Featured: 2007 Cowboy Poetry Roundup at Western Legends Roundup Kanab, Utah Cowboy Poetry at the BAR-D Ranch www.CowboyPoetry.com

The annual Western Legends Roundup celebration in Kanab took a different twist this year, since Sam Jackson's National Cowboy Poetry Rodeo has
been moved to South Dakota. For 2007, poetry in the Old Barn consisted of full day round-robin venues, featuring invited poets and musicians.
Poets also performed on the outside stages between musical acts, and a poet was added to each of the two evening shows—on Friday, with
Baxter Black and Saturday with R. W. Hampton.

photo by Jo Lynne Kirkwood
Kenny Hall and Sam DeLeeuw

Featured Cowboy Poets of Utah (CPU) this year included Sam DeLeeuw, Jerry "Brooksie" Brooks, Jo Lynne Kirkwood, Paul Kern, Val Carter, Gordon Thomas and Michael Robinson. Added to this list were Kanab's own resident poets, Sam Jackson, Doug Keller and Laurali Noteman, all CPU members. Latigo, Saddlestrings and Kenny Hall are also CPU members who performed music, along with other invited guests.

photo by Smoke Wade
Sam Jackson and the more famous Suzy (who recites with perfect meter)

photo by Smoke Wade
Mike Kirkwood, Sam Jackson, and Paul Kern

photo by Jo Lynne Kirkwood
Val Carter, Gordon Thomas, Jo Kirkwood and Kenny Hall

photo by Smoke Wade
Jo Lynne Kirkwood

Even though with the rodeo gone from Kanab not as many out-of-town poets were there to add to the festival's success, a few visitors did
arrive. Jim Nelson, from Clear Out West (C. O. W.) radio was in town to host shows and add his valuable insights to every topic brought up for discussion, and Smoke Wade dropped in long enough to visit and tell a few lies. Things have changed a little for Kanab, but in many ways they're still the same, and the weekend was terrific.

photo by Smoke Wade
Mike Kirkwood, Jo Lynne Kirkwood, Sam Jackson, Sam DeLeeuw, Paul Kern, and Kenny Hall