Cowboy's Soliloquy," and "Anthem."
The reciters are Glenn Ohrlin, Anastacio Castillo, Baxter Black, Red Steagall, Peggy Godfrey, Bill Wood, John Dofflemyer, Paul Zarzyski, Elizabeth Ebert, Ray Lashley, Georgie Sicking, Gail Steiger, Virginia Bennett, Ross Knox, J. B. Allen, Waddie Mitchell, Sunny Hancock, Randy Rieman, Tom Sharpe, Wallace McRae, Milton Taylor, Joel Nelson, Echo Roy, and Doris Daley. You can see the list of tracks at the Smithsonian Folkways site. See the cross-referenced index of poets, poems and reciters in our anthology index.
Joel Nelson's The Breaker in the Pen, was the first Cowboy Poetry recording ever nominated for a Grammy Award. Baxter Black says this recording, produced by Gail Steiger, "raised the bar for Cowboy Poetry for 1000 years." See our feature about Joel Nelson and more about The Breaker in the Pen here.
Ridin' & Rhymin' (2005) is an award-winning documentary by Greg Snider and Dawn Smallman of Far Away Films about female cowboy, poet, now octogenarian Georgie Sicking. Hal Cannon, Founding Director of the Western Folklife Center, comments, "Georgie Sicking is why 'to cowboy' is best used as a verb to explain a work, a life, and a big open land. This film captures her level gazed life in such a powerful way that it defines the American West." See our feature about the Ridin' & Rhymin' here, which includes more about Georgie Sicking.
Jack Thorp's Songs of the Cowboys (Museum of New Mexico Press, 2005), is the study of the man who was cowboy music's first collector, edited and introduced by western historian and musician Mark L. Gardner, with illustrations by noted western artist and cowboy Ronald Kil, and accompanied by a CD recording performed by Mark L. Gardner and Rex Rideout. See our feature here.
Our own 2001 book is an anthology of classic and contemporary poetry from New West Library and CowboyPoetry.com:
The Big Roundup is the winner of the Buck Ramsey Best Poetry Book Award and the Will Rogers Medallion Award.
Each chapter begins with a classic poem or song, including the first rendition of "Home on the Range," Gail I. Gardner's "The Sierry Petes (or Tyin' Knots in the Devil's Tail)," Robert Service's "The Cremation of Sam Magee," and other traditional favorites such as "I Ride an Old Paint," and "Git Along Little Dogies."
Over 140 contemporary American, Canadian, English, and Australian poets are represented. The book includes a "Best of the West" appendix with international entries for the best Cowboy gatherings and events, organizations, and museums; and a full author, title and first line index.
Read more about The Big Roundup here.
See our Books page for more many more books and references and see our Anthology Index for many additional anthologies and their contents. There are lists of books and recordings New in 2007 and New in 2008.
Classic Cowboy Poets
Enjoy poetry from some of the best-loved classic poets. Most of the links below lead to features that include biographical and bibliographic information, as well as poetry.
E. A. Brininstool
Arthur Chapman
Badger Clark
Curley
Fletcher
Gail
Gardner
Bruce
Kiskaddon
Henry Herbert Knibbs
Henry
Lawson
D.
J. O'Malley
A.
B. "Banjo" Paterson
Buck
Ramsey
Robert
Service
N.
Howard "Jack" Thorp
and find many more listed here.
Senate Resolution Recognizing National Cowboy Poetry Week
We inaugurated Cowboy Poetry Week in 2002 at CowboyPoetry.com, with our Favorite Cowboy and Western Poems Project, which invites people to share comments about their favorite poems. The project was inspired in part by former U. S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky's Favorite Poem Project.
In 2003, the U. S. Senate officially recognized "National Cowboy Poetry Week."
In his accompanying remarks. resolution sponsor Senator Conrad Burns (R-MT) said "Many think cowboys are a thing of the past, but I can tell you otherwise. In many western states like Montana, cowboys gather around a campfire and swap stories just as frequently as they did one hundred years ago. This oral tradition is now captured in written form as well, and several websites are dedicated solely to preserving and disseminating cowboy poetry and its history. My resolution will recognize the contribution of cowboy poetry to our history of the West, but also to mark it as a thriving tradition that continues even today... it is important to understand that cowboys live and breathe a unique culture which few may be exposed to. I would encourage all my colleagues to take a walk in their boots one day, and read a little cowboy poetry."
Other sponsors were Senators Baucus (D-MT), Brownback (R-KS), Hatch (R-UT), and Reid (D-NV).
The official Resolution (S. Res. 108) passed the Senate unanimously on April 11, 2003.
