Cowboy Poets

Maybe you should let your babies grow up to be cowboys. It’s the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, going strong since 1985, where cowboys and cowgirls of all ages wax philosophical in song and verse about a world that’s slowly disappearing and what lies ahead for this slice of Americana. —M.G.

Each year, a collective of artists converges at the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering to share their poems, songs, and testimonies about their life in the American west. COWBOY POETS follows this journey and beyond to paint a different portrait of the American cowboy. With candid, emotionally resonant testimonials set against breathtaking images of the wide open spaces cowboys call home, the film expands the traditional vision of the American cowboy to spotlight women and indigenous voices—and to highlight their growing concerns over the state of the climate crisis. The result is a film that serves as an exaltation of the land they work, their unique way of life, and the art it all inspires. —C.F.