Vess Quinlan is a fourth generation on both sides of his family to raise livestock on both the eastern and western slope of the Colorado Rockies. His interest in cowboy poetry came early from a shoebox where his grandmother had collected poems cut out of The Western Livestock Journal and other local and livestock papers. He began writing at age 11 when confined with polio in 1951.
In his keynote address at the 2022 Gathering, Vess said, "The wealthy and connected have scholars and historians to write volumes recording and preserving their culture. The rest of us have poems, songs and stories." For the rest of his address, watch the 17-minute video or read the text.
Cowboy Crossroads, episode 48 - Andy Hedges interviews Vess Quinlan
