"Rising Star Champion Reciter Humourous". Russ recently won a Championship Buckle at the 2019 National Cowboy Poetry Rodeo in Abilene, Kansas.
Russ Westwood was raised on a mink ranch, but spent a lot of time around horses and rodeos.
Elko, Nevada - short lunch break during the cowboy poetry festival
Elko, Nevada - where thousands of people gathered each year to attend the National cowboy poetry festival
Ron Wilson with his performer costume at his ranch in Kansas.
As he likes to say, "the best cowboy poetry comes from real life", and Ron Wilson has been there.
In 2010, he was named Ambassador for the National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum.
Photographed in Nebraska during the cowboy poetry gathering. Jake is a poet who came to Valentine to perform.
South Dakota, at Jonathan’s dad house
In the surroundings of Elko, where the festival takes place yearly, I explored the region trying to find the inspirations of those poets.
South Dakota
Patricia Frolander at her home in Wyoming with her Western Heritage Museum award.
Wyoming's fifth Poet Laureate, she lives on her husband’s fifth- generation ranch
Redowl, South Dakota
South Dakota
Next to the canadian border in North Dakota. He's been writing cowboy poetry for over 25 years.
Sims, North Dakota, population: 2
Next to the house of Rodney Nelson. I went there to visit him, unfortunately, Rodney was too sick at the time, and past away 2 days after this photo.
Nebraska. Don Schauda got his first ranch job at the age of twelve and likely would still be in that work had not God called him to search for strays on a different range. He is now the pastor of a small town with a population of 86. He organizes Rodeo Bible Camps & Cowboy poetry gatherings at church. Don released 2 CD albums of poems and travels across the state to perform.
First-generation Wyoming rancher Maria Lisa hails from the suburbs of Hyattville, pop. 100
Bonnie in her living room in South Dakota. One of the best cowboy poets. Since the death of her husband, she has been managing the ranch on her own.
Bonnie lives in a remote location in South Dakota. She keeps her gun at hand in case something happens. Lately, a guy suspected of rape & murder has been making weird phone calls to her.
