Calling all young cowboy and cowgirl poets!

Monterey County residents under eighteen years of age are invited to enter their poems celebrating the Western way of life in the annual poetry contest.

These are the themes:

Cowboys/cowgirls and the work they do
Cowboy/cowgirl values or customs
Western Landscapes/lifestyles
Stories of life on the range

Prizes for the best entries include 2 free tickets to the 2016 California Rodeo Salinas; the opportunity to read the winning poem at this year’s California Rodeo Salinas Cowboy Music & Poetry Gathering on Sunday, July 17; the opportunity to ride the Cowboy Poetry Tractor Wagon in the Rodeo parade; have their poem published on Monterey County Free Libraries website; and more. Poems can be in English or Spanish and must be submitted to one of the branches or the administrative offices by May 31 by the end of the workday.

The Cowboy Music & Poetry Gathering is held in conjunction with the California Rodeo, in Salinas.

For more information about the poetry contest and for entry forms go to MCFL’s website here, call (831) 883-7542, or contact your local Monterey County Free Libraries branch. For more information about the Foundation for Monterey County Free Libraries, please go to www.FMCFL.org

Last year's winners had a lot of fun!