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The 40th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering—Be the Poem. Be the Song. 
#cowboypoetrygathering #westernfolklifecenter #ncpg2025

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Type: Talk/Discussion clear filter
Thursday, January 30
 

9:30am PST

Keynote
Thursday January 30, 2025 9:30am - 10:30am PST
From cow camps to the mainstage, cowboy poetry is a cherished oral tradition, uniting people from different walks of life. But why does cowboy poetry matter? Growing up surrounded by the rhythms of ranch life and the verses of a legendary grandfather, ranch foreman and multitalented artist Gail Steiger knows firsthand how cowboy poetry captures the heart of rural existence. Its stories of resilience, struggle, and triumph resonate across cultural and occupational boundaries. It serves as a platform for raising awareness about contemporary issues facing rural communities, and it creates spaces for meaningful conversations. Gail will share insight on cowboy poetry’s vital role in today’s world and set the stage for a Gathering that emphasizes what matters.

The keynote address will be opened by Chief Phillip Whiteman Jr. and closed by Painted Horse drum group and horse dancers.

Sponsored by Nevada Humanities and the Humanities Center at Great Basin College, made possible with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities
Artists & Special Guests
avatar for Painted Horse

Painted Horse

Shoshone, Paiute, and Pit River tribal members make up Painted Horse–a drum group from the Duck Valley Indian Reservation in northeastern Nevada and southern Idaho. The Painted Horse drum group represents the eighth generation descended from Shoshone tribal member Old Horse, who... Read More →
avatar for Gail Steiger

Gail Steiger

Gail Steiger, foreman of the 50,000-acre Spider Ranch in Yavapai County, Arizona, has been playing guitar and writing songs for over 30 years. He has released two albums, The Romance of Western Life and A Matter of Believin’. A talented filmmaker, Gail produced and directed the... Read More →
Thursday January 30, 2025 9:30am - 10:30am PST
Elko Convention Center - Auditorium 700 Moren Way, Elko, NV 89801, USA

3:00pm PST

Semblances
Thursday January 30, 2025 3:00pm - 3:45pm PST
Artists & Special Guests
avatar for Sean Sexton

Sean Sexton

Sean Sexton grew up on his family’s Treasure Hammock Ranch, where he lives and co-manages a 700-acre cow-calf and seedstock operation with his son. He and his wife Sharon reside on the ranch in a home they built by hand. Sean spends much of his time writing poetry and prose, and... Read More →
Thursday January 30, 2025 3:00pm - 3:45pm PST
Western Folklife Center - Wiegand Gallery

3:15pm PST

Making the Ordinary Heroic: The Story of John A. Lomax
Thursday January 30, 2025 3:15pm - 4:15pm PST
John A. Lomax grew up on a small Texas farm along a branch of the Chisholm Trail during the cattle drives of the 1870s. Hearing cowboys sing at a young age profoundly influenced his life’s work. He became one of the first individuals to record these songs and, along with his son Alan, made significant contributions to the documentation of American folk music. This practice would lead to lasting partnerships between ranching communities and folklorists and lead to the creation of the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. In this presentation, Hal Cannon will discuss Lomax's legacy, drawing primarily on recordings from the Western Folklife Center Archives.


Artists & Special Guests
avatar for Hal Cannon

Hal Cannon

Hal Cannon is a folklorist, musician, and founding director of the Western Folklife Center and the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. Now a decade into retirement, he is revisiting his fieldwork to explore the incredible impact of the Lomax family in emphasizing the artistic contributions... Read More →
Thursday January 30, 2025 3:15pm - 4:15pm PST
Elko Convention Center - Turquoise Room
 
