Programs at the 28th Gathering focused on the southwestern United States, specifically Arizona and New Mexico, which celebrate their centennials this year, and West Texas. The event presented poets and musicians from the region, as well as workshops and panel discussions focused on regional food, culture and agriculture. An exhibition, Southwest Ranch Country, featuring the  photography of Kurt Markus and Jay Dusard as well as other art and handcrafted gear, is on display in the Western Folklife Center's  Wiegand Gallery.

Produced by the Western Folklife Center, the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering was started in 1985 by a small group of folklorists and poets, and has become an annual ritual for thousands of people who value and practice the artistic traditions of the region and are concerned about the present and future of the West. Hundreds of cowboy poetry gatherings have since taken hold across the West and the nation over the last 25 years, as the Elko Gathering has reinvigorated a tradition that never ceased to be a part of the lives of cowboys, ranchers and rural westerners. In 2000, the U.S. Senate recognized the cultural value of this tradition and the event responsible for its renaissance when it passed a resolution naming the Elko Gathering the “National” Cowboy Poetry Gathering. For more information about the history of the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering and cowboy poetry as a traditional art form, click here.
To preview the the Gathering on our most recent year's Cybercast, click here or use the Gathering Cybercast button on any web page. The cybercasts stream on the internet at their posted times during the Gathering, and remain available for viewing on our website for one year. Or, watch our promotional video;