Poet on the Patio.

During rodeo weekend in St. George, Utah, The Book Bungalow will host yours truly as “Poet on the Patio” Saturday, September 14 at 10:00 a.m. Rodeo has been the inspiration for a good many of my poems, ranging from humor to thoughtful to ponderings on how the sport challenges home and married life.

My long-ago rodeo travels did not take me to St. George for the PRCA rodeo—an event that’s still going strong and will be held that weekend. But I did compete in the Dixie College rodeo there a few times as a member of Utah State University Intercollegiate Rodeo Team, and in 1973 won the bareback riding there. I still wear the trophy buckle on occasion, although my belt back then wasn’t as long as it is nowadays. 

If you are anywhere near the bottom corner of Utah that weekend, please drop by the patio out back of The Book Bungalow, located at 94 West Tabernacle Street in St. George, Saturday, September 14 at 10:00 a.m. Bring your friends. Bring your neighbors. Bring a smile (if you don’t bring one, come anyway—we’ll try to send you home with one).

Cache Valley, here we come.

Logan, Utah, has held a special place in my heart ever since my years living and working there way back when I attended Utah State University. It is always a pleasure to revisit all the memories of Rounder Houses, rodeo teams, radio stations, and other memories that have lasted a lifetime—including some best forgotten.

I’ll be back in Logan May 9. The Book Table, at 29 South Main Street, is hosting a book signing from 2:00 to 6:00 that afternoon and I’ve been invited. The Sassafras Folk String Band will bend the wires on banjos, guitars, and other instruments to keep things lively. I’ve been asked to share a few poems. And I’ll be signing books along with Cache Valley authors Janet Jensen, JoLynne Lyon, and Carole Thayne Warburton.

I’ll have copies of several of my books, along with the brand-new, hot-off-the-press The Lost Frontier: Momentous Moments in the Old West You May Have Missed.

If you’re anywhere near northern Utah on May 9, come to the party.