Baxter puts forth his notorious piece on plants' rights. Baxter Black performs "The Vegetarian's Nightmare (or A Dissertation on Plants' Rights)" during the first evening "concert" at the first Cowboy Poetry Gathering in 1985 (in 2000, the event was renamed the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering by an official act of Congress).

This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. On the web at arts.gov.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Baxter Black
Benson, AZ
Baxter Black is a cowboy poet and former large-animal veterinarian whose poetry and stories focus on the day-to-day ups and downs of people who live with livestock and work the land. For years, he traveled the USA and Canada, scattering his wit and cowboy mentality to folks looking for a bright spot in their day. With nearly three dozen books of poetry and fiction selling over 2 million copies, a widely published newspaper column, weekly commentaries on radio including National Public Radio’s “Morning Edition” show, and a weekly television program, Baxter reached an audience larger than most cowboy poets. He was also a repeat guest on Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show, and in 1986, rode a horse onto the auditorium stage at the Gathering. Baxter died in 2022.

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Filmed in front of a live audience at the Elko Convention Center’s Laurena Moren Theater on Jan. 31, 1985.

Made possible by First Interstate Bank of Nevada, J.M. Capriola Co., Nevada State Council on the Arts (now Nevada Arts Council), and by the multitude of staff, artists, volunteers, and community members working behind the scenes to make this show happen.

Brought to you by the Western Folklife Center, using story and cultural expression to connect the American West to the world.
www.westernfolklife.org

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