SAN FRANCISCO-The ninth annual Cowboy Poetry Week (April 18-24, 2010) sponsored by the Center for Western and Cowboy Poetry www.cowboypoetry.com, celebrates a venerable and popular folk form. Cowboy poetry records the voices of the working West, a tradition-stories of cowboys, ranchers, and Western writers-that spans three centuries. The Cowboy Poetry Week celebration includes many events taking place in communities, libraries, and elsewhere.
Center Director and CowboyPoetry.com managing editor Margo Metegrano comments, "Cowboy poetry preserves a history as it tells the stories of our working West. As importantly, it conveys compelling modern accounts of an endangered way of life to those who may have little information about this important segment of our population. Cowboy poets are great ambassadors from the rural world."
Inaugurated in 2002, Cowboy Poetry Week was officially recognized by unanimous resolution of the United States Senate. The celebration, with a special focus on rural libraries with its Rural Library Project, is held during the third week of April each year, in conjunction with National Poetry Month in the United States and Canada.
Twenty-two states' governors and other officials have issued Cowboy Poetry Week proclamations. Texas Governor Rick Perry has commented, "...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." Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer has commented, "In the tradition of written and oral history, cowboy poets preserve our rich cultural history, opening the door for the generations to come to discover the heritage of the years past....we are proud of our numerous well-respected contemporary cowboy poets and look forward to the next generation of storytellers..."
"Born to This Land," a painting by premier Western artist Bill Owen www.billowenca.com, was selected as this year's Cowboy Poetry Week poster art. The painting's title is from an outstanding poem by Red Steagall, past Texas Poet Laureate, singer, songwriter, radio and television host, and entertainer. Posters are sent to libraries as a part of the Center's Rural Library Project and are available to Center supporters
The BAR-D Roundup
, the Center's annual compilation recording of the best in classic and current cowboy poetry is also offered to libraries. Each edition includes vintage recordings of poets reciting their own works. This year includes vintage recordings by Charles Badger Clark Jr. (1883-1957) telling how he came to write "A Cowboy's Prayer," followed by his recitation of the still-popular work. The 2010 CD has a fifth annual selection from "Grass," a master work by the late Buck Ramsey, a National Endowment for the Arts Fellow, recognized as the modern spiritual leader of the genre. There is a track by the late Larry McWhorter, a respected cowboy and poet who died in 2003. Contemporary poets recite their works and classic poems, and among those on The BAR-D Roundup: Volume 5 are past Texas Poet Laureate Red Steagall, NEA Fellow Joel Nelson, Waddie Mitchell, Randy Rieman, Jerry Brooks, Yvonne Hollenbeck, Pat Richardson, Doris Daley, and others.
CowboyPoetry.com is a central resource for cowboy poetry and associated Western arts, a project of the non-profit Center for Western and Cowboy Poetry. Cowboy poetry's enduring popularity is celebrated year round at CowboyPoetry.com, in a growing number of publications and recordings, and at hundreds of regional gatherings, most notably the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Nevada, which marked its 26th year in 2010.
