Anyway, I just watched Oscar Auker, 13, recite some poems with a degree of poise and aplomb that would be the envy of many an older performer. After Oscar, a guy named Jim King recited a poem about a guy under the influence riding a motorized tricycle that was so funny I had tears running down my face.
Cowboy poetry, for those unfamilar with it, is actually a sophisticated performing art. The text no more comes to life on the page than a musical score does.
I covered the Pincher Creek, Alberta, cowboy poetry festival back in the early 1990s, respectively for The Edmonton Journal and Quill & Quire (the trade magazine for Canada's publishing industry). I can't get enough of the stuff and after began collecting the works of cowpokes. Your brief squib about Elko interested me, mostly because of the Columbian content. I never thought about multicultural cowboy writing before. Keep up the good work. If you get some time, drop by my blog: http://booksboozeandbikes.blogspot.com/
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