"Buckaroo culture" icon Waddie Mitchell receives top award from Nevada Arts Council

From the Nevada Arts Council:

Cowboy poet and Great Basin buckaroo Bruce Douglas “Waddie” Mitchell is the 2012 Nevada Heritage Award recipient. With an extensive history of artistic achievement and teaching, Mitchell continues to advance the significance of our Western heritage and cowboy poetry wherever he appears. His work and life will be featured on our website this fall. Created in 2010, the Nevada Heritage Award honors and recognizes Nevada master folk and traditional artists who, at the highest level of excellence and authenticity, carry forward the folk traditions of their families and communities through practice and teaching.

Mitchell was nominated for the award by the Western Folklife Center in Elko, home of the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, which notes that he has become "an icon of Nevada, of buckaroo culture and of cowboy poetry itself."

Robert Greer addresses NAACP banquet -- and signs books -- June 4 in Cheyenne

The multi-talented Robert Greer will come to the Cheyenne Holiday Inn on Saturday, June 4, to speak at the annual banquet of the Wyoming NAACP. His theme will be the contributions that African-Americans made to the history of the West. He will sign copies of his books from 6-7 p.m.. Dinner will follow, with Dr. Greer's speech at 8 p.m. Tickets are $35 per person, $50 per couple. You can purchase tickets for the event by calling Abe Stevenson at 307-634-8304 or Bennie McLaughlin, 307-634-5527.

When he's not writing, Dr. Greer is a professor of pathology, medicine, surgery and dentistry at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver. He also holds a master's degree in creative writing from Boston University and an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Miami University of Ohio, his alma mater.


Greer has lived in Denver for thirty years. In 1986 he founded The High Plains Literary Review and continues to serve as its editor-in-chief. He is the author or co-author of three medical textbooks and over 125 scientific articles. His short stories have appeared in dozens of national literary magazines and his short story collection, Isolation and Other Stories, published in 2000 by the Davies Group Publishers, is also wonderfully illustrated. 

Greer has been involved in cancer research at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center for more than thirty years. In 1983 his research group was the first in the world to report a synergistic link between smokeless tobacco use and human papillomaviruses in certain cancers of the mouth. That research foundation is the basis for the plot of his novel, The Devil's Hatband, the author's first novel featuring Denver bail bondsman and detective CJ Floyd. Several of his novels are set in Wyoming.


Spoon, Greer’s 2009 novel of the contemporary American West, won the Colorado Book Award for literary fiction. It also was a finalist for the Western Writers of America Spur Award and received the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union 2010 Media of the Year Award. Wyoming’s Craig Johnson, author of Another Man's Moccasins and The Dark Horse , had this to say about the novel: "With Spoon, Robert Greer tells the story of a modern-day range war in wildfire prose both taut and lyrical."

Greer also reviews books for a Denver National Public Radio affiliate, KUVO, and raises cattle on a ranch in Platte County, Wyoming. 

"Cowboy Fever" book launch party April 2 benefits Cheyenne Therapeutic Equestrian Center

   

Please join us on

Saturday, April 2^nd, 6-8 p.m.

at Barnes & Noble Cheyenne

1851 Dell Range Blvd.

for a book launch party

and benefit for Cheyenne Therapeutic Equestrian Center

to celebrate the release of

Cowboy Fever by Joanne Kennedy

And…

You’re invited to the after-party/reception!

8-11 p.m. at Uncle Charlie’s

6001 Yellowstone Road

refreshments, cash bar, and music by

Brian Leneschmidt  

Jared Rogerson holds CD release party March 11 at the Rock Rabbit in Pinedale

From musician Jared Rogerson:

After much preparation, the new album "Peace, Love and Horses" was released on Tuesday March 8. On Friday, March 11, we will host a CD Release Party at Rock Rabbit in Pinedale, Wyoming. Admission is free and everyone is invited. I will be perfroming live with a 5-piece band followed by special opening guests, Gelene Cox, and Michelle Humber and Nate Curry. CDs will be on sale for $15 the night of the show. We will also will be giving away free CDs, as well. I hope to see you there.

I am so happy about the new recordings, but the key is getting those songs out there for everyone to hear. So, I would also like to announce that I now share a booking agent with western singer/songwriter Brenn Hill. His name is Charlie Parker and he is a great guy. He has been busy trying to fill up my calendar with performances throughout the West in 2011. I am now available to perform as a solo, duo, trio, or band. If you know of dates I ought play at, PLEASE let me or Charlie know. I'm determined to put a lot of miles on and make 2011 the biggest year ever. I really need your help spreading the word.

