The Hutchinson Public Library is hosting a digital live stream with bestselling author Michael Perry. His presentation will feature highlights of his body of work centered on rural communities and the people who call them home.
The presentation is at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, March 4.
Perry’s writing captures the experiences and character of small-town life, blending humor and poignancy. In his memoir, “Population: 485,” he recounts life in a tiny Midwestern town where the local vigilante is a farmer’s wife armed with a pistol and a Bible, the senior member of the volunteer fire department is a cross-eyed butcher with one kidney and two ex-wives, and the back roads are haunted by the ghosts of children and farmers. Set against fires, wrecks, bar fights and smelt feeds, the book weaves comedy with moments of heartbreak and tragedy.
His fiction debut, “Jesus Cow,” offers a humorous yet sincere look at faith and modern life. The novel follows Harley Jackson, who faces romantic upheaval, the threat of a predatory developer seeking to pave over his family farm and the unexpected discovery of a calf bearing the image of Jesus Christ inside his barn — a secret that proves difficult to keep.
Perry is a New York Times bestselling author, humorist, corporate speaker, volunteer firefighter and first responder. A lifelong resident of the rural Midwest, he is known for what he calls his “reflective roughneck” perspective on life in Middle America.
In addition to writing, Perry produces the audio newsletter “Michael Perry’s Voice Mail,” tours with his band The Long Beds, and works as a scriptwriter, voiceover artist and audiobook narrator. A registered nurse, he worked his way through college as a Wyoming cowboy and even as a roller-skating Snoopy.
Perry lives in rural Wisconsin and maintains an online presence at sneezingcow.com.
The library asks that those interested in attending register for the event. You can do so at this link.