<p>The pieces in this collection form a lament for a way of life mostly gone. The family farm is dead. Did you know? says one character within. E.B. White writes Charlotte s Web today, it takes place in a hog confinement. Imagine Wilbur living in a concentration camp for pigs. Still, these pieces are neither nostalgic nor sentimental. Boys bear burdens heavier than is just they discover truths at too early an age. Woven through-out is the strong, unspoken love between fathers and sons, sons and fathers. But