Farm On Nippersink Creek: Stories from a Midwestern Childhood [Paperback]

Recognized as PLA/ALLS Best New Books for New Adult Readers

Jim May writes the stories of his youth, growing up in the rural Midwest between the Truman and the JFK eras, where trading stories was as common as trading horses, and frequently required the same skills. Neighboring, as his mother called it, was part of the social fabric.

These 18 poignant and humorous stories of life's joys and trials told with the freshness of youth, yet tempered with the wisdom of age evoke a simpler time in our nation's history without romanticizing the inherent hardships. These barnyard stories teach readers the importance of caring, citizenship and resourcefulness. Jim May Bio: 

Jim was born in Spring Grove, Illinois where his ancestors first settled in the 1840's. Raised in this small German-Catholic farming community, his stories resonate with the rural voices of the Illinois prairie. His relatives spent time "visiting" and telling stories as an integral part of daily life—a means of weaving the social fabric of the community. As an Emmy award-winning storyteller and author, Jim seeks to reestablish live storytelling as an art form for entertainment, education and for healing.

Jim has performed his stories across the United States and Europe. He has performed at schools, corporations, professional groups, and festivals across the land. Chicagoans know him from his appearances on WGN's Roy Leonard Show and from theStuds Terkel radio show on WFMT-FM. He received a Chicago Emmy award for a WTTW-Channel 11 production of his original story, "A Bell For Shorty."