This month, the cowboy poets whittle down a wide question about their writing as they answer this quandary asked by @carteagraphy, "How do you distill the vastness of the vistas you encounter into the slim space of a poem?"

This month, Elko local and Basque elder Bob Echeverria tells us about the practice of makila carving.

This month, the cowboy poets mull over a dilemma “as old as human fingernails” as they answer a question about transition planning for generational ranches.

This month, the poets describe their “heaven on earth” as they answer this question asked by Anonymous, “What is your favorite place on Earth?”

This month, the poets are asked a question by another poet. Jonathan Odermann asks, “"When inspiration strikes...what is the silliest, strangest, or otherwise most unconventional way you've managed to record a poem before it escaped your consciousness?"

Tipping over horses, caving in the sides of pickups, and charging to kill. While most range cows get ornery every once in a while, some of them become legendary for their temper. This month, the cowboy poets answer Cowpoke’s question, “What’s a story about the most ornery cow you ever came across?”

This month, the cowboy poets reflect on the crucial sensory ingredients that combine to make memorable poetry as they answer this question posed by @carteagraphy: “How much do you think about the sound/music versus the imagery of your poem?”

In her blog, Gathering Manager Callie Greenhaw boils down her first time managing the Gathering, and two-plus decades of attending the Gathering, into two words.

This month, the cowboy poets discuss artistic license in poems as they answer a question posed by The Man Who Didn’t Shoot Liberty Valance: “Could you comment on how you approach decisions about taking artistic license in your writing? Also, could you comment on any historical poems you’ve researched where you’ve found the legend has outpaced the truth or the truth is in fact stranger than fiction?”

Respected buckaroo, horseman, and ranch manager Jeff Mundell advocates for the role of the horseback cowboy in a collaborative, future-oriented, regenerative agriculture movement. Read Jeff’s essay about shifting “The Cowboy” archetype with conversations across occupational cultures that connect story-wise cowboys, data-wise scientists, and the living flora and fauna that tie them together.

For this leap year, DW Groethe and Bill Lowman share poems about the longest of Februarys. February, these are your songs.

Whether they’re herding, heading, guarding…or sharing a beer at the end of a long day…some dogs just make an impression. This month, the poets reflect on the cattle dogs (and companion dogs) that have come their way, answering Crazy About Canines’ question, “Who was the best canine companion you ever had the pleasure of working with?”

About attending the Gathering for the first time, Piper Wiest writes, “I realized, then, how being in the Gathering audience was a different experience than watching a Gathering performance on my computer. The lyrics and verses of any performer at the Gathering are moving and meaningful no matter the setting. But in person, the Gathering performances spark emotion throughout the audience, creating a collective warmth to share in.”

Western Folklife Center Board Member Kristi Overgaard (proprietor of Oniya Ranch) answered a few questions for us about her personal story, what draws her to the WFC, and why she thinks the WFC is important for everyone. For Kristi, it’s about culture, traditions, talent…and finding that different pace.

Rancher and entrepreneur Paige Callaway discusses how many people, ranchers or not, can benefit from knowing more about the nuts and bolts of marketing a particular skill while managing a busy life.

Artisan Mark Barcus discusses how he got started working leather out of necessity and grew his lifelong passion for building quality gear based on a strong foundation of traditional knowledge.

This month, the cowboy poets talk about that rarest of cowboy words…vacation!…in answer to Seeing the World’s question, “Where are some of your favorite destinations cowboy poetry has taken you to?”

This month, the cowboy poets share “endearing lines” that have stood out to them, garnering affection in their memories and their hearts. Wishing I Had Written That writes, “‘Endearing lines seem to surface in all great poems. Their importance is immediately recognizable and often compels one to commit them to memory. Could you comment on a few specific lines from a poet whose work endeared themselves to you?”

“I realize now, after reading and listening to many more cowboy poets last summer, that I’ve encountered aspects of the genre before. I grew up listening to my grandma tell stories about the weekly ranch happenings: a snake in the chicken coop, a cow on the front porch, a goat on the barn roof,” writes Piper Wiest as she blogs about her experience with the Western Folklife Center Archives.