Friday, January 31
 

9:00am PST

The Lost Cowboy
Friday January 31, 2025 9:00am - 9:45am PST
J.B. Zielke is an author, speaker, and agricultural expert known for his experience as a working cowboy on six continents, which is chronicled in his renowned book The Lost Cowboy. Born into a family without a history of farming or ranching, J.B.’s passion for the art of livestock management and travel sent him on a whirlwind tour of the United States and ultimately the world, collecting stories and accolades. Join J.B. for a discussion moderated by Arizona cowboy and world traveler Gail Steiger, to hear tales of wide-open spaces in faraway places.
Artists & Special Guests
avatar for Gail Steiger

Gail Steiger

Gail Steiger, foreman of the 50,000-acre Spider Ranch in Yavapai County, Arizona, has been playing guitar and writing songs for over 30 years. He has released two albums, The Romance of Western Life and A Matter of Believin’. A talented filmmaker, Gail produced and directed the... Read More →
avatar for J.B. Zielke

J.B. Zielke

J.B. Zielke is an author, speaker, and agricultural expert. Despite being born into a family without a history in farming or ranching, J.B. developed a deep passion for the art of livestock management. Coupled with his love of travel, this led him on a whirlwind tour working as a... Read More →
Friday January 31, 2025 9:00am - 9:45am PST
Elko Convention Center - Turquoise Room

12:00pm PST

Cowboy Connections
Friday January 31, 2025 12:00pm - 1:30pm PST
Join Gail Steiger—musician, poet, filmmaker, and foreman of Arizona’s Spider Ranch—for an engaging discussion on the power of cowboy poetry and music in global cultural exchange. As a cultural ambassador, Gail’s impact extends far beyond the ranch. He has traveled the world, sharing the art of cowboy poetry at the invitation of the Western Folklife Center and the United States State Department in places like Afghanistan, Argentina, Brazil, France, Hungary, Mongolia, Spain, and Turkmenistan. Join Gail for stories and videos from these travels, highlighting how cowboy poetry and music transcends borders, fostering understanding through music, storytelling, and shared occupational ties. 
Sponsored by Nevada Humanities and the Humanities Center at Great Basin College, made possible with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities
Artists & Special Guests
avatar for Gail Steiger

Gail Steiger

Gail Steiger, foreman of the 50,000-acre Spider Ranch in Yavapai County, Arizona, has been playing guitar and writing songs for over 30 years. He has released two albums, The Romance of Western Life and A Matter of Believin’. A talented filmmaker, Gail produced and directed the... Read More →
Friday January 31, 2025 12:00pm - 1:30pm PST
Great Basin College - Greenhaw Tech Arts Room 130 (Bldg 8 on map)

2:00pm PST

Don Weller
Friday January 31, 2025 2:00pm - 2:45pm PST
Artists & Special Guests
avatar for Don Weller

Don Weller

As a boy, Don Weller drew horses and cowboys when he wasn’t exploring with his horse along the Palouse River or rolling hills near Pullman, Washington. After graduating Washington State University with a degree in Fine Art, he sold his horses and moved to Los Angeles where he spent... Read More →
Friday January 31, 2025 2:00pm - 2:45pm PST
Western Folklife Center - Wiegand Gallery

2:45pm PST

Tale of the Jackalope
Friday January 31, 2025 2:45pm - 3:45pm PST
Did you know that jackalopes only mate during lightning storms? Or that they can sing a sweet harmony around the campfire? Join author and jackalope expert Michael P. Branch (On the Trail of the Jackalope) and radiomaker Fil Corbitt (from the podcast The Wind) for a live performance on the elusive yet omnipresent horned rabbit. Originally aired on the podcast 99% Invisible, this live reading will combine interviews, music, and audio clips to tell the story in a live multimedia presentation.
Artists & Special Guests
avatar for Michael Branch

Michael Branch

An award-winning humorist and high desert writer, Michael Branch is Foundation Professor at the University of Nevada, Reno. He has authored more than 300 essays and reviews, and 10 books, including his Nevada trilogy: Raising Wild, Rants from the Hill, and How to Cuss in Western... Read More →
avatar for Fil Corbitt

