What do you get when you cross farming, nursing, firefighting, fatherhood, humor, and a philosopher’s wit? A slew of best-selling memoirs that capture rural Wisconsin life in a way that is both refreshingly modern and reassuringly familiar. These books could be written by your neighbor, and practically are.
Michael Perry is a New York Times bestselling author, humorist and radio show host. Raised on a small Wisconsin dairy farm, Perry put himself through nursing school while working on a ranch in Wyoming, then wound up writing by happy accident. He lives with his wife and two daughters in New Auburn, Wisconsin, where he serves on the local volunteer fire and rescue service and is an intermittent pig farmer. Of all his experiences, Perry says the single most meaningful thing he has ever done is serving 12 years beside his neighbors on the New Auburn Area Fire Department.
“We are so fortunate to be able to bring Michael Perry to our small town,” said Library Director Bronna Lehmann, “thanks to contributions from the Friends of the Belleville Public Library, Belleville Area Cultural Foundation, and a Beyond the Page grant.”
Perry’s talks are never quite predictable but always entertaining, and he has promised to share excerpts from his newest release Roughneck Grace, based on his weekly column in the Sunday Wisconsin State Journal. Perry’s essays and nonfiction have appeared in numerous publications including The New York Times Magazine, Esquire, Backpacker, Outside, Runner’s World, Salon.com, and he is a contributing editor to Men’s Health magazine.
