En savoir plus
"Michael Cotter's stories ring with universal truths and values common to every society, whether agrarian like his own, or urban. His settings celebrate the farming life, and his themes touch every heart. Only a generous spirit could have written these affecting stories, penned by one of the most gracious people I've had the honor to know."
---Jimmy Neil Smith, Founder of the National Storytelling Festival (USA)
> --Donald Davis, storyteller, author, and teaching artist, Ocracoke, N.C.
"Though the language is plain and silence fills spaces between people in his stories, Michael's awareness is breath-taking. He honors those who find meaning in labor, honor in duty, consolation in loss, and beauty in tenderness. His stories reveal that connections we long for are there to shatter our solitude and isolation, to strengthen community, to teach us how to live in 'the healing power of stories'."
--Carol Birch, Circle of Excellence storyteller, author, recording artist, Westchester County, N.Y.
"Michael Cotter's stories have the unmistakable beauty of observation that arises from an honest, hardworking person who sees perhaps more clearly than most, and who tells the truth he sees. They remind us that our stories are the only real thing in the world. I am a city girl but in each of these farm stories, I found a piece of myself."
> "Michael Cotter's voice is wise and real. In this book, he reflects upon what is truly important in his life, and in ours."
--Ben Rosenfield, PhD, storyteller, retired school principal, and past president, Northlands Storytelling Network
A propos de l'auteur
Honored by his peers as a Circle of Excellence Storyteller
of the National Storytelling Network, Michael Cotter was born near Austin, Minnesota, in
1931 on the farm that had been in his family since 1876. He
was the youngest of eight children and was raised in a strict
Irish-Catholic household. However, the barn and fields were
a different world, populated by hired men who were hoboes,
drifting in during the Great Depression. His stories reflect
those two conflicting life styles, blended together with his own
version of Irish humor.
Michael has farmed with horses and combines with
global positioning; and his stories describe the personalities of
the people and animals that were a part of that evolution.
He was fifty years old when he first stepped on the
stage, and his unusual approach to storytelling has given him
the opportunity to perform throughout the U.S.; including
the Smithsonian Folk Festival, National Storytelling Festival,
schools, fairs, retreats, programs, television, hosting radio
shows in Des Moines, Iowa, and Austin, and a number of
other venues. He was the Artistic Director of the Minnesota
Storytelling Festival for twenty-two years, starred in a healing
stories film used by the Mayo Clinic, and is a national award
winning storyteller.
Michael now resides in Albert Lea, Minnesota, with
his wife Beverly, a writer and artist, and still spends his days
working with his son on the farm.