Cowboy Poetry Events
Traditionally, cowboy poetry is recited, and the best place to enjoy recited poetry is at one of the many cowboy poetry gatherings. The "grandaddy" of gatherings is the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, sponsored by the Western Folklife Center and held in Elko, Nevada, each winter. In 2009, it will celebrate its 25th year. The Texas Cowboy Poetry Gathering at Alpine and the Dakota Poetry Gathering at Medora celebrate their 23rd years in 2009,The Arizona Cowboy Poets Gathering at Prescott celebrates its 22nd year in 2009. There are many, many more events where you can enjoy cowboy poetry, at events and places as diverse as the National Cowboy Poetry Rodeo; Missouri's Echoes of the Trail gathering; Georgia's Southeastern Cowboy Gathering, British Columbia's Kamloops Festival, and Australia's Waltzing Matilda Festival. See our calendar of Cowboy Poetry Events.
Other Links
Western Folklife Center, home of the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering.
The Academy of American Poets, founders of National Poetry Month in the United States. Visit their site for many resources and much information about National Poetry Month.
The League of Canadian Poets established National Poetry Month in Canada in April 1999. The event "brings together schools, publishers, booksellers, literary organizations, libraries, and poets across the country to celebrate poetry and its vital place in Canada's culture. Communities and businesses participate through readings, festivals, book displays, and other events promoting Canadian poetry."
In 2007, National Library Week was celebrated the same week as Cowboy Poetry Week; an apt coincidence for our Rural Library Project. National Library Week is sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA). In 2008, National Library Week celebrates its 50th anniversary, April 13-19, 2008
About CowboyPoetry.com
CowboyPoetry.com, also known as the BAR-D Ranch, was established January 1, 2000. Over the years, it has grown to be a central resource for Western and Cowboy Poetry and associated arts. Always commercial-free, the BAR-D has been mostly a volunteer effort by an energetic and devoted group of people who have have worked to create a vibrant community.
In 2001, New West Library published The Big Roundup, a collection of contemporary and classic poetry from CowboyPoetry.com. Some proceeds from the book's sales helped to maintain CowboyPoetry.com.
The Big Roundup was awarded the Will Rogers Medallion Award and the Buck Ramsey Best Poetry Book Award. It received much praise, including:
"Cowboy poetry provides an important link to my own rural roots. The Big Roundup is a fine collection of cowboy poetry -- old and new."
The Honorable Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, author of Lazy B"There's something for everyone and about everyone in this anthology...a fine package for anyone who likes cowboy poetry and a fine introduction to the genre for those who think they might like it."
Fran Devereux Smith, Western Horseman (Read the entire review here)"An entertaining and heartwarming collection of modern and classic Cowboy Poetry. A wonderful treasury, including many of my favorites."
Don Edwards, America's favorite cowboy singer"...a wonderful addition to our cowboy poetry collection..."
Randy Williams, Curator, Fife Folklore ArchivesThe Big Roundup is available to our supporters (see above) and available for purchase from Amazon.
We inaugurated Cowboy Poetry Week in 2002 at CowboyPoetry.com, with our Favorite Cowboy and Western Poems Project, which invites people to share comments about their favorite poems. The project was inspired in part by former American Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky's Favorite Poem Project. In 2003, Cowboy Poetry Week was recognized with unanimous resolution by the U. S. Senate. We celebrate the week each year during Poetry Month, the third full week in April.
Each year, we choose an example of outstanding contemporary Western art to serve as information cards and our Cowboy Poetry Week poster.
The BAR-D Roundup (2006) i is a compilation of contemporary recordings of some of today's best classic and contemporary cowboy poetry. It compilation includes 2006 Texas Poet Laureate Red Steagall's "Born to this Land"; NEA Fellow, the "spiritual leader" of cowboy poetry, Buck Ramsey’s first recording of "Anthem"; “What’s Become of the Punchers?” by Jack Thorp, America’s first collector of cowboy music and poetry, recited by Mark L. Gardner; "The Greatest Sport," by the well-loved octogenarian poet and working cowboy, Cowgirl Hall of Fame inductee Georgie Sicking; "What Would Martha Do?," by Yvonne Hollenbeck, named "the most popular cowboy poem of 2005"; treasures from two masters, lost recently, and too soon: "Johnny Clare," by Larry McWhorter and "Change on the Range," by Sunny Hancock, recited by Chris Isaacs; and many other selections from contemporary poets reciting their own works and the classics.
The CD received praise, including:
"For those of us who love cowboy poetry, this is perhaps the best anthology we've
yet heard." Cowboy Magazine"The BAR-D Roundup provides a fine collection of classic and contemporary poetry offerings
that'll please any fan of the genre." Western HorsemanThe BAR-D Roundup: Volume Two (2007) includes Charles Badger Clark Jr.’s vintage recording of his first published poem, “Ridin’”; recent poems considered modern classics, recited by their authors, including “Breaker in the Pen” by Joel Nelson and “The Horse Trade” by the late Sunny Hancock; noted reciters Randy Rieman and Jerry “Brooksie” Brooks performing classic poems by Bruce Kiskaddon and Katherine Fall Pettey; Gail I. Gardner’s famous “The Sierry Petes” recited by the late J. B. Allen, and “Hail and Farewell,” by Delia Gist Gardner, delivered by Gail Steiger, songwriter, filmmaker, rancher, and the Gardners’ grandson; and a second selection of poetry from “Grass,” cowboy poetry’s masterwork by the late Buck Ramsey, a National Endowment for the Arts Fellow, recognized as the modern spiritual leader of the genre. There are many additional tracks (27 total) most from poets who frequently delight audiences from contemporary gathering stages.
