Kanab to Host National Cowboy Poetry Rodeo

wild west

Written and submitted by Kami McArthur

KANAB – Kanab, Utah will host the National Cowboy Poetry Rodeo, a cowboy poetry performance competition, August 19 and 20. The event, now in its 15th season, will take place in the Parry Lodge Old Barn Theater, during Western Legends Round-up, Kanab’s annual celebration of its pioneer heritage.

The National Cowboy Poetry Rodeo follows the format of a stock rodeo. Each poet in the competition delivers his or her work to a panel of five judges in one of two divisions: Rising Stars or Silver Buckle. Rising Stars consists of up-and-coming poets, while Silver Buckle is comprised of former first place winners.

The competition awards $6,000 in cash prizes. Top-scoring contestants are invited to perform in the Saturday evening headliner shows.

Sam A. Jackson is both founder and producer of the Rodeo. Through this event, he hopes to improve cowboy poetry as a whole, while providing audiences with authentic western entertainment.

“They will laugh, they will cry, and, if listening closely, will be subjected to a bit of informal Western history,” Jackson said.

Competitors come from across the United States, Canada and Australia. This year’s Rodeo will honor renowned cowboy poet Colen Sweeten. Sweeten has published four books of poetry, and his work has appeared in The Reader’s Digest. He has performed on several TV shows, including The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. For his poetry, Sweeten has received a Fellowship in Literature, the American West Heritage Pioneer Skill Preservation award and the Esto Perpetua Award.

For more information on the National Cowboy Poetry Rodeo, contact Sam Jackson at [email protected] or visit the websitewww.cowboypoetry.com/ncpr.htm.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2011, all rights reserved.


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