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   Reviews on Man of the West Poetry Book

Montana entertainer and cowboy poet TJ Casey has a cowboy soul. He grew up on remote ranches in Montana that had few

modern conveniences. There, he learned about horses, cattle and the cowboy codes that shaped his perspectives from a young age.

He also was influenced by the stories, songs and poems shared by the cowboys with whom he interacted both as a child and,

later, as a working cowboy himself.

Today, Casey carries on the oral traditions of cowboys, performing, speaking and conducting horsemanship clinics

throughout the United States. Anyone who has seen him perform live knows that honesty of his stories, and that the situations,

places and perspectives he describes could come only from someone who has actually "been there and done it,"

not just dreamed about it.

You can get a glimpse inside this cowboy's soul in his latest book, Man of the West.

The unpretentious paperback features a beautiful watercolor portrait of Casey, painted by artist Susan Blackwood.

Inside are random stories, poems and musings by Casey. Some are serious, some are humorous, and some make you think.

Collectively, they make you grateful to live the Western lifestyle. Through words to live by, Casey promotes themes of faith,

family and patriotism, but mostly the cowboy spirit.

Westerners of all ages will enjoy the yarns woven into the book and may even find themselves recalling inspiring quotes and stanzas

after reading the book. For example, the last stanza of the poem titled "They Call You Cowboy" reads:

Do you use yer saddle, spurs and rope
like a tool and not a toy;
and make yer livin’ on the range, not the screen
like Gene and Roy.
Does the thought of ropin’ and brandin’
give yer big heart joy?
If you truly live this life each day;
then son, “They Call You Cowboy.”

After reading the entire book, pondering its themes and morals, and learning more about Casey, I wouldn't hesitate to call him a cowboy.

The 120- page book can be purchased for $12.95 at tjcasey.com

Jennifer Denison
Western Horseman - November 2011

 

Cowboy poet and musician TJ Casey endeavors to instill the Code of the West

in a new generation of youngsters through his school visits and community performances.

The code, he writes in his new book, "is about how you treat other folks, not

about how wonderful you think you are."

Casey writes lovingly about riding the range: "If everyday yer in the saddle/

with the smell of dust and burning hair,/ You see the moon, the sun,

the stars, the sky/ and a weathered grin you wear..."

And he laments the loss of a landscape, and a way of life: "It's time to stop these rich folks/

 from takin' up our land./ And leave it just the way it was;/ in our son's and daughter's hands."

He punctuates his poems with plenty of photographs and pithy sayings: "Sometimes it

takes a smart man a lot longer to figure something out, than a man with common sense."

Casey, who grew up in the Pryor Mountains in eastern Montana, performs

throughout the region as a "singing cowboy," and has released three CD's.

For more information, visit www.tjcasey.net.


Montana State of the Arts Newspaper

May/June issue
 

There is not a single person among us who can write cowboy poetry with
more authority, authenticity, heart and passion than TJ Casey. In his
new book, "Man Of The West," he reveals he is not a progressive soul
but rather, one who simply wants to retrieve and preserve what was
real and valuable beyond money and possessions; the cowboys life he
was born and mentored into by his elders and peers and one now in
danger of vanishing before his eyes.
 
TJ admonishes those who romance the ideal of the cowboy. He insists
there are few among us who would truly want to live that life if only
the truth be told. He then proceeds to lure us seductively back to
that life and describes a true story of a man you long to call friend.
One who is true, honest and whom you can trust with your life. Once he
has weaved this story into your soul, he tells you of sagebrush, larch
and cedar, clouds and stars and sky; moose and eagles flyin' way up
high....ah, you can smell the sweet, sweet aroma of the prairie
grasses he says are high. You feel warmed by a summers breeze and the
sun shining brightly in your eyes....and brother, sister, who would
not want to be that cowboy?
 
Shirley Morris
Filmmaker/Producer
"Oh, You Cowgirl!"
 

"The West" may be only a mystical phrase to you . . . a fantasy caught in the
web of your childhood movie memories. Or it may be a place and a lifestyle you’re
intimate with. Fit either of these profiles, or fall anywhere in between, and you are
guaranteed to enjoy TJ Casey’s new book MAN OF THE WEST.
Westerners of all ages and experience will identify with the vivid reminisces,
tales, wisdom, and gut-busting humor which Casey has skillfully woven into poems
that rival rawhide bosals and horsehair mecates for style, texture and practicality.
Non-Westerners will be transported into a reality they couldn’t imagine . . .
one that’ll change ‘em at the deepest level, and leave ‘em longing for more. The
book’s sterling authenticity is enhanced by a fantastic collection of real cowboy photos.
The land is a tough taskmaster and teacher of truth; and a rich rewarder of all
who persevere in her school. Ride along the river of TJ’s words and experience it for
yourself . . . you’ll be glad you did!

Rhonda Sedgwick Stearns

Rancher, Poet

and former Academy of Western Artists Top
Cowgirl Poet of the year.

www.doublespearranch.com

Having had the extreme pleasure and privilege of publishing TJ Casey every week in
Glenrock, Wyoming's Sunday Morning Newspaper The Glenrock Bird, our readers
both young, old and in between crave Casey's weekly submissions to the Bird. A
conversation piece every Sunday morning around coffee tables in our cafe's and
breakfast tables in our homes. TJ Casey's Cowboy Poetry column has become a
mainstay in our community, much like the virtue, integrity, romance and desire, and
humor and straight out barreling to the point, still are.

Amanda Smith

Owner/Editor-Publisher

The Glenrock Bird and Open Range Magazine

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