We recently launched an all new website at www.jaredrogerson.com. Song snipets can be sampled on the home page. I hope you spend some time there and I'm looking forward to hearing what you think of the new site. If you like what you see, please send the website link to everyone you can think of. And- don't forget to show your support by clicking "like" on my facebook musician page if you haven't already.

Here's Jared's partial traveling schedule:

MARCH 3/11: Record release show at Rock Rabbit
Pinedale, WY

APRIL 4/29 & 4/30: Montana Storytelling Roundup
Cut Bank, MT

JUNE 6/18: Summerfest Arts Fair
Logan, UT

AUGUST 8/6: Concert
Layton, UT
AUGUST 8/10 - 8/13: Madison County Fair & Rodeo
Twin Bridges, MT
OCTOBER 10/7 & 10/8: Nebraska Cowboy Poetry GatheringValentine, NE

NOVEMBER 11/26: Columbia Gorge Cowboy Gathering
Dalles, OR

Cam-Plex features Willie Nelson & Family April 20

http://purchase.tickets.com/buy/TicketPurchase?organ_val=21612&schedule=list

The Bearlodge Writers: Serious Storytelling in Sundance

Writer Helen Coronato of Hulett (a.k.a. The Accidental Cowgirl) writes about the supportive atmosphere she's found with the Bearlodge Writers in Crook County. She calls it "a thin slice of creative heaven."

Read the Wyoming Roundup magazine story at The Bearlodge Writers: Serious Storytelling in Sundance, Wyoming

COW Radio hosts a Stay at Home Benefit Concert for Locke Hamilton of Prickly Pair

This comes from Andy and Jim Nelson at Clear Out West (COW) Radio out of Pinedale:

Being aware of the need to help folks around us that are experiencing trials or tragedy, we developed the concept of the Stay-at-Home Benefit Concert with help from our good friends at www.CowboyPoetry.com. This is a special concert in which you can stay at home and enjoy without spending any money. With that in mind, you are now free to donate any amount of money that you may have spent in travel, food, tickets, and lodging to this worthy cause. Enjoy the show and thank you for willingness to help others.

Stay at Home Benefit Concert for Locke Hamilton

Listen to our special Stay-at-Home Benefit Concert here:

Listen to Part 1
Listen to Part 2
Listen to Part 3
Listen to Part 4

Our good friend and extremely talented musician Locke Hamilton is having heart problems and has also had surgery to remove a cancerous growth on her tongue. With these ailments, the medical bills are adding up quickly. Here is our opportunity to help out, please send what you can afford:

Make checks payable to The Prickly Pair, and mail them to Norman Winter, PO Box 272, Dubois, WY 82513, or you can make a contribution by credit card at The Prickly Pair website here: www.thepricklypair.com 

Thank you so much for your generosity. Together we can help those we care for.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Prickly Pair and the Cactus Chorale are long-time members of the Wyoming Arts Council's artist roster. Please contribute what you can. And get well soon, Locke!

"Cow Town Victoriana" Feb. 10 at State Museum

"Wild West Month" at Children's Museum of Denver

In conjunction with the National Western Stock Show, January is “Wild West Month” at the Children's Museum of Denver

Here’s some info:

Saddle up and ride on down to the Museum to join in on Wild West activities and events all month long. The Children's Museum of Denver is stepping back in time to the ol' Wild West where they'll explore what life was like way back when! Yeehaw!

Pinedale's Andy Nelson performs Jan. 21-22 at 22nd annual Colorado Cowboy Gathering

At least one Wyoming cowboy poet and musician, Andy Nelson, is in the line-up for the 22nd annual Colorado Cowboy Gathering Jan. 21-22 at the Ranum Auditorium Theater, at 2401 W. 80th Ave., in the Denver area. It's held in conjunction with the National Western Stock Show:

The gathering kicks off with a concert at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 21 with Riders in the Sky, with Carol Heuchan, Liz Masterson and Andy Nelson.

The Jan. 22 poetry sessions are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Featured poets and musicians include Jon Chandler, Deb Carpenter-Nolting, Doris Daley, Mark Gardner & Rex Rideout, Carol Heuchan, Susie Knight, Liz Masterson, Al "Doc" Mehl, Andy Nelson, Tim Nolting, John Schaffner, Milton Taylor, Pop Wagner, Barry Ward and the Yampa Valley Boys.

