Western Book Roundup

“American Buffalo” Author Hits the Small Screen and New Poetry Bookshop Opens in Boulder

By Jenny Shank, 1-19-11

Steven Rinella, author of American Buffalo, one of my favorite books from a few years ago, is the host of a new show on The Travel Channel, ”The Wild Within.” My television is not equipped with those fancy channels that you pay for, but there are several amusing trailers for the show available for cheapskates to view on the Travel Channel’s website.  In one, Rinella is out hunting with his brother, who discusses his idea to turn some elk ivories (the molars of an elk) into an engagement ring for his girlfriend.  In another, Rinella takes a boat he made out of a buffalo hide out in the Missouri River in Montana, and capsizes.

The show features Rinella hunting, chatting with hunting buddies, and expounding on his philosophy of only eating the meat of animals that he has killed himself.  You can also catch various Rinella tidbits on his Twitter feed.

• Innisfree Poetry Bookstore opened this weekend in Boulder. Mathew Klickstein of The Daily Camera reported that it’s only the third all-poetry bookstore in the country. Innisfree will “hold weekly readings every Thursday night at 7 p.m., and will hold occasional open mics that will include spoken word in addition to poetry and musical performances.”

• The Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association announced the winners of its 2011 book awards, which include several of my favorite books from last year:  The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall, Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes, Memory Wall by Anthony Doerr, and Riverhouse by Sarahlee Lawrence. The PNBA will award a lifetime achievement award to beloved librarian and author Nancy Pearl.

• It’s National Western Stock Show time in Denver, so the cowboy poets are mustering forces.  The 22nd annual Colorado Cowboy Poetry Gathering is switching venues this year, from the Arvada Center where it’s been held for many years to the Ranum Auditorium Theater in Denver.  On January 21 and January 22 there will be performances starring Colorado musician and poet Liz Masterson (a member of The Sweethearts in Carhartts), Riders in the Sky, the comic Western band, and many others.

Meanwhile, the 27th Annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering will go down in Elko, Nevada from January 24 through 29.  According to a press release, this gathering “will explore the connections between traditional cowboy and western music and traditional African American blues music.” There’s a big lineup of performers, including bluesman Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, cowboy pop singer Michael Martin Murphey, and perhaps the most well-known cowboy poet of them all, Baxter Black.

• Colorado-based fantasy novelist Carol Berg will celebrate the release of The Soul Mirror in her Collegia Magica series tonight at the Tattered Cover (Colfax, 7:30 p.m.) and at the Boulder Barnes & Noble on February 12 at 2 p.m.  Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews both gave it a starred review.

Please follow me on Twitter and with any regional books news or events.

Like this story? Get more! Sign up for our free newsletters.