Writer and Performer of Cowboy Poetry
July 5, 4:00-7:00 pm - Art Show Tent
July 6, 4:00-7:00 pm - Art Show Tent
Tom Swearingen tells stories of the people and land of the American West through original cowboy poetry that is often inspired by his own experiences and observations from the saddle. Some are humorous, others serious, and all entertaining. Tom brings his stories to life with rhythm and rhyme and a storytelling style that makes him a popular performer not only at cowboy music and poetry gatherings, horse camps, and rodeos, but at libraries, historical centers, and wherever else you find folks who appreciate the cultural heritage of the West.
Tom is two-time winner of the National Finals Rodeo Cowboy Poetry Week Contest, and a 2015 Western Music Association Male Cowboy Poet of the Year finalist. His Horses and Happiness CD is a two-time WMA finalist for Cowboy Poetry CD of the Year. His second CD, Rhyme 'Em Cowboy! was released March, 2016. Tom's poems have been published by the Center for Western and Cowboy Poetry, featured in Cowboys & Indians magazine, and recognized by such organizations as the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame. More than 20 of his poems appear in the anthologies Western Viewpoints: an anthology of western and cowboy poems and Poetic Images: the Great American West, both by Western Poetry Publishing.
Tom and his wife Carla live in Tualatin, OR and can often be found riding their horses in Oregon's backcountry.