The Art Box

We slipped out of our remote recording perch in the Cedar Media Room and wandered over to the Conference Center to spend some time with our friend Gus Brackett. Gus wears a lot of hats — rancher, husband, dad, columnist, young adult author — and I’m proud to add friend to that list. The plan? A quick five-minute update. The reality? An hour-long conversation that I didn’t want to end. Since I’d le...

Sometimes the best conversations aren’t scheduled — they just happen. At the 41st Annual Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Nevada, we rolled into the parking lot and, as luck would have it, arrived at the exact same time as our friends from Travel Nevada , Megg Mueller, Ali Anderson, and Alexandria Olivares-Wenzel. What started as a quick hello turned into an impromptu Art Box episode celebrating s...

We were delighted to discover Leigh Ratterman during a Poetry Open Mic session. Her prose lives playfully on the “I’m just learning to be a cowboy” side of the ledger—light, airy, self-aware, and full of charm. There’s an authenticity to her voice that draws you in right away. Leigh has a wonderful story to tell and is so easy to visit with that we’re already hoping she’ll return for a full-length...

We first met Larry four years ago at the Gathering, sharing the media room in the Elko Convention Hall. From that very first conversation, it was clear, Larry always has a story ready to tell. This year, I was lucky enough to capture three of them on the recorder. Don’t get too excited just yet, we’re releasing one for now, and saving the other two for our Harvest of Thought 2026 special coming th...

In our little hometown of Mesquite, creativity is always brewing around Mesquite Plaza, especially in the space between Juniper Outpost and the STEAM Center. This is the story of how three friends came together to craft a song that captures the spirit of our town, fueled by laughter, wordplay, and the magic that happens when you bring a talented singer into the mix. Yes, we know Episode 417 is a b...

Recorded live at the 41st National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, this episode of The Art Box features a thoughtful conversation with filmmaker Gary Milliken and his wife Gail about Gary’s evocative film Cowboy Meditations. The film centers on cowboy and poet Dick Gibford, capturing his words, spirit, and reflections on life, the land, and the enduring traditions of the West. Blending poetry, imagery, a...

In this episode, we ride along with Montana storyteller and musician Ben Larson, whose work lives somewhere between western folk tradition and what he calls interstellar honkytonk. From tales of family, friends, and life on the road to reflections shaped by years spent working outdoors, Ben’s songs and writing capture the spirit of the modern rural West with honesty and heart. Broadcasting from hi...

In an absolute delight of an episode of The Art Box, we sit down with Susan Thiriot, director of the Southern Nevada Symphony Orchestra, as she prepares for the upcoming “A New World” concert on February 28. With over forty years of musical experience and one of the few female conductors in the nation, Thiriot shares her passion for inspiring confidence in young musicians now joining the orchestra...

In Episode 401 of The Art Box, we welcome Jessica Schley , writer, rider, realtor, rancher, and fierce advocate for the land. Raised on a multigenerational working cattle and horse ranch in California’s Happy Canyon, Jessica grew up steeped in old cowboy stories, ranching traditions, and a deep respect for rangelands. Her latest book, Roots & Resilience: California Ranchers in Their Own Words...

Episode 400 feels like a milestone worth celebrating, and we couldn’t think of a more fitting guest than Gwen Reid, pure solid gold. Hailing from Placerville, California, Gwen Reid is a cowboy poet whose life has been as full and layered as the stories she tells. A proud mother of nine children, Gwen brings decades of lived experience to the page, crafting poetry that reflects family, faith, grit,...

At the 41st National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Nevada, we sit down with Idaho cowboy poet Gary Sisk, a man whose words carry the quiet weight of memory and the warmth of family. In this heartfelt episode, Gary shares a tender poem about his grandmother, a steady presence in his young life, full of grace, humor, and understanding. With the rhythm of the range and the softness of recollection...

From memories of Arizona to the wide-open ranges of Utah and Nevada, Kathy Smith carries the West in her bones and in her poetry. Kathy sits down to share how a fifth-generation ranching upbringing shaped her voice, her grit, and her storytelling. Raised in a world where hard work, heartbreak, humor, and heritage are woven together like rawhide, Kathy draws from lived experience, her own and those...

