A Western Perspective: The Western Genre Is Emotional Oxygen

 Howdy Everyone, 

I hope you are all doing well! 

 Recently I have heard a lot of talk about how the western needs to push into different genres to be able to reach a more broad readership and for younger audiences as well. I get that some people might get into reading the westerns by having zombies, vampires in them or if they are more of a sci-fi or fantasy take and that is all good for those that are into that. If this is the kind of western that you read or write, please know this is not a dig at that at all. I think the western can absorb and be a part of any other genre perfectly and make it work naturally and for those writing those types of stories, my hat is off to you.

My point is that I want to make sure that the western also lives on with respect to the stories that have come before and those coming out now. Someone asked me the other day why I write westerns and do I think they are going to be around much longer. The conversation was great, because I was able to do a deep dive on why I love this genre, the history, the people, the land, the food, the towns, the "good guys, the "bad guys", victories, losses, birth, death, love, heartache.....see even there I can just keep going! With this conversation I was reminded though just over the past five years how the western has made not only a comeback but was essential in surviving the pandemic.  

The Western genre endures because it strikes a rare balance between myth and truth, capturing both the rugged beauty of the frontier and the emotional landscapes we all navigate. It’s an amazing, encompassing genre precisely because it blends adventure with introspection. In Westerns, the wide-open plains are more than scenery, they’re symbols of possibility. The frontier becomes a place where characters test themselves, confront their fears, and measure their courage against the enormity of the world. Young readers, especially, connect to these themes because the frontier mirrors their own inner journeys. Growing up is its own kind of wilderness, and Western stories give young minds a way to explore bravery, independence, and identity in a setting that feels limitless.

What makes the Western so powerful is that it taps into a universal longing for space. Space to dream, to breathe, to become. The genre’s heroes often stand alone against challenges, not because they seek loneliness, but because solitude sharpens their sense of purpose. That resonates deeply in a world where noise and pressure crowd our days. In Westerns, there’s room to think, room to grow, room to imagine a life beyond the ordinary. The trails, the campfires, the star-filled nights, they all carry the promise of clarity. Even readers who have never set foot on a ranch or ridden a horse feel the magnetic pull of that freedom. The Western invites everyone, regardless of age, to step into a story where the world is wide and the stakes are real.

This yearning for openness became especially vivid during the COVID shutdowns, when people around the world suddenly found themselves confined, disconnected, and craving escape. Movie theaters went dark, playgrounds emptied, and commutes dissolved into the four walls of home. In that moment of unprecedented stillness, the Western’s promise of movement and vastness felt like a lifeline. Its landscapes were everything our daily routines were not. Expansive, untamed, alive and free. People didn’t turn to Westerns simply for entertainment; they turned to them for emotional oxygen. They watched cowboys ride across endless prairies, read stories of pioneers facing hardship with grit, and rediscovered the comfort of a world where integrity, courage, and resilience could still triumph. The frontier offered a sense of agency at a time when control felt impossible.

The surge of interest wasn’t just nostalgia, it was psychological survival. Westerns reminded us that humanity has weathered difficulty before, that isolation can forge strength, and that simplicity has its own kind of beauty. They provided a mental escape hatch, a way to step into a world where challenges were met head-on and every sunrise brought the chance to start anew. In a time when reality felt tight and anxious, the Western genre swung the gate wide open. It brought people back to a place where the sky had no ceiling, the future was unwritten, and even in the harshest conditions, hope rode right alongside you.

I hope you all have a great December and a Happy Holidays!