The gathering is over for 2008, check back late fall for next year's information.

Headline stage performances by leading Western poets and musicians are presented Friday and Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon.

Free informal sessions are held all day Saturday, allowing the visitors to meet their favorite performers and scope out the new, upcoming talent arriving on the scene.

One of the keys to the continuing success of the Cochise Gathering is its program of outreach to students in the community.

Beginning in the fall of each year, Cochise County public and private school students have been introduced to the history and language of the West by artists from the Cochise Cowboy Poetry and Music Gathering. These talented singers, musicians, poets, and story-tellers perform and teach for a morning in twenty schools. One of the most dedicated of these poets is Hereford rancher, Roy "Bud" Strom.

Free materials are provided for librarians and teachers by the Gathering. These materials meet the standards of writing for the state of Arizona. The students are encouraged to write poetry and music inspired by what they know and have learned about the American West.

As many as 3,000 students from grades 3 through 12 compete for awards and scholarships in the poetry and music contests. There are prizes for three divisions: elementary school, middle school, and high school. From time to time a high school senior with a special talent is awarded a scholarship presented by the Gathering.

The student winners perform on stage during the headline performances and at the thematic simultaneous presentations during the day on Saturday. The winning poems are also published in a softcover book entitled, A Saddlebag of Poems. A collection of student poems called The Best of the Best was produced to mark the tenth anniversary of the gathering.

For more information visit their website at www.cowboypoets.com

Check out some books by Cowboy and Cowgirl poets.