Read the West

Greetings,

Awhile back, Ed Gorman shared some of his thoughts on Westerns in Education and bringing younger readers into the fold. I've been promising to share my thoughts on it, so without any additional ado, here they are.

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READ THE WEST
A Concept Program for Saving the Western Genre

READ THE WEST is, at this time, only an idea. A concept designed to help revive the Western genre – both in books and movies – by introducing younger people to this important part of our literary and film heritage.

At this stage of the project, I am seeking writers, writing organizations (such as the Western Writers of America), publishers, actors, film studios and other major collaborative parties (such as the Western Heritage Museum, teachers and historians) to offer preliminary support and endorsement.

The ultimate goal is to create a series of packages – a poster with a well known actor in Western garb reading a book, several book selections, several movie selections on DVD, and teaching guides – that are grade and age appropriate. These packages would (hopefully) be provided by donation and shipped to schools and school libraries at no cost.

Some believe that the Western genre itself is history, gone the way of the buffalo and cattle drive, never to return. On the contrary, I believe we need to engage a new audience, and bring young people especially into our community. Our best hope for doing this is to go to them. We can no longer expect anyone to come and save us or our genre. Given the competition – video games, ultra-graphic movies, computers and so on – it is up to us to save ourselves by engaging the next several generations into the myths, legends, true stories and history of the American West.

It is my belief that by introducing young people to the Western genre with recognizable actors (such as Sam Elliott, Tom Selleck, Brad Pitt, Robert Duvall and others), showing movies that are accessible and deal with at least some contemporary themes, as well as books that are written in a more contemporary style, the Western will begin the process of making a comeback.

READ THE WEST is proposed as the first steps along the trail to bringing the Western back into the prominent place in bookstores and movie theaters that it deserves.
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I've already spoken to a number of people in WWA, at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, writers and actors about this idea. And no doubt the discussion will continue for some time to come as we get our ducks in a row to make this program happen.

It is not an easy undertaking, and will require the collaborative efforts of many people. BUT... I don't believe it will fail. Reaching out to that younger audience is critical, in my opinion, if we are to save the Western genre in both literature and in film. Beyond that, it is only one of the many steps we'll all have to take to breathe new life and new energy into our field of endeavor.

All that being said, this program can and should be done - and I believe those who've told me that they'll lend a hand. As things develop, I'll post updates here. In the meantime, everyone reading this blog can help by doing one simple thing: sharing.

Share the stories of the West - books and movies and oral histories and poetry. Share your knowledge with someone who is still in school, still discovering, still learning. And share the word: the word being that the Western is not dead, and that we're all going to work together to ensure that it lives for many, many more years.

Regards,

Russell Davis