The CD received praise, including:
"...something for everyone who appreciates tales of ranching, riding, and roping..."
Associate Editor Kyle Partain, Western Horseman
"Prepare for a trip through time. There are classics and pieces written about times long gone. Also included are glimpses into the lives of modern cow hands, ranchers, ranch wives, farriers, and poets...Close your eyes and be carried along with an ebb and flow of emotions and imagery. Wrapped within the subject matter and interpretations there’s sincerity, intimacy, good-natured joshing, wisdom, respect, hogwash, poignancy, and spirituality."
Jeri Dobrowski, Cowboy Jam Session
"...It is well produced, well presented, and well worth listening to. You'll want this recording (along with Volume One from last year) in your collection."
Cowboy Magazine
"...a treasury in every sense of that word..."
Rick Huff, The Western Way
The BAR-D Roundup: Volume Three (2008) includes contemporary and traditional works, including Robert Service's vintage recording of "The Cremation of Sam McGee"; the poetry of past Texas Poet Laureate Red Steagall, National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellow Wallace McRae, and Montana Governor’s Arts Award for Literature recipient Paul Zarzyski; noted reciters Randy Rieman, Ross Knox, and Jerry A. Brooks presenting classic poems by Henry Herbert Knibbs, D. J. O'Malley, and Badger Clark; a third annual selection from "Grass," the master work of the late Buck Ramsey, an NEA National Heritage Fellow, recognized as the modern spiritual leader of the genre; and eighteen additional offerings from today’s top poets and reciters.
We distribute our Cowboy Poetry Week poster and The BAR-D Roundup to libraries in our Rural Library Project, an important part of our mission to promote and preserve our Western heritage and to serve rural populations.
At CowboyPoetry.com, we have thousands of poems by contemporary and classic poets, classic cowboy songs, and lyrics by current Western songwriters. Our Lariat Laureate competition recognizes excellence in writing. We have a number of themed poetry collections, from poems about Cowboy Poetry to Cowboy and Western poems for solemn occasions. Our large collection of old and new Christmas poems is added to each day during the holiday season, in one of our most popular features.
We post news almost daily and we have a free email newsletter.
We maintain Events Calendars for Cowboy Poetry and Western Music events.
Among other features, our:
Anthologies Index indexes current, out-of-print, and hard-to-find anthologies.
Western Memories Project gathers the stories of the lives of Cowboys, ranchers, and Western settlers.
Art Spur project invites poets to let selections of Western art and photography inspire their poetry.
Picture the West presents weekly photos, old and new, of the ranching, cowboy, rural, and working life of the West of today and yesterday, submitted by CowboyPoetry.com visitors.
Who Knows? helps find poems and answers to visitors' questions.
We host essays about writing and reciting Cowboy Poetry, regular columns from contributing writers, and book and recording reviews. We have many other features at the BAR-D, including those about youth Cowboy Poetry programs; Cowboy Poetry and Western Music gatherings; Western radio programs; Western publications; awards and competitions; Cowboy Poetry archives and libraries; and other Western arts and artists.
CowboyPoetry.com receives about 2.5 million "hits" each month, representing an average 129,000 monthly visitors (2008 data, as of May 1).
We've organized a non-profit organization, the Center for Western and Cowboy Poetry, Inc. to sustain our current work, broaden existing programs, and take on new projects. With additional funding, we can work with our supporters to expand programs such as Cowboy Poetry Week, create print publications, compile another anthology, encourage youth and library programs, and do more educational outreach.
We hope you'll join us and be a part of it all here at the BAR-D.
Support CowboyPoetry.com
If you appreciate programs such as Cowboy Poetry Week, please show your support.
Become a supporter, make a donation, perhaps in memory of someone who treasured our Western Heritage: Make a difference.
Read some of our supporters' comments here, visit the Wall of Support, and donate!
Read all about our history, the Center, and about how you can be a part of it all right here.
You can make a donation by check or money order, by mail (please use the form here for mail to PO Box 330444, San Francisco, CA 94133) or by a secure, on-line credit card payment through PayPal (a PayPal account is not required):
CowboyPoetry.com is a project of The Center for Western and Cowboy Poetry, a tax-exempt non-profit organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service Act. Contributions to the Center are fully deductible for federal income tax purposes.
What's New | Poems | Search
The BAR-D Roundup | Cowboy Poetry Week
Subscribe | Newsletter | Contact Us
Authors retain copyright to their work; ob
