New at the Western Folklife Center
We’re Going to the Rodeo!
We'll be in Las Vegas for the National Finals Rodeo this Dec. 12-14! That's right! We'll be camped out at the Ahern Luxury Boutique Hotel for A Taste of the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. We're bringing Waddie Mitchell, Dave Stamey, Trinity Seely, and a whole bunch more from the Elko stage—including gearmaking instructors Doug Groves and Mark Barcus, who will be braiding rawhide, stamping leather, and imparting their cowboy skills and wisdom for workshop attendees and auditors.
With 10 full shows of poetry and music in the Ahern Live Showroom on Friday and Saturday, there will be plenty of fun and camaraderie with the Gathering family. We hope you'll also want to check out the Ahern's Western Gift Show during the day and NFR Watch Party every night.
Upcoming Events
The Gathering
Join us in 2025 as we celebrate our ruby anniversary, and double down for 40 more years. We’ll pass the time poetically, reveling in that which is both beloved and uncommon, reflective and celebratory, established and rebellious. The wind is briskly at our backs and we’re forging ahead into another 40 years of the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. Meet you in Elko!
Thank you to our members, donors, and sponsors who make the Gathering possible.
Become a Member
It’s not too early to become a member and be first in line to buy tickets for the 40th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering (Jan. 27 - Feb. 1, 2025).
Members enhance their experience with other perks too, including complimentary subscriptions to Western Folklife TV (at the Bronze level and above).
Stay Connected
Sign up for the Western Folklife Center’s email newsletter. Get up-to-date event details and other WFC news, delivered to your inbox.
The Latest
This month, the cowboy poets describe their observations of the fall season as they answer this question posed by Feeling like Fall, “How does the land, and the animals you surround yourself with, change as the days get shorter and darker?”
This month, the cowboy poets whittle down a wide question about their writing as they answer this quandary asked by @carteagraphy, "How do you distill the vastness of the vistas you encounter into the slim space of a poem?"
This month, Elko local and Basque elder Bob Echeverria tells us about the practice of makila carving.
This month, the cowboy poets mull over a dilemma “as old as human fingernails” as they answer a question about transition planning for generational ranches.
This month, the poets describe their “heaven on earth” as they answer this question asked by Anonymous, “What is your favorite place on Earth?”
This month, the poets are asked a question by another poet. Jonathan Odermann asks, “"When inspiration strikes...what is the silliest, strangest, or otherwise most unconventional way you've managed to record a poem before it escaped your consciousness?"
Tipping over horses, caving in the sides of pickups, and charging to kill. While most range cows get ornery every once in a while, some of them become legendary for their temper. This month, the cowboy poets answer Cowpoke’s question, “What’s a story about the most ornery cow you ever came across?”
This month, the cowboy poets reflect on the crucial sensory ingredients that combine to make memorable poetry as they answer this question posed by @carteagraphy: “How much do you think about the sound/music versus the imagery of your poem?”
In her blog, Gathering Manager Callie Greenhaw boils down her first time managing the Gathering, and two-plus decades of attending the Gathering, into two words.