National Cowboy Poetry Gathering HOME Page | General Information on the Gathering

Join us for the 30th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering,
January 27 through February 1, 2014

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Dave Stamey sings "Two Day Country"
at the 25th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering.

The National Cowboy Poetry Gathering is a grand celebration of western people, their lifestyles and traditions. As January turns to February, cowboys, ranchers, rural and urban people travel en masse to the small community of Elko, Nevada, to join with friends, family and all those who share their love of rural life in the West. Together, they listen to poetry and music, learn about cowboy culture in the U.S. and around the world, experience great art, watch western films, learn a craft, and gather together to eat, drink and swap stories. For the last 29 years, thousands of people - both rural and urban - have made this pilgrimage time and time again. If you love the West, you must experience its greatest celebration. We hope you'll join us in Elko for the 30th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. Use any of the links in our banner to read more about every aspect of the Gathering.

To apply to perform at a National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, click here. The Western Folklife Center is always interested in learning about new artists and keeping in touch with friends, and all submissions from cowboy poets and musicians will be considered for a National Cowboy Poetry Gathering.

Remember, we broadcast the 29th Gathering live on YouTube. Click here or visit our YouTube Channel!

Your first Gathering? Tickets to our 30th Gathering will go on sale to Western Folklife Center members in September 2013, and to non-members one month later in October. To become a Western Folklife Center member or renew your membership, click here, or call Linda Carter at 888-880-5885 ext. 222. Read more about what to expect at a Gathering. Learn more about tickets. Plan your trip and lodging for the 30th Gathering. Every year a selection committee reviews all of the submissions we receive from cowboy poets and musicians to perform at the Gathering: click here to see the full list of invited performers who joined us at the 29th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. To give you an idea of what the schedule might be like for the 2014 Gathering, see the full daily schedule (in PDF format) for our most recent Gathering and read about discussions and special sessions.

The Italians Were Here for our 29th Gathering!
For the 29th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering we were pleased to host cowboys from Italy. The butteri, as they are known, come from the Maremma area of southern Tuscany, where they have been raising and herding the large lyre-horned Maremmana cattle for centuries. We will also host Italian-American ranchers from the American West at the Gathering. Like cowboys everywhere, the butteri have their own unique saddles, gear, techniques and traditions, which will be represented in an exhibition in our Wiegand Gallery until September 2013, along with stories and materials relating to Italian-American ranching. The Italian cultural exchange at the 29th Gathering was exclusively supported by the E.L. Wiegand Foundation.

For more information about the history of the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering and cowboy poetry as a traditional art form, click here. Watch our promotional video;

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Produced by the Western Folklife Center, the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering was started in 1985 by a small group of folklorists and poets, and has become an annual ritual for thousands of people who value and practice the artistic traditions of the region and are concerned about the present and future of the West. Hundreds of cowboy poetry gatherings have since taken hold across the West and the nation over the last 25 years, as the Elko Gathering has reinvigorated a tradition that never ceased to be a part of the lives of cowboys, ranchers and rural westerners. In 2000, the U.S. Senate recognized the cultural value of this tradition and the event responsible for its renaissance when it passed a resolution naming the Elko Gathering the “National” Cowboy Poetry Gathering.

See photos from prior Gatherings in our Photo Gallery.

Watch Gathering Moments on Film, short and casual "guerrilla" videos from prior Gatherings.

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