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Michael Perry

Goodreads Author

Website

http://www.sneezingcow.com

Genre

Memoir, Humor and Comedy, Fiction

Member Since

January 2009

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Michael Perry is a New York Times bestselling author, humorist and radio show host from New Auburn, Wisconsin.

Perry’s bestselling memoirs include Population 485, Truck: A Love Story, Coop, and Visiting Tom. Raised on a small Midwestern dairy farm, Perry put himself through nursing school while working on a ranch in Wyoming, then wound up writing by happy accident. He lives with his wife and two daughters in rural Wisconsin, where he serves on the local volunteer fire and rescue service and is an amateur pig farmer. He hosts the nationally-syndicated “Tent Show Radio,” performs widely as a humorist, and tours with his band the Long Beds (currently recording their third album for Amble Down Records). He has recorded three live humor albums in Michael Perry is a New York Times bestselling author, humorist and radio show host from New Auburn, Wisconsin.

Perry’s bestselling memoirs include Population 485, Truck: A Love Story, Coop, and Visiting Tom. Raised on a small Midwestern dairy farm, Perry put himself through nursing school while working on a ranch in Wyoming, then wound up writing by happy accident. He lives with his wife and two daughters in rural Wisconsin, where he serves on the local volunteer fire and rescue service and is an amateur pig farmer. He hosts the nationally-syndicated “Tent Show Radio,” performs widely as a humorist, and tours with his band the Long Beds (currently recording their third album for Amble Down Records). He has recorded three live humor albums including Never Stand Behind A Sneezing Cow and The Clodhopper Monologues, is currently finishing his first young adult novel, and can be found online at www.sneezingcow.com.

Perry’s essays and nonfiction have appeared in numerous publications including The New York Times Magazine, Esquire, Backpacker, Outside, Runner’s World, Salon.com, and he is a contributing editor to Men’s Health magazine. His writing assignments have taken him to the top of Mt. Rainier with Iraq War veterans, into the same room as the frozen head of Ted Williams, across the United States with truckers and country music singers, and—once—buck naked into a spray-tan booth.

In the essay collection Off Main Street, Perry wrote of how his nursing education prepared him to become a writer by training him in human assessment, and he credits singer-songwriters like Steve Earle and John Prine with helping him understand that art need not wear fancy clothes. Above all, he gives credit to his parents, of whom he says, “Anything good is because of them, everything else is simply not their fault.” His mother taught him to read and filled the house with books; his father taught him how to clean calf pens, of which Perry has written, “a childhood spent slinging manure – the metaphorical basis for a writing career.”

Perry has recently been involved in several musical collaborations, including as lyricist for Grammy-nominated jazz pianist Geoffrey Keezer, and as co-writer (with Bon Iver frontman Justin Vernon) of the liner notes for the John Prine tribute album “Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows.” Perry also collaborated with Vernon and Flaming Lips lead singer Wayne Coyne on a project that began when Vernon approached Perry and said, “Say, you’re a nurse…” The results were bloody, but then that was the point.

Of all his experiences, Perry says the single most meaningful thing he has ever done is serving 12 years beside his neighbors on the New Auburn Area Fire Department.

Mike says:

If I had to sum up my ‘career’ in one word, it would be gratitude. I get to write and tell stories all around the country, then come home to be with my family and hang out at the local feed mill complaining about the price of feeder hogs. It’s a good life and I’m lucky to have it. ...more

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Michael Perry’s books

Average rating: 3.92 · 20,305 ratings · 3,251 reviews · 26 distinct works • Similar authors