During the Cowboy Poetry Gathering open mic session, Dick Warwick took the stage and recited his powerful piece, “I Fly with the Raven.” It was one of those moments when the room grew still and the words did the flying.

In this episode of The Art Box, we welcome Bridget Hayes, Digital Literacy Specialist with the Sonoma County Library. We first experienced Bridget during the second open mic session and were captivated by the depth and honesty in her poetry. As an educator passionate about the intersection of people and technology, Bridget shares why libraries are becoming essential spaces for digital awareness an...

In this episode of The Art Box, we sit down with a 5th-generation Utah rancher, devoted husband, father, grandfather, and cowboy poet. He writes the stories of those who came before him and the working ranch families of today, determined to keep their lives, struggles, humor, and grit alive through verse. Inspired in 1983 after hearing cowboy poet Scott McKendrick recite at his high school, he dis...

Our second episode from the 41st National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Nevada features a conversation with Ben Parks of American Cowboy Radio — a familiar voice worldwide to many who follow Western culture, music, and storytelling. Broadcasting from the heart of the Gathering, we talk with Ben about the enduring importance of radio in preserving and promoting cowboy poetry, Western music, and...

Thanks to a generous grant by the Nevada Arts Council and support from The Western Folklife Center, we’re back in Elko, Nevada for the 41st National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, our fourth year attending this remarkable celebration of Western poetry, music, and storytelling. In this opening episode of our special Gathering series, we set the stage from the heart of downtown Elko, sharing reflections o...

In this episode of The Art Box, we sit down with Southern Utah fiber artist Paulette Schermerhorn, whose vibrant fabric collages stitch together travel, photography, and a lifetime of curiosity. After more than 30 years as a registered nurse, Paulette answered the quiet call of creativity and began exploring fabric as fine art. What started as traditional quilting evolved into richly layered texti...

In Episode 391 of The Art Box, Steve and co-host Terri Fitzsimmons sit down with Shannon Garza in the Mesquite Works STEAM Center recording studio for a thoughtful and deeply personal conversation about creativity, release, and the quiet rituals that shape who we become. Shannon’s life and work sit at the intersection of curiosity and expression. Drawn to imagination and problem-solving from an ea...

In this inspiring episode of The Art Box, MJ welcomes Emmy Award–winning Costume Designer, Stylist, Fine Artist, and Creative Visionary Monique Marie Long for a powerful conversation about creativity, transformation, and telling the truth through art. Monique’s extraordinary career spans fashion, film, television, and theme-park design, including work on iconic projects such as Casino, Golden Girl...

In Episode 389 of The Art Box, we welcome author Bob Ingram for a conversation that blends baseball, imagination, and a lifetime of lived experience. Bob shares how his journey through sports, business, and growing up in Berwyn, Maryland became the foundation for his fiction, where real friendships, adventures, and moments from his life are transformed into powerful stories. We explore his two nov...

In this deeply moving episode of The Art Box, Steve welcomes writer and visual artist Rebecca Eckland for a conversation that flows between memory, language, healing, and the enduring power of creative inheritance. Rebecca shares how her artistic life began with words, how her MFA helped her claim her voice, and how place, lived experience, and storytelling continue to shape everything she creates...

In this tender and inspiring episode of The Art Box, Steve sits down with Las Vegas photographer, wife, and mom Teresa Wasiak for a conversation that beautifully reframes what it means to be an artist. Teresa may jokingly call herself a “newbie,” but her journey tells a richer story—one of curiosity, courage, and lifelong becoming. From her early days of rock climbing in Joshua Tree, Idyllwild, an...

In this episode of The Art Box, we welcome Mesquite author Ann Steele, whose life story is as layered and inspiring as the novels she writes. From her early years in Springville, Utah, through nearly two decades with Utah Legal Services, to raising a family and later living abroad in Germany for sixteen years, Ann’s journey is rooted in dedication, curiosity, and quiet determination. Writing has b...

In this meaningful episode of The Art Box, we sit down with extraordinary photographer Sue Beauchamp , who, along with her husband Mark, made the journey from Las Vegas to Mesquite to share her creative story. Sue’s work is rooted in curiosity, patience, and a deep reverence for light, texture, and moment. Her photography reminds us that beauty isn’t always loud or dramatic; often it lives quietly...