John Doran teaches a workshop in dutch over cooking. ///27th Annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. Wednesday, January 26, 2011. (Photograph by Jessica Brandi Lifland)

John Doran teaches a workshop in dutch over cooking. ///27th Annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. Wednesday, January 26, 2011. (Photograph by Jessica Brandi Lifland)

Waddie Mitchell Works on finishing up a hat that he made for himself in hat making workshop under the instruction of Roy Jackson. ///27th Annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. Wednesday, January 26, 2011. (Photograph by Jessica Brandi Lifland)

Teresa Jordan, writer and show host, right, waits for cowboy poet Glenn Ohrlin to exit the stage after an afternoon performance. ///27th Annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. Wednesday, January 26, 2011. (Photograph by Jessica Brandi Lifland)

Cowboy poet Sandy Seaton Sallee of Montana, backstage after a performance at the Western Folklife Center. ///27th Annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. Thursday, January 27, 2011. (Photograph by Jessica Brandi Lifland)

A guest of the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering examines an example of Hungarian weaving. Special guests to the Cowboy Poetry Gathering are members of the Hungarian Herding Culture. During the Opening of the Exhibit on Herdsmen and Horeseman of the Hungarian Puszta at the Wiegand Gallery, they demonstrated Hungarian style saddle making and weaving with guests of the gallery. ///27th Annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. Thursday, January 27, 2011. (Photograph by Jessica Brandi Lifland)

Special guests to the Cowboy Poetry Gathering are members of the Hungarian Herding Culture. During the Opening of the Exhibit on Herdsmen and Horeseman of the Hungarian Puszta at the Wiegand Gallery, they demonstrated Hungarian style saddle making and weaving with guests of the gallery. ///27th Annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. Thursday, January 27, 2011. (Photograph by Jessica Brandi Lifland)

Ed Littlefield, Jr, of the band Marley's Ghost warms up on the electric steele guitar before a performace at the western Folklife Center. ///27th Annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. Thursday, January 27, 2011. (Photograph by Jessica Brandi Lifland)

Musician Muzzie Braun, left and musician and folklorist Hal Cannon, right, chat backstage before Hal introduces Muzzie during Thursday evening's performance at the Gathering. ///27th Annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. Thursday, January 27, 2011. (Photograph by Jessica Brandi Lifland)

Backstage before a performance, cowboy poet and musician D.W. Groethe, left, and cowboy poet Jess Howard, right, warm up for the show called "Dakota Cowboy Poetry Gathering. ///27th Annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. Thursday, January 27, 2011. (Photograph by Jessica Brandi Lifland)

One of the youngest cowboy poets. Cora Wood, recites in a session with one of the most seasoned of cowboy poets, watching, left, Georgie Sicking. ///27th Annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. Friday, January 28, 2011. (Photograph by Jessica Brandi Lifland)

Cowboy poet and musician Gary McMahan waits back stage as he is introduced to the audience. ///27th Annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. Friday, January 28, 2011. (Photograph by Jessica Brandi Lifland)

Geno Delafose watches from backstage before his band, Geno Delafose and the French Rockin' Boogie out of Louisiana has their show. ///27th Annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. Friday, January 28, 2011. (Photograph by Jessica Brandi Lifland)

The drummer for the Marshall Ford Swing Band, James Gwyn, warms up backstage before their show. ///27th Annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. Friday, January 28, 2011. (Photograph by Jessica Brandi Lifland)

Cowboy Poet Waddie Mitchell ///27th Annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. Friday, January 28, 2011. (Photograph by Jessica Brandi Lifland)

Johnny Reedy, 5, chimes in on his harmonica while his sister, Cowboy Poet Brigit Reedy and Cowboy Poet Cora Woods, two of the youngest performers at the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, do an impromptu jam session on Friday night. ///27th Annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. Friday, January 28, 2011. (Photograph by Jessica Brandi Lifland)

Cowboy Poet Brigit Reedy, center and Cowboy Poet Cora Wood, left, two of the youngest performers at the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, do an impromptu jam session on Friday night. Johnny Reedy, 5, sits, right. ///27th Annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. Friday, January 28, 2011. (Photograph by Jessica Brandi Lifland)

Cora Wood and Brigit Reedy, at left dance to the music of the Marshall Ford Swing Band. ///27th Annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. Friday, January 28, 2011. (Photograph by Jessica Brandi Lifland)

Cowboy Poet Cora Woods, left, dances with Cowboy Poet Brigit Reedy, right, two of the youngest performers at the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering dance together to music performed by Marshall Ford Swing Band at a Friday evening swing dance party at the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. ///27th Annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. Friday, January 28, 2011. (Photograph by Jessica Brandi Lifland)

Cowboy Poet Cora Woods, left, dances with Johnny Reedy, right, two of the youngest performers at the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering dance together to music performed by Marshall Ford Swing Band at a Friday evening swing dance party at the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. ///27th Annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. Friday, January 28, 2011. (Photograph by Jessica Brandi Lifland)

Cowboy Poet Cora Woods, left, dances with Cowboy Poet Brigit Reedy, right, two of the youngest performers at the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering dance together to music performed by Marshall Ford Swing Band at a Friday evening swing dance party at the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. ///27th Annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. Friday, January 28, 2011. (Photograph by Jessica Brandi Lifland)

Cowboy Poet and large animal veterinarian, Baxter Black waits backstage watching another act before being introduced to the audience before his show. ///27th Annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. Saturday, January 29, 2011. (Photograph by Jessica Brandi Lifland)

Chuck Milner and his family warm up backstage before performing on Saturday at the Gathering. ///27th Annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. Saturday, January 29, 2011. (Photograph by Jessica Brandi Lifland)

View from Backstage at the convention center auditorium during the Gathering on Saturday. ///27th Annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. Saturday, January 29, 2011. (Photograph by Jessica Brandi Lifland)