Gunnison's fall celebration of western words and music comes together Sept. 16 when the September Splendor Cowboy Poetry and Western Music event arrives at Western State College.

Gunnison's annual Cowboy Poetry Reading will feature new voices this year, as well as the best in Western music. The renowned reading takes place at the Taylor Studio Theater at Western State College and will feature Poet and novelist Laurie Wagner Buyer, along with songwriter, poet and author W.C. Jameson, on hand to share their words and songs. Also participating are locals John Nelson, Shorty George, Brent Winston, and Mark Todd, who will emcee. The reading will in addition feature another new voice, Western State student and cowboy poet Dooley Dignan.

Buyer is the award winning author of three collections of western poetry, including Glass-Eyed Paint in the Rain, Red Colt Canyon, and Across the High Divide. The recipient of a Colorado Council for the Arts (CCA) Artist Fellowship, Buyer has worked with CCA as an Artist in Residence, with the Young Audiences Program, the Aesthetic Education Institute of Colorado, the Online Poetry Project and Writers on the Net.

Gunnison's own award-winning poet, John Nelson, has performed at numerous state and national events, including the Colorado Cowboy Poetry Gathering, Michael Murphy's West Fest, the Meeker Cowboy Renaissance, the Morrison Cowboy Poetry Gathering as well as the world-famous Elko, Nev., event.