The Saturday night show features Waddie Mitchell with Jon Chandler and Doris Daley.

Concert tickets range from $25 to $49, and admission for daytime poetry is $15.

Tickets are available at ColoradoCowboyGathering.com.

"Cowboy Christmas Poetry," art stroll, and other Johnson County holiday happenings

Miss "V" the Gypsy Cowbelle performs at the Carriage House Theater in Sheridan Oct. 22

Concert with Miss "V" the Gypsy Cowbelle will be held on Friday, October 22, 7:30 p.m., in the Carriage House Theater, on the grounds of Trail End State Historic Site, Sheridan.

Cost is $10 for adults, $8 for Seniors and Activie Military, $6 for Museum Members, and $5 for children ages 12 and under.

Tickets available at the Sheridan County Museum, by calling 307.675.1150, or one hour before the show at the Carriage House Theater.

Miss "V" the Gypsy Cowbelle is a member of the Wyoming Art Council artist roster. You can bring her to your community via a WAC Arts Across Wyoming grant. FMI: http://www.wyomingartscouncil.org/

Tina Welling reads from "Cowboys Never Cry" Oct. 16 at Valley Bookstore

Tina Welling will deliver a brief talk and read from her new book, COWBOYS NEVER CRY, at Valley Bookstore in Jackson on Saturday, October 16, 7 p.m. Book signing to follow. Wine and cheese served.

Tina Welling's new novel to be released Oct. 5

"Cowboys Never Cry," a new novel by Jackson writer Tina Welling, will be released tomorrow -- Oct. 5.

Tina is a long-time faculty member for the Jackson Hole Writers Conference, the recipient of a Frank Nelson Doubleday writing award and is on the Wyoming Arts Council's artist roster. Wyoming organizations may want to write an Arts Across Wyoming grant to bring Tina to your community for a reading, presentation and/or writing workshop. Get more info at http://www.wyomingartscouncil.org/.

Here's some background on the new book, as well as some reviews:

Cowboys are not Cassie's weakness...until the most famous cowboy on the planet sets his boots in her path. In truth, Robbin's far different from the image he projects. Disillusioned with fame, he has retreated to his dad's ranch to reconnect with the land and people he loves...and something about Cassie stirs deeper changes than he'd bargained for.

As much as Cassie tries to avoid Robbin, she's drawn to his struggle to become a better man. Are they about to play out a classic romance, with the glorious Teton mountains as a backdrop? Or will their notions of each other prove as false as the cowboy mystique once the charm has worn off?

"As satisfying as sage in summer rain." Sandra Dallas

"A novel of richness and depth. Cowboys Never Cry is a poignant story of love and loss and the healing that can come from the most unexpected people in the most unlikely circumstances. Looming over the story are the beauty and grandeur of Wyoming's Grand Tetons and the almost magical influence that nature exerts on human lives. If you haven't yet read Tina Welling, you don't know what you've been missing. Start here! Start now!" -- Margaret Coel, author of The Spider's Web

"Tina Welling has done it again. Cowboys Never Cry is a big-hearted romp set against the gorgeous landscapes of the American West. Cassie Danner is a tough, generous, grieving protagonist. She also has a sense of humor as grand as the Tetons. This novel is a heady gallop through the tangled thickets of love." -- Alyson Hagy, author of Ghosts of Wyoming

Read more about Tina and her books at http://www.tinawelling.com/

"Day for Writers" at Cheyenne Barnes & Noble

A "Day for Writers" at Cheyenne Barnes and Noble on Saturday, September 18, 10 a.m.–3 p.m

If you are an aspiring writer, please join local authors at Cheyenne B&N this Saturday for a day of inspiration and instruction.

10:00 — John Nesbitt – “The Plan”

11:00 — Joanne Kennedy– “Getting Started”

12:00 — Tina Ann Forkner– “Creating a Writing Community”

1:00 – Amanda Cabot — “Like Fine Champagne: The Art of Sparkling Dialogue”

2:00 – Discussion Panel: Writing & Publishing (Nesbitt, Forkner, Cabot, and Kennedy)

3:00 — Amanda Cabot – “Surviving Rejection and Other Detours on the Writer’s Path to Success”

FMI: B&N at 307-632-3000.

