Pat Richardson

When the award-winning actress and playwright, Jodi Long, took her first steps on the Broadway stage in Sidney Lumet's production of “Nowhere to Go But Up,” she was entering a professional world that ran through her family's bloodline. Her Vaudevillian parents had long trod the boards – in fact, as part of a popular song and dance act, they even appeared on the Ed Sullivan show in the 1950s.

The 29th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering -the nation's greatest celebration of the American West, its people, culture and traditions-will take place today, January 28 to February 2, 2013, in Elko, Nevada. Produced by the Western Folklife Center, the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering features performances of poetry and music from the cowboy and ranching occupation, but also presents exhibitions, films, workshops, dances and discussions-all centered on land-based culture in the American West, its traditional arts and the challenges it faces in the 21st century.

The 29th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering -the nation's greatest celebration of the American West, its people, culture and traditions-will take place January 28 to February 2, 2013, in Elko, Nevada. Produced by the Western Folklife Center, the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering features performances of poetry and music from the cowboy and ranching occupation, but also presents exhibitions, films, workshops, dances and discussions-all centered on land-based culture in the American West, its traditional arts and the challenges it faces in the 21st century.

The 28th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering-the nation's greatest celebration of the American West, its people, culture and traditions-will take place January 30 to February 4, 2012, in Elko, Nevada.

The 28th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering-the nation's greatest celebration of the American West, its people, culture and traditions-will take place January 30 to February 4, 2012, in Elko, Nevada.