November 24, 2003

While serving on the Board of  Directors of  Cowboy Poets of Idaho, I've developed a fair amount of perception as to who may be destined to be a crowd pleasing entertainer, a writer much quoted and much in demand. I can't help but feel that Rusty Feathers is one of  these. As an entertainer, his stage presence is the perfect vehicle for presenting his kind of authentic Western Verse. When Rusty walks out on stage, you halfway expect a pack horse to be followin' him. He's got that easy watkin' gate of  people of  another time when life was not so dang stressful and everybody had time to sit and listen to a yam or talk about horses, dogs and cattle. He don't dress fancy but to see him is to go back in time as he so smoothly delivers his finely crafted poetry to audiences that smile back and give knowing nods of agreement as he touches their hearts and stimulates their memories.

He can make you laugh, (he sneaks up on you with that one) or cry with lines often written from personal experience. There's an underlying positive attitude toward the future of  the rangelands once people realize the mutual interdependence of grassland and hoof. His work reaches out to cowboy and non-cowboy audiences alike with a plea for common sense and a return to older, simpler, saner, values. That's a good way to deal with these modem issues, but Rusty can also take you into that part of  the West that stays alive forever in our imaginations with his visions of  mighty herds of  mustangs and life and death situations that have always enriched the landscapes of  Frontier America.

What strikes everybody about Rusty Feathers more than anything else is his sincerity. It's in his poems, his manners and his cheerful disposition. No pre-stressed boots, hat and Levis, here. If he looks like he just came in off the range, he probably has.

It's hard to believe I've only known Rusty Feathers for two short years because to talk with him is to talk with someone who knows all those things that a life with livestock teaches, those silent words that say, "Yep, been there, done that!" I guarantee once you've heard him, you'll always want him back! I consider him an asset as a member of  CPI and we are fortunate that he feels it to be a good organization to be associated with.

Sincerely,
Wayne Nelson

Owner, Tibo Productions &
Cowboy Poets of   Idaho, Inc
Board of  Director, Region 5