Wisconsin Writer Michael Perry on Farmer Yoga and Lazy Deer Hunting
October 19, 2016Culture & Style

Wisconsin Writer Michael Perry on Farmer Yoga and Lazy Deer Hunting

A book of short essays serves as a quick introduction to his work.

BY Kristine Hansen

After writing about Northern Wisconsin through his volunteer-firefighter lens, Michael Perry has released a new collection of essays, Roughneck Grace (Wisconsin Historical Society Press), that culls from his life on a Fall Creek farmstead, chicken coops and all. Derived from his Wisconsin State Journal column, his essays inspire a lot of collective nodding – like the first time he saw the Packers on a flat-screen – and also many laughs. You can’t help but chuckle when he describes a yoga studio that caters to farmers or misses a deer while hunting because he’s reading Poets & Writers. “Writing is a privilege,” Perry says, and he uses his column “as a mirror to see how I’m measuring up.” Our only grievance: These two-page stories will leave you wanting more. – Kristine Hansen

Kristine Hansen
A seasoned writer, and a former editor at Milwaukee Home & Fine Living, Kristine Hansen launched her wine-writing career in 2003, covering wine tourism, wine and food pairings, wine trends and quirky winemakers. Her wine-related articles have published in Wine Enthusiast, Sommelier Journal, Uncorked (an iPad-only magazine), FoodRepublic.com, CNN.com and Whole Living (a Martha Stewart publication). She's trekked through vineyards and chatted up winemakers in many regions, including Chile, Portugal, California (Napa, Sonoma and Central Coast), Canada, Oregon and France (Bordeaux and Burgundy). While picking out her favorite wine is kind of like asking which child you like best, she will admit to being a fan of Oregon Pinot Noir and even on a sub-zero winter day won't turn down a glass of zippy Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.

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