Michael Perry's Blog, page 386

Coop Paperback Tour, Post #01

I'm blogging about book tour for Shelf Awareness, a daily bookselling newsletter.

In report #1: Who knew I'd be hanging out with friends in Buffalo?

Photo taken at the show.

Firefighter Memorial Ceremony

It is a privilege to be counted among the tens of thousands who have served as volunteer firefighters.  And although I will be many states away when it happens, my heart will be in Wisconsin Rapids (city of my birth) on June 19 (this coming Saturday) for the dedication of the Wisconsin State Firefighters Memorial.  Facebook link and info here.

Between the Books and the Music

Sometimes people ask me if the books and the music are connected.  Sometimes, yep.  Amble Down Records compiled the following summary describing the connections from the Tiny Pilot album:

- The opening verse of "Edge of Town" is set on the highway overpasses described on pages 99-104 of Population 485: Meeting Your Neighbors One Siren at a Time (HarperPerennial).

- The album's title song, "Tiny Pilot," was written in memory of Perry's nephew Jake, as described in Coop: A Year of Poultry...

Louis L'Amour and Sharon Olds (and the Bible)

Over at It's All About Books, I did a "Pick Five" about my literary influences.  Now I want to be back on the porch at Mom and Dad's place, reading with the screens open…

East Coast Tour Underway

If the wings stayed stuck on the airplane and all else is well, the East Coast swing of the Coop paperback tour is underway and I'll be easing into Buffalo, New York, sometime today.  Looking forward to hitting this side of the nation after a long stretch away.

I have been and will be meeting a lot of new folks and doing many interviews over the next two weeks, so if you're new to the site, welcome.  The full tour info is here.  Rest of the books and music are described here.

We don't bug...

Tiny Pilot Songwriting Scrap

Came across a notebook page containing early notes toward the song "Tiny Pilot" from the album of the same name.

The lyrics as they were first scribbled out and marked up:

Tell me Tiny Pilot
about your short short stay
thousand daysthreads of thinning clouds
flyin' aroundthinnest thread of cloud
somewhere beneath the [thunder:] of the diesel
& the smoke
is
sound of the plow
rollin' the loam...

Chicken-Based News

Article in Buffalo (New York, that is!) News.

Interview in Buffalo Rising.

Another article in the Daily News.

Heading for Syracuse.

Interview in the Hippo.  Yes, the Hippo.

And the Madison County Courier.

Mike on KFAI Radio 6/10/2010

Talking about music, England, poetry, not drinking in bars, and why it takes him forever to write a book.

Listen here.

Notes From the Road

I so enjoy being a guest on KFAI's Write On Radio!, and today's show was no different.  I don't mean to pigeonhole him, but host Ian Leask's voice is a treat for me because I am reminded of England and my dear friend Tim.  Today on the show I read a section from Coop honoring Tim's memory (and the music, among others, of Bronski Beat, Simple Minds, The Waterboys, Roxy Music, Marillion, Pink Floyd, and Status Quo).  I miss my friend, but he left me with much by which to remember him.

You can...

Radio Interview with Ian Leask of Write On Radio!

Live in studio with Ian Laesk at 11 a.m.  Tune into 90.3 or 106.7 Minneapolis/St. Paul or listen online here.

Lately I've been out touring for the new paperback version of Coop.  The full tour is here.  Rest of the work is here.

We don't bug folks, but we do like to keep in touch.  If you're willing, here's our mailing list sign-up.

And here's our Facebook.  And our Twitter.

Speaking of Twitter, gotta go move chickens.