I was a drama major in high school and college. While I dreamed of acting in Westerns, I never did but I landed a part for a year and a half run in a Hollywood play followed by acting and directing in various community theaters, radio programs and a few TV gigs. Although drawn to writing poetry and prose during my high school years, I didn’t actually get my first article (about motorcycles) published until in my 30's and then I wrote a monthly magazine column for twelve years.

Although I worked on a horse ranch throughout my teens, and I did operate my own small, cow-calf operation for several years, I don't pretend to be a cowboy. When I write Cowboy Poetry, it comes from a deep respect for the Cowboy Life and values, and my passionate belief that "The Cowboy", especially in these confused times, is the last best hope for America. When I write it is from muscle memory or my study of history and a sincere appreciation for my God-given blessings and a mindful awareness of the adventures I've been granted in this life.

 Cowboying is about essential-ness  and consequences - good or bad. There is a justice in being connected to the land, The more densely our cities become populated, the more people and chaos get stuffed into a concrete wilderness, the more anonymous an individual becomes while disrespect for one another grows while a disconnection from the true stuff of life deepens. That’s why I write “Cowboy”. Though I’ve never been a real one, never earned my keep doing the hard work of a cowboy, I can be a Cowboy Poet. By doing so, I hope I am helping to preserve, maybe even grow, the way of the American West and the essential Cowboy Culture.

Rik is married, has two married sons, three grandchildren and lives in Montana.