Description:
Two pistoleros facing off in the street outside a saloon draw and fire, the shots blinding one, crippling the other. Enemies for an instant, now bound together forever, the gimp perched on the blind man's back directing the draw and aim, two half-hombres making one whole gunslinger. They figure in the beginnings of The Dying Cowboys' Club, the mystical secret society formed to address an eternal human question: how do we eliminate the evil amongst us without becoming evil ourselves? This novel - written in sonnets - is offered not in recommendation of The Dying Cowboys' Club - though there is much to recommend them - but in salute.
Brief description: Andy Wilkinson is a poet, song writer, singer, playwright, and visual artist whose particular interest is the history and peoples of the Great Plains. He has been recognized with several awards, among them the Kerrville Folk Festival's New Folk Contest (1985), the Texas Historical Foundation's John Ben Shepperd Jr. Craftsmanship Award, and seven National Western Heritage Wrangler Awards in five different categories. His visual art works are principally done in gouache, pencil, or pastel. Since 2001, he has been affiliated with Texas Tech University, having served as Artist in Residence at the Southwest Collection, as an instructor in songwriting in the School of Music, and as a teacher in the Honors College. Retired from his regular duties with the University, he continues to teach.