Michael Perry (born December 16, 1964) is an American author, born and raised in

New Auburn, Wisconsin New Auburn is a village in Barron and Chippewa counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 562 at the 2020 census. Of these, 537 were in Chippewa County, and 25 were in Barron County. The village is located mostly within the To ...

Biography

After spending his childhood on a small

Midwestern The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

dairy farm Dairy farming is a class of agriculture for the long-term production of milk, which is processed (either on the farm or at a dairy plant, either of which may be called a dairy) for the eventual sale of a dairy product. Dairy farming has a h ...

, Perry put himself through nursing school while working on a

ranch A ranch (from /Mexican Spanish) is an area of landscape, land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of farm. These terms are most often ap ...

Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...

, and subsequently worked as a nurse and an emergency medical technician. He lives with his wife and two daughters in rural

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

; in addition to writing, Perry maintains a farm, raising chickens and formerly pigs. Perry hosts the nationally syndicated ''Tent Show Radio'', performs as a

humorist A humorist is an intellectual who uses humor, or wit, in writing or public speaking. A raconteur is one who tells anecdotes in a skillful and amusing way. Henri Bergson writes that a humorist's work grows from viewing the morals of society ...

, and tours with his band, the Long Beds. His memoirs include ''Population 485, Truck: A Love Story, Coop'', and ''Visiting Tom''. His book exploring the work of the French philosopher and essayist

Michel de Montaigne Michel Eyquem, Seigneur de Montaigne ( ; ; ; 28 February 1533 – 13 September 1592), commonly known as Michel de Montaigne, was one of the most significant philosophers of the French Renaissance. He is known for popularising the the essay ...

, ''Montaigne in Barn Boots'', was published in 2017. He had developed an interest in Montaigne's work while recuperating from a kidney stone, when he did research into his condition and saw references to Montaigne, who also suffered from that malady. Perry’s essays and nonfiction have appeared in ''

The New York Times Magazine ''The New York Times Magazine'' is an American Sunday magazine included with the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times''. It features articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors. The magazi ...

'', ''

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentleman ...

'', '' Backpacker'', ''

Outside Outside or Outsides may refer to: * Wilderness Books and magazines * ''Outside'', a book by Marguerite Duras * ''Outside'' (magazine), an outdoors magazine Film, theatre and TV * Outside TV (formerly RSN Television), a television network * '' ...

'' and ''

Runner’s World ''Runner's World'' is a global magazine and website for runners of all abilities. It has additionally developed experiential formats, including a digital membership program, called Runner's World+. It is published by Hearst in Easton, Pennsylvan ...

''. He has collaborated with the musician

Justin Vernon Justin DeYarmond Edison Vernon (born April 30, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist. He is best-known as the primary songwriter and Lead vocalist, frontman of indie folk band Bon Iver. He is also a member o ...

on several projects and composed the liner notes for the Vernon-produced The Blind Boys of Alabama album ''I'll Find a Way.'' Perry has been the subject of three

PBS Wisconsin PBS Wisconsin (formerly Wisconsin Public Television or WPT) is a network of non-commercial educational television stations operated primarily by the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board and the University of Wisconsin–Madison. It compri ...

specials: ''Michael Perry: How Ya Doin (2019), Michael Perry: Where I Come From (2019), and ''Michael Perry: On the Road'' (2023). Perry was educated at the

University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire The University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire (UW–Eau Claire, UWEC or simply Eau Claire) is a public university in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, United States. It is part of the University of Wisconsin System and offers Bachelor's degree, bachelor's and ...

Works

* ''Why They Killed Big Boy: And Other Stories'' (1996) * ''Big Rigs, Elvis & the Grand Dragon Wayne'' (1999) (15 of the 20 essays were later republished in ''Off Main Street'') * ''Population: 485: Meeting Your Neighbors One Siren at a Time'' (

HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is a British–American publishing company that is considered to be one of the "Big Five (publishers), Big Five" English-language publishers, along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group USA, Hachette, Macmi ...

, 2002) * ''Off Main Street: Brainstormers, Prophets, and Gatemouth's Gator'' (

, 2005) * ''Truck: A Love Story'' (

, 2006) * ''Coop: A Year of Poultry, Pigs, and Parenting'' (

, 2009) * ''Visiting Tom: A Man, a Highway, and the Road to Roughneck Grace'' (

, 2012) * ''From the Top: Brief Transmissions from Tent Show Radio'' (

Wisconsin Historical Society Press The Wisconsin Historical Society Press, operated by the Wisconsin Historical Society, in Madison, Wisconsin, is Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the Uni ...

, 2013) * ''The Scavengers'' (

, 2014) * ''The Jesus Cow'' (

, 2015) * ''Roughneck Grace: Farmer Yoga, Creeping Codgerism, Apple Golf, and Other Brief Essays from On and Off the Back Forty'' (

, 2016) * ''Montaigne in Barn Boots: An Amateur Ambles Through Philosophy'' (

, 2017) * ''Danger, Man Working: Writing from the Heart, the Gut, and the Poison Ivy Patch'' (

, 2017) * ''Big Boy’s Big Rig: The Leftovers'' (Sneezing Cow Publishing, 2020) * ''Million Billion: Brief Essays on Snow Days, Spitwads, Bad Sandwiches, Dad Socks, Hairballs, Headbanging Bird Love, and Hope.'' (Sneezing Cow, Inc., 2020) * ''Peaceful Persistence'' (Sneezing Cow Publishing, 2020) * ''Hunker: Brief Essays on Human Connection'' (Sneezing Cow Publishing, 2022) * ''Forty Acres Deep'' (Sneezing Cow Publishing, 2023)

Discography

* ''Headwinded'' – Michael Perry and the Long Beds (2006) * ''Tiny Pilot'' – Michael Perry and the Long Beds (2010) * ''Bootlegged at the Big Top'' – Michael Perry and the Long Beds (2014) * ''Long Road To You'' – Michael Perry and the Long Beds (2019)

Recordings (Humor)

* ''Never Stand Behind A Sneezing Cow'' (1996) * ''I Got It From The Cows'' (2001) * ''Clodhopper Monologues'' (2011)

References

External links

Sneezing Cow

Goodreads-Michael Perry
1964 births Living people People from New Auburn, Wisconsin Writers from Wisconsin University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire alumni 20th-century American writers 21st-century American writers {{DEFAULTSORT:Perry, Michael