	Population: 485 3.93 avg rating — 5,942 ratings — published 2002 — 27 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Truck: A Love Story 3.95 avg rating — 3,442 ratings — published 2006 — 26 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Coop: A Year of Poultry, Pigs, and Parenting 3.94 avg rating — 3,375 ratings — published 2009 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Jesus Cow 3.62 avg rating — 2,480 ratings — published 2015 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Visiting Tom: A Man, a Highway, and the Road to Roughneck Grace 4.11 avg rating — 1,398 ratings — published 2012 — 14 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Montaigne in Barn Boots: An Amateur Ambles Through Philosophy – A Midwestern Memoir on Faith, Race, and Living Well 3.79 avg rating — 637 ratings — published 2017 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Forty Acres Deep 4.27 avg rating — 542 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Scavengers 3.89 avg rating — 572 ratings — published 2014 — 15 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Off Main Street: Barnstormers, Prophets Gatemouth's Gator: Essays 3.87 avg rating — 547 ratings — published 2005 — 14 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Roughneck Grace: Farmer Yoga, Creeping Codgerism, Apple Golf, and Other Brief Essays from on and off the Back Forty 4.21 avg rating — 280 ratings — published 2016 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Michael Perry's Blog

Michael Perry Returns to the Tucson Festival of Books

Mike will be a presenting author at this year’s Tucson Festival of Books, (Saturday and Sunday, March 14 & 15, 2026). As well as his usual entertaining presentation, he’ll be discussing his two latest books, Forty Acres Deep and Improbable Mentors & Happy Tangents.

Over the years, “T-fob” has raised and donated over $2 million to support local literacy programs. It has also grown into o

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Michael Perry wrote a new blog post Michael Perry Returns to the Tucson Festival of Books Mike will be a presenting author at this year’s Tucson Festival of Books, (Saturday and Sunday, March 14 & 15, 2026). As well as his usual entertai Read more of this blog post »
Mar 08, 2026 12:07AM · like

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Quotes by Michael Perry (?)

“Summer here comes on like a zaftig hippie chick, jazzed on chlorophyll and flinging fistfuls of butterflies to the sun.”
― Michael Perry, Population: 485

18 likes

“I deserve a swift kick in the shorts for all the times I've stubbornly wound my way through the library stacks, my mule head leading the way, searching fruitlessly for information a librarian could put in my hands in a matter of minutes.”
― Michael Perry

11 likes

“It (a singer's voice) sounds as if it was aged in a whiskey cask, cured in an Ozarks smokehouse, dropped down a stone well, pulled out damp, and kept moist in the palm of a wicked woman's hand.”
― Michael Perry

tags: wordsmith

8 likes

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Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
The Seasonal Read...: WINTER CHALLENGE 2009-2010 COMPLETED TASKS	3143	3268	Feb 28, 2010 09:02PM
Readers and Reading: September-October 2010 Chat	53	94	Oct 23, 2010 08:47PM
The Seasonal Read...: 10.8- What A Way To Make A Living	127	223	Nov 17, 2010 03:35PM
Pick-a-Shelf: 2010-10 - Biography - Post October Reviews Here	82	112	Nov 27, 2010 11:17AM
The Seasonal Read...: Winter Challenge 2010-2011 Completed Tasks (do not delete any posts)	2578	1112	Feb 28, 2011 09:05PM
The Seasonal Read...: Fall Challenge 2012: Completed Tasks - DO NOT DELETE ANY POSTS IN THIS TOPIC	2291	757	Dec 28, 2012 03:29PM
WACKY READING CHA...: LOCATIONS - UNITED STATES	58	35	Apr 04, 2014 10:17AM

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message 2: by Pat

Jul 30, 2015 09:20AM

Just finished The Jesus Cow, Michael, and I wanted to tell you how much I liked it. I think a lot of Harley's reticence and unwillingness to stand up for himself sometimes when he should is something that will resonate with a lot of people. It was a fun read because it was a gentle joshing about being steamrolled by life and love and politicians, but not an all-out rant. Too much of that going on every day. Thanks for the book!

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message 1: by Michael

Jan 13, 2009 10:44AM

Hi folks. Just finding my way around here. I will be checking in, but for now my most current information and regular updates will be at www.sneezingcow.com. Thank you for visiting and reading. It's 14 below this morning. Must go check the chickens. They are laying ice cubes.

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