Fil Corbitt

A few years ago, radiomaker Fil Corbitt found a handsaw in the mountains and built a small desk out in the woods. High in the Sierra Nevada, flanked by an aspen grove and a lodgepole pine stand, this is where Fil makes The Wind—a critically acclaimed podcast that investigates our... Read More →
Friday January 31, 2025 2:45pm - 3:45pm PST
Western Folklife Center - G Three Bar Theater
 
Saturday, February 1
 

9:00am PST

Creeks & Communities
Saturday February 1, 2025 9:00am - 10:30am PST
How do creeks function for us? For the things we care about? By focusing on water, plants, soils, and landforms, we’ve learned that some plants grow tremendous root systems that withstand floods, slow water to build floodplains, and protect soil to create a sponge. Ranchers Agee Smith and Steve Boies, Nevada Range Program Lead Kathryn Dyer, and riparian Extension Specialist Sherman Swanson will use photos and videos to tell firsthand stories showing how water-loving plants grow in response to the movement of wildlife and livestock. While each ranch is unique, they all demonstrate the benefit of animal movement in supporting healthy creek ecosystems and creating abundance. 

Hosted by Dave Voth

Sponsored by Northeastern Nevada Stewardship Group
Artists & Special Guests
avatar for Steve Boies

Steve Boies

A native Nevadan, Steve Boies is a rancher and cattleman with operations near Wells in the far northeastern corner of the state. Steve understands the issues family-run cattle ranches face today. In addition to representing ranching on the Sagebrush Ecosystem Council, he serves as... Read More →
avatar for Kathryn Dyer

Kathryn Dyer

Kathryn Dyer is the Range Program Lead for Nevada Bureau of Land Management (BLM). With nearly 20 years of experience in BLM offices across California, Nevada, and other western states, she has focused her career on topics such as Outcome Based Grazing, Targeted Grazing, and other... Read More →
avatar for Agee Smith

Agee Smith

Fourth-generation Nevada rancher Agee Smith brings his forward-thinking approach not only to the family business but to collaborative stewardship efforts around the region. Agee is the managing partner of the Cottonwood Ranch located in the remote O’Neil Basin of northeastern Nevada... Read More →
avatar for Sherman Swanson

Sherman Swanson

Sherm Swanson is an emeritus professor at University of Nevada, Reno, where he worked as a rangeland and riparian scientist, teacher, and extension specialist. He led the interagency and stakeholder consensus-based process for the revisions of the Nevada Rangeland Monitoring Handbook... Read More →
Saturday February 1, 2025 9:00am - 10:30am PST
Western Folklife Center - G Three Bar Theater

1:00pm PST

Whip Law
Saturday February 1, 2025 1:00pm - 2:00pm PST
Since about 2017, downtown Reno, Nevada, has been punctuated with the small, supersonic cracks of homemade bullwhips. Join radiomaker Fil Corbitt for a live audio podcast presentation digging into this phenomenon, and what happened when the city moved to ban whips in downtown Reno. Originally aired on Fil’s podcast The Wind, and nationally on Snap Judgement, “Whip Law” dives into ideas of craft, community, and homelessness through a western noir search for Reno's master whip maker.
Artists & Special Guests
avatar for Fil Corbitt

Fil Corbitt

A few years ago, radiomaker Fil Corbitt found a handsaw in the mountains and built a small desk out in the woods. High in the Sierra Nevada, flanked by an aspen grove and a lodgepole pine stand, this is where Fil makes The Wind—a critically acclaimed podcast that investigates our... Read More →
Saturday February 1, 2025 1:00pm - 2:00pm PST
Elko Convention Center - Silver Room

2:00pm PST

On the Trail of the Jackalope
Saturday February 1, 2025 2:00pm - 3:00pm PST
In this romp based on his book On the Trail of the Jackalope, Great Basin Desert writer Michael Branch (author of Raising Wild, Rants from the Hill, and How to Cuss in Western) takes us on an entertaining and enlightening road trip to the heart of an American legend. Mike’s story spans from the horned rabbit’s origins in rural Wyoming through the many forms of jackalope art that keep this hybrid creature alive in western American folk culture. The talk also reveals that actual horned rabbits exist in nature, and explains their connection to the iconic mythological jackalope of folklore.
Artists & Special Guests
avatar for Michael Branch

