Poet

Andy Nelson

As this year’s Co-host, Andy is a great friend of the Heber Valley Gathering. He’s an energetic and high-spirited cowboy poet and humorist from Pinedale, WY. Offering a wide range of history, heritage and hilarity of the cowboy culture through the traditional poetry of rhyme and meter and the ever-popular art of storytelling of the American Cowboy. As a second-generation farrier, Andy has the experience and the talents and humor to bring authenticity and entertainment to an audience.

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Jeff Carson

As this year’s Co-host of the Heber Valley Gathering, we’ve greatly benefitted by having this fantastic poet in our backyard. He dropped everything recently to write and record a poem about the Heber Valley Gathering.

Jeff is a distant cousin of Kit Carson and discovered a love for poetry when he started attending Gatherings several years ago. He’s been writing and reciting his poetry ever since as he entertains crowds across the country. He’ll make you laugh and cry as he talks about days gone by.

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R.P. Smith

R.P.’s material is inspired by his family and what’s going on at the ranch, giving his work an authenticity and down-to-earth quality that strikes a familiar chord with his audiences. He has found that humor and a firm faith that God is in control are mighty important tools to have when life takes unexpected turns.

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Jo Lynne Kirkwood

Jo’s poems reflect the intimate relationship with the land and her daily agricultural life. She’s a proud descendant of original Utah Pioneer ancestors, who all farmed and ranched in the valleys of Utah and northern Arizona. 

Jo Lynne is a well-known storyteller and cowgirl poet, with awards to prove it! She’s recently named “Female Poet of the Year” by the Academy of Western Artists, and has received many other awards and recognitions. She has been published in numerous magazines, anthologies and elsewhere. Jo’s poems are especially mindful of the role of women in ranching and rural life.

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Teresa Burleson

An award-winning Cowgirl Poet whose poems are inspired by her personal experiences, her heritage and the Western Way of life. With a clear soft Texas drawl, and a voice that Waddie Mitchell once declared was “like silk,” her poetry is beautiful, soulful and aimed straight for the Western heart or the funny bone!

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Jake Riley

Much of Jake’s work involves first-hand ranch and rodeo experiences, often chronicling the contemporary who may not cowboy for a living, but has ties to cowboy culture. His poetry has taken him to many places, including the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, NV. Jake lives in Riverdale, Nebraska with his wife and four children.

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Terry Nash

Terry has been a top five finalist many times over for the WMA Male Cowboy Poet of the Year. His style of writing and reciting will have you longing for the old west. Terry brings classic cowboy poetry to stages throughout the west. Terry enjoys horses and ranching at his home in Loma, CO.

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