[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Page 5222]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           COWBOY POETRY WEEK

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the ninth annual 
Cowboy Poetry Week, which will be celebrated from April 18 to 24, 2010. 
Across the Western States, in public libraries, museums, and over the 
airwaves, cowboy poets and cowboy poetry enthusiasts will come together 
to celebrate the spirit of the West through this unique art form. What 
began as storytelling over the campfire has evolved into both a way to 
preserve the history and culture of the West, as well as a modern art 
form that embraces the cowboy way of life.
  The National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, in Elko, NV, celebrated its 
26th anniversary this January. Through events like this, cowboy poetry 
has experienced a resurgence in recent years, at once preserving 
recitation traditions that are a central form of artistry in 
communities throughout the West and promoting popular poetry and 
literature to the general public. At cowboy poetry gatherings, urban 
populations are able to glimpse a way of life that continues to exist 
on rangelands across the West.
  As someone from a small town in Nevada, I have seen firsthand how the 
West has changed since I was young, but thanks to cowboy poets, among 
others, we will never lose the true spirit of the West. For this 
reason, I would like to thank the thousands of people out there in a 
few short weeks celebrating Cowboy Poetry Week, and I wish them all an 
enjoyable and successful week.

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