Michael Branch

An award-winning humorist and high desert writer, Michael Branch is Foundation Professor at the University of Nevada, Reno. He has authored more than 300 essays and reviews, and 10 books, including his Nevada trilogy: Raising Wild, Rants from the Hill, and How to Cuss in Western... Read More →
Saturday February 1, 2025 2:00pm - 3:00pm PST
Elko Conference Center - Lamoille Room

2:00pm PST

Rancher-to-Rancher—Interactive, Entertaining, Regenerative Rangeland Management
Saturday February 1, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm PST
Rancher-to-Rancher team member Kent Reeves, along with Buffalo Kin, Amy Hale, Lara Manzanares, Deanna Dickinson McCall, Henry Real Bird, Brigid & Johnny Reedy, and Sean Sexton, bring you an entertaining and interactive session about regenerative rangeland management using peer-to-peer learning, holistic thinking, simple demonstrations, and audience participation. Between poetry and music from people who steward the land, we’ll learn more about “how to see” soil health and healthy ecosystem processes (water cycle, carbon cycle, energy flow, biodiversity). And, we’ll cover practical ideas to address drought, productivity, range and pasture regeneration, fire, water quality and quantity, and profitability. All while having some fun! 
Artists & Special Guests
avatar for Buffalo Kin

Buffalo Kin

Seldom will you find a duo weaving high and lonesome sounds with such ease as Buffalo Kin. The West comes alive with their blending of traditional cowboy folk tunes and haunting original pieces. At home in rural Oregon, Buffalo Kin is Seth Brewster on guitar, banjo, and vocals, and... Read More →
avatar for Amy Hale

Amy Hale

Amy Hale is an award-winning author who lives and works on the Spider Ranch, a 50,000-acre cattle operation in central Arizona. She and her husband Gail Steiger cowboy together, spending many nights sleeping on the ground in remote camps, cooking over an open fire, and gathering cattle... Read More →
avatar for Lara Manzanares

Lara Manzanares

Lara Manzanares is a bilingual singer-songwriter from Northern New Mexico. She grew up singing the traditional New Mexican boleros, rancheras, and corridos of her sheep-ranching childhood, and composes her own style of music in both English and Spanish. Through a combination of storytelling... Read More →
avatar for Henry Real Bird

Henry Real Bird

Henry Real Bird, a member of the Apsáalooke (Crow) Nation, grew up ranching on the battlegrounds of the Little Bighorn. He still lives on the Crow Reservation in Montana, saying “this is it, I’m not going anywhere.” A former rodeo cowboy and bronc rider, now a renowned poet... Read More →
avatar for Brigid & Johnny Reedy

Brigid & Johnny Reedy

Brigid Reedy is a singular young voice representing her beloved home state of Montana. A charismatic performer since the age of two when she first yodeled at the Pioneer Saloon, she has traveled widely, carrying with her boundless enthusiasm, grace, passion, and soul. An accomplished... Read More →
avatar for Kent Reeves

Kent Reeves

Kent Reeves is a rangeland ecologist, packer, cowboy, and nomad based in California. He is the co-founder of The Soil Carbon Coalition’s Rancher-to-Rancher Network, an organization that guides land stewards on listening to the land and to one another. Kent has been a featured poet... Read More →
avatar for Sean Sexton

Sean Sexton

Sean Sexton grew up on his family’s Treasure Hammock Ranch, where he lives and co-manages a 700-acre cow-calf and seedstock operation with his son. He and his wife Sharon reside on the ranch in a home they built by hand. Sean spends much of his time writing poetry and prose, and... Read More →
Saturday February 1, 2025 2:00pm - 3:30pm PST
Western Folklife Center - G Three Bar Theater
 

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