Word of Mouth interview.
Home of Michael Perry – Author, Humorist, Singer/Songwriter, Amateur Pig Farmer
Posts Tagged ‘chickens’
Oh Yah, Forgot About That Bull…
Hadn’t thought about the bull for a few years…then I did this interview with the Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel.
COOP Paperback Now Available
As of today, Coop is now officially available in paperback. Included: new cover, new subtitle, new “P.S.” essay, and tucked in the back there, a little info about this project.
Book tour begins today as well. Details here. Before it’s all over, health and fate willing, I’ll go from ‘Sconsin to New York. Today, however, I’m planting oats. Pretty much right on the spot where that tot and those chickens are standing:
Eggs, Marriage, Music, Bon Iver, Etc.
Prior to a reading in Plymouth, Minnesota, I sat for an enjoyable interview with Aaron Landry of the Heavy Table. Poor guy, I rambled like sixty. I hope he didn’t try to transcribe the whole thing. The excerpted interview has now been posted: you can read it here.
Coop in Paperback
Time speeds along faster than a chicken coop on wheels! The very first paperback copy of Coop arrived via the UPS truck last week, and we are now able to take orders (all orders will be signed by Mike).
Here’s the cover:
Yep, those are our chickens, and that’s our tyke herding them. She had only recently learned to walk when the photo was taken. Now she’s threatening to read the book herself. Once again, this cover was the work of our friends John and Julie.
As you can see, the book has a new subtitle. On the hardcover, the subtitle was “A Year of Poultry, Pigs, and Parenting.” I’ve never had a book come out with two separate subtitles before. There were meetings involved. I believe we are attempting to broaden the demographic, as they say. I’m plumb happy with my current demographic, but welcome any newcomers. Question is, does this make the hardcover (signed copies still in stock!) even more valuable as a collector’s item?
By the way, this paperback version is a “P.S.” model, which means it includes an author interview and a new essay by Mike updating events (feral guinea hens, anyone?) since the hardcover release.
I’ll be on paperback tour in May and April. We’ve added tentative dates to the calendar with more details to follow soon.
Paperback edition includes author interview and new “P.S.” essay by Mike updating events (feral guinea hens, anyone?) since the hardcover release.
Chicken on Wheels
Once upon a time I wrote a book about (among other things) building a chicken coop:
Now we have a new project in the works…
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- Yep, it’s a chicken RV.
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- Hay wagon running gear from Dad’s auction. Cousin Ivan and helper Pat doing the construction. In three days he does what takes me six months.
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- But the old coop is still in service, you bet.
Chickens (and…?) on the Radio
When producer Todd Witter came up and spent a morning with me and our chickens, I had no idea what he’d do with the sound…he didn’t really interview me so much as let me ramble. When the following piece aired on Morning Edition as a “Wisconsin Life” essay, it was fun to re-imagine the morning (it was muddy and soggy as I recall). But my favorite part of the audio requires a closer listen, and is never explained: All this talk of chickens, and yet…you can hear interlopers…
Hawking Chickens
I had tilled the oats patch. The chickens quite naturally fanned out across it, scratching and pecking like feathered steam shovels. How am I gonna get them back in the pen so I can sow the oats? I wondered. Right on cue, a very large hawk rose from the horizon oaks and commenced to gyre just off the brow of the hill, at which point the chickens sprinted off the field and straight to the coop.
So what we have learned here is that there is the distinct possibility that if a person had the time and opportunity, it is theoretically feasible that just as cow dogs herd cattle and sheep dogs herd sheep, perhaps a guy could train a hawk to herd (flock?) his chickens.
Naturally I’d have to get myself a gauntlet.
If You Missed COOP On The Radio
Thank you to Jim Fleming and Wisconsin Public Radio for the gracious reading of Coop. It’s a humbling honor to hear that coming out of the radio. And for two weeks I’ve been running into folks who’ve caught a listen. One of those things a guy never expected…and as a lifelong cheesehead, even more meaningful.
They’re reading a chapter of Coop on Wisconsin Public Radio every day from now until February 12. If you missed a segment, the five most recent chapters are available here: http://wpr.org/webcasting/audioarchives_display.cfm?Code=cad&repeats=no (not sure for how long).
COOP on the Radio
Weekdays at 12:30 p.m. CST from now until February 12, Jim Fleming will be reading Coop: A Year of Poultry, Pigs and Parenting on Wisconsin Public Radio’s “Chapter A Day.” Jim has a wonderful reading voice (I have learned he is a favorite of rural mail carriers) and you can listen to a live stream of the reading right here.
Missed a segment? The five most recent chapters are available here: http://wpr.org/webcasting/audioarchives_display.cfm?Code=cad&repeats=no
The Clodhopper Monologues
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