Mark Lee Gardner, biographer of Billy the Kid, reflects on the Old West

With their pistols and stolen horses, the characters of the Wild West are an oft-romanticized clan. Writer Mark Lee Gardner is a Wild West expert and enthusiast — in addition to writing books about the time period, he also performs music of “the western experience.” Gardner, who grew up in this region, will visit the Plaza Branch of the Kansas City Public Library on Thursday to talk about his latest book To Hell on a Fast Horse: Billy the Kid, Pat Garrett, and the Epic Chase to Justice in the Old West.

We caught up with him over e-mail to chat about outlaws in real life, Hollywood and around here.