Plot

What is a hero? Explore the heroic roots of the American West that lives on today through the poets, musicians, and artists of the Heber City Cowboy Poetry Gathering.

What is a hero? Throughout time and across many cultures, various incarnations of the hero myth have thrived. In the Western United States, one hero has stood out as the greatest and most distinctly American folklore hero--the Cowboy. Travel to a foreign country and take a stranger off the street and ask her to draw a picture of an American. Odds are good her American would have a ten gallon hat and a pair of boots. Every year, a few months before the Sundance Film Festival, and just minutes down the road, in Heber City, Utah, artists, entertainers, and enthusiasts converge at the Heber City Cowboy Poetry Gathering. They travel from far-flung locations throughout the nation to unite in a common goal: to carry on the spirit of the cowboy legend today. Join the cowboy poets as they pay homage to this great cultural, enduring Western symbol. Embark on a journey to discover their feelings on what the concept of "cowboy" means to them as they express themselves through poetry, music, and art. What does the word "cowboy" mean to you? How is our cultural heritage influenced by this great American hero? Explore the mythical roots of the American West, and discover our heroic heritage, in American Hero.—Daniel Bean