Prior to becoming a photographer, I thought my artistic calling was in poetry. Yes! Poetry! I fell into this aspiration through attending the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Nevada, several times, a trip that’s not as off the wall as it sounds. Trust me. Anyway, as I got more knowledgeable about cowboy poets, I was able to take workshops with a couple of the very best writers in that field (or any writing field, if you want to know my opinion). And, while I did not pursue writing poetry to the extent I’d anticipated, I am eternally grateful to those poets, Linda M. Hasselstrom and Paul Zarzkyski; both of them took a strong interest in my work and were very encouraging. I am certain that the artistic confidence I began to feel during my work with both of them influences my photography.

Anyway, that somehow (believe it or not!) brings me to Butte, Montana. The only reason I planned a stop in Butte on our road trip was because I had many lines of Paul’s poem “Why I Like Butte!” in my head and felt that was enough to warrant a stop.

So, the only reason I know that laundromats in downtown Butte have very stern warnings taped to their windows is because of cowboy poetry.

Butte, Montana
photographed 8.29.2020