Western history writers gathering in Kanab, Utah

This info was passed along by our old pal at the Utah Arts Council, Guy Lebeda:

Kanab will reach back to its literary roots when it hosts the first Writers of the Purple Sage retreat for Western history writers on October 8-9. In 1907 and 1908, struggling writer Zane Grey visited Kanab to gather information for his earliest Western novels and left armed with everything he needed to write Riders of the Purple Sage, perhaps the greatest novel of the Old West ever written. Now writers of historic fiction and non-fiction from throughout the region will travel again to Kanab and Utah’s redrock country to learn how to get their works published from award winning authors, publishers, editors and researchers.

One of the keynote speakers will be Will Bagley who has written and edited more than twenty books on overland emigration, frontier violence, railroads, mining, and the Mormons. He lectures widely and has appeared in more than a dozen films, including the American Experience episode of “The Mormons” on PBS. Between 2000 and 2004, The Salt Lake Tribune published more than 200 of his columns and articles. Blood of the Prophets: Brigham Young and the Massacre at Mountain Meadows won Best Books awards from the Western History Association, the Denver Public Library, Westerners International, and the Western Writers of America Spur Award. So Rugged and Mountainous: Blazing the Oregon and California Trails, 1812–1848, the first of four volumes of “Overland West: The Story of the Oregon and California Trails,” is his most recent book.

Also keynoting the writers retreat will be Jana Richman, the award-winning author of two books. The first is The Last Cowgirl, a novel about a woman and her relationship with her family. The novel is set during the years leading up to and following the nerve gas leaks near Dugway Proving Ground that poisoned local livestock and blighted the rural lifestyle of local ranching communities. This novel won the 2009 Willa Award for Contemporary Fiction and the 2009 Utah Artys Award for Best Fiction. Her other book is Riding in the Shadows of Saints: A Woman’s Story of Motorcycling the Mormon Trail, a memoir that chronicles her emotional connection to pioneer women of her family who travelled this route from Nauvoo, Illinois to Salt Lake City.

Also presenting will be James M. Aton, author of John Wesley Powell- His Life and Legacy; John R. Alley, Executive Editor of Utah State University Press; Kent Powell, Managing Editor of Utah Historical Quarterly; Janet Seegmiller, Special Collections Librarian at Southern Utah University’s Gerald R. Sherratt Library and Guy Lebeda, Literary Arts Coordinator for the Utah Arts Council.

Writers of the Purple Sage is a joint endeavor of Utah State History and the Center for Education, Business and the Arts with generous support from Canyon Book, Willow Canyon Outdoor, Dixie State College, the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, Kanab Chamber of Commerce, Kanab City, Kane County Office of Tourism, Southern Utah University, Southwest Applied Technology College, Utah Arts Council, Utah Cultural Heritage Council, and the Utah Humanities Council.

Existing or aspiring writers can register online at http://www.cebakanecounty.org/. For more information, contact Kelly Stowell at (435) 819-0443 or by email at stowell@dixie.edu.

Cody High Style prepares for Rendezvous Royale

In the 2009 Cody High Syle fashion category, Tres Outlaws Boots won the Designer's Choice award.

From a BBHC release:

The Buffalo Bill Historical Center joins artisans and designers who celebrate the spirit of the American West through western decorative arts in Cody High Style: Designing the West.

This year’s exhibition, held in conjunction with the city-wide Rendezvous Royale, is on view September 22 – 25 in the breezeway of the Historical Center’s Cody Firearms Museum. Forty craftsmen display everything from desks and couches to lamps and saddlebags—all with a distinctive western flair. The show is free to the public.

Cody High Style kicks off with the popular “Building Rustic Furniture” two-day workshop on Monday and Tuesday, September 20 – 21, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Master craftsman John Gallis of Norseman Designs West presents this hands-on workshop in his studio where participants learn the basics of woodworking and take home their own handmade projects. All levels of experience are welcome, and since space is limited, registrations are now being accepted. The cost is $300 and includes materials and lunch.

Marge Taylor of Leather Legends invites leather aficionados to make their own leather, fringed vests in her workshop on Tuesday, September 21, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the Historical Center. The cost is $100 and includes materials and lunch. All levels of experience are welcome, and registrations are now being accepted as space is limited.

This year’s Cody High Style tour—Thursday, September 23, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.—highlights historic log cabins in the area, beginning with the Joseph Henry Sharp cabin, Absarokee Hut, at the Historical Center. Then, participants travel to several historic homestead cabins around Meeteetse, Wyoming, including the famous Pitchfork Ranch. Space is limited, and registrations are now being accepted. The cost for the guided tour is $100 and includes bus travel, lunch, and guide.

Along with its popular style show, Cody High Style also has several seminars and roundtable discussions that are free to the public:

Sept. 22, 2 p.m.: “Why would a magazine want to do a story on me?” Cowgirl Magazine editor-in-chief, Callan Loessberg.

Sept. 23, 10 a.m.: “Roundtable: Influences of Mastered Style” (historic styles from Molesworth to Roycroft).

Sept. 23, 1 p.m.: “Inspirations of the American West.” Montana Dreamwear designer Celeste Sotola.

Sept. 24, 11 a.m.: “Roundtable: Natural collaboration—defined by our materials.”

Sept. 25, 1 p.m.: “Roundtable: Recycled, reclaimed, and reborn”

A full schedule of Cody High Style events is available at http://rendezvousroyale.org/schedule.htm. To register for workshops or historic cabins tour, contact Jill Oseicki-Gleich, jillo@bbhc.org or 307.587.2619.

Stay current with Historical Center news and activities at http://www.bbhc.org/. 

"CFD: From Roughneck Show to Pro Rodeo" exhibit at Wyoming State Museum

The Wyoming State Museum celebrates The Daddy of ‘em All with a temporary exhibit, “From Roughneck Show to Pro Rodeo: Cheyenne Frontier Days,” July 16 through August 28.


The exhibit, through the collaborative efforts of the State Museum and State Archives, features 50 historical photographic images and posters depicting various activities of past Cheyenne Frontier Days.

Many of the photographs come from the State Archive collections of J.E. Stimson, Francis Brammar and Ralph R. Doubleday.

The Wyoming State Museum is located in the Barrett Building, 2301 Central Avenue in Cheyenne. For more information about this and other State Museum program, please call 307-777-7022.

Kaycee's Justin Beasley performs July 24 in Buffalo

An invitation from Vikki Chenette at the Johnson County Arts and Humanities Council:

On Saturday, July 24, 7-8:30 p.m. in Buiffalo's Crazy Woman Square, you are invited to a free performance by Wyoming recording artist Justin Beasley, featuring songs from his recently released third CD, ”Cowpoke”.

“These are songs that my Dad played countless times while I was growing up. Some will be familiar, while others I’ve never heard performed and I wanted to preserve them before they got lost in time.” A Kaycee resident, Justin was a featured artist at Sheridan’s WYO Theater in April, and often appears with his band, After the Rodeo.

FMI: (307)620-9055.

On July 4 in Laramie, Wyoming National Guard soldiers perform song they brought back from Iraq

"Freedom Has a Birthday" is Laramie's annual Fourth of July celebration. It takes place from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. in Washington Park on Sunday, July 4. On stage from noon-1 p.m. will be the Joe Speed Band, made up of National Guard soldiers from Laramie and Rawlins. They'll perform their song "Cowboy Soliders," the number one song on GIJams, a web site devoted to military musicians.

Jennifer Dunn wrote about the band in today's Casper Star-Tribune:

Christmas Eve in a tent in Iraq, three members of the Wyoming National Guard recorded a song.

They called it "Cowboy Soldiers."

Despite my cowboy roots
They fit me for some combat boots
Instead of home on the range
We'll be ridin' the plains
Lookin' for that old sand dune

It's a song about what a cowboy from Wyoming needs, serving deep in the desert heat.

Namely, a beer.

It's what a lot of soldiers need, it turns out. The song has become something of an internet sensation, the most listened to and downloaded song on the website GIJams, a website devoted to promoting musicians of all genres serving in any military branch.

"We've been at No. 1 since we've been on there. I would like to think someone can knock us off the top," said Spc. Jeremiah Eaton, 33, of Rawlins. He's one of the three founding members of the Joe Speed Band, formed in Iraq with two other Wyoming soldiers -- Sgt. Nathan Harvey, 26, and Pfc. Dusty Scott, 26, both of Laramie.

Harvey and Scott met in elementary school. They met Eaton while deployed with the Guard's 133rd Engineer Company from 2004 to 2005.

“Nathan and I were heavy equipment operators, and Jeremiah fixed what we broke,” Scott said.

To read the rest, go to http://trib.com/lifestyles/weekender/article_0fdba667-981d-50f3-82d1-8efa04517f52.html

Listen to more music from the Joe Speed Band at http://www.gijams.com/web/joespeedband