Cowboy Poetry The Reunion [Paperback]

Virginia Bennett (Editor), Charlie Seemann (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 20, 2004

"Will I see you at Elko?"
In 1985, a group of western folklorists organized the first coming-together of Cowboy poets in Elko, Nevada. Twenty years later, the Elko "family" is still gathering, laughing, singing, rhyming, and sharing in a weeklong feast of poetry. These are poems that make no excuses. They are honest, sometimes witty, sometimes touching, and always heartfelt.
Combining enduring Western classics and new works that reflect the contemporary face of the West, this book celebrates twenty years of poetry sharing at The Gathering in Elko.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

There is something uniquely honest about cowboy poetry and the lives it reflects. Lacking the pretension and self-importance of other contemporary poetry, it is, like the people who write it, inseparable from the landscape of the American West. It is an honest expression of the hard-working, independent souls who not only live on the land but whose lives depend on it. In this book we lift our lariats and salute twenty years of poetry sharing at the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko. Reflective and rascally, tough and fresh, witty and insightful, you hold in your hands both a heritage and a future of vibrant voices from the West.

From the Back Cover

"Will I see you at Elko?"
In 1985, a group of western folklorists organized the first coming-together of Cowboy poets in Elko, Nevada. Twenty years later, the Elko "family" is still gathering, laughing, singing, rhyming, and sharing in a weeklong feast of poetry. These are poems that make no excuses. They are honest, sometimes witty, sometimes touching, and always heartfelt.
Combining enduring Western classics and new works that reflect the contemporary face of the West, this book celebrates twenty years of poetry sharing at The Gathering in Elko.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Gibbs Smith (January 20, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 158685349X
• ISBN-13: 978-1586853495
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #136,666 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Modern Classic Collection, October 14, 2004

By 

oc (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cowboy Poetry The Reunion (Paperback)

Fans of Cowboy Poetry might imagine the perfect event: "the greats" all gathered: the best from long-ago, Henry Herbert Knibbs, Bruce Kiskaddon, Badger Clark; talents from the recent past, Buck Ramsey, Sunny Hancock, and Larry McWhorter; and the modern masters, Wallace McRae, Jeff Streeby, Dennis Gaines, Andy Wilkinson, Dee Strickland Johnson, Yvonne Hollenbeck, Pat Richardson, Joel Nelson, Red Steagall, Paul Zarzyski, Debra Coppinger Hill... Cowboy Poetry: The Reunion, edited by poet Virginia Bennett is a fans' dream come true, with selections from those and dozens more of today's top Cowboy Poets under one cover.

The publisher notes that the anthology was released "In honor of the 20th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering recently celebrated in Elko" and the majority of the seventy-five poems by seventy-five writers are from those who have graced the stage at Elko. Along with those mentioned above, Elko favorites Waddie Mitchell, Mike Logan, Colen Sweeten, Red Steagall, Georgie Sicking, and Chris Isaacs are included, as are Wylie Gustafson, R. W. Hampton, and Tom Russell, excellent writers better known for their music. But appearance at the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering was not the basis for inclusion in this book. Quality and authenticity were the obvious overriding criteria.

This volume is a model of well chosen poetry, a satisfying survey of Cowboy Poetry as practiced by many masterful writers. Few of the poems have been anthologized previously, and the many new pieces from familiar poets offer the serious enthusiast new words and worlds to ponder. Humorous and serious pieces are gathered in chapters such as "Hosses," "Jest Fer the Fun of It," and "Family & the Community of Cowboys." There's a good representation of classic poetry and among the modern gems are Buck Ramsey's "Skysailing," Rod McQueary's "Remembering a Middle-Aged Bronc Ride," Larry McWhorter's "The Retirement of Ashtola," Darin Brookman's "Tempered Souls," Georgie Sicking's "Doctoring Worms," Linda Hasselstrom's "Priests of the Prairie," Andy Wilkinson's "We Were the Horseman," Doris Daley's "Love is Blind," Mike Logan's "Behold a Pale Horse," and Ross Knox's "Memories."

Editor Virginia Bennett's passion for poetry and the "family of poets" is as ardent as her commitment to ranching life. Her dedication comes through in the book's carefully considered selections, and her inspired introduction uncovers the beating heart of the art of Cowboy Poetry: "For cowboy poems have a life of their own. They are built with words that are spawned not only from labor, but also from an occupation with which the poet's very existence is linked. A cowboy or rancher lives where he or she works, and what they do in their work determines their survival. Therein can be found the essence of cowboy poetry and the explanation for why its popularity grows."

"Cowboy Poetry: The Reunion takes its place alongside publisher Gibbs Smith's other Cowboy Poetry standards, including: "Cowboy Poetry: A Gathering," "Cowgirl Poetry" (also edited by Virginia Bennett), "Humorous Cowboy Poetry," and "Maverick Western Verse." This latest volume goes beyond those classic offerings in the depth and breadth of its selections and surely will long stand as a definitive representation of the state of the art.

Margo Metegrano, editor, Cowboypoetry.com

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining, thoughtful poetry, November 14, 2005

By 

Mark E. Baxter "Inquirer" (Layton, UT United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cowboy Poetry The Reunion (Paperback)

I've been a poetry fan, and a cowboy poetry fan, for years. Cowboy poetry climbed out of obscurity in large part because of the Elko Cowboy poetry festival in Elko Nevada. This book is a gathering of 20 years of some of the best poetry presented at this festival. Some poetry is old, some new, some from new authors, some from classic (meaning dead) authors.

Comparing this book with other similar books convinced me that this is one of the better collections. Similar in tone to the 15 year old book from the same publisher, this book is real cowboy poetry with no new-age political stuff snuck in. (Yes, even in Cowboy poetry, authors occasionally try to fool the readers with political rants and vague, high-falutin' literary allusions.)

The poems are divided up in chapters on horses, ranching lifestyles, humor, family and nostalgia. Most are less than 2 pages but bursting with humor, wisdom and wistfulness for days and people gone by.

If you're new to cowboy poetry, give this collection a try.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A pure joy to read, March 26, 2005

By 

Debbie the Book Devourer "dletour7" (Waltham, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cowboy Poetry The Reunion (Paperback)

For over 20 years now, cowboy poets have been gathering in Elko, Nevada every January -- sometimes timing calving season so they can make the trip -- to share poetry, music, and fellowship. This book celebrates last year's 20th anniversary of that gathering, which, in 2000, was named by the US Senate "The National Cowboy Poetry Gathering."

Contained between the book's two covers are some of the most eloquent, emotional, humorous poems you'd care to read. Ranchers and cowboys (and cowgirls) write with an honesty and straightforwardness that's hard to resist.

The book is divided in six sections: Hosses, Jest fer the Fun of It, Reflections of a Lifestyle, Family & the Community of Cowboys, Lookin' Back Down the Trail, and Characters. I cried real tears over some, and laughed out loud over others. All of them sang with the sounds of the range. In some poems, I could hear hoofbeats and feel the rocking lope of a cow pony. In others, I could smell the campfire where the tall tales were told.

In searching for this book's title to write my review, I saw that there were lots of other collections of cowboy poems. This book has made me want to read more of the gems these gritty and witty folks have to offer. These poems are truly national (and international -- some of the writers wrote of Australia and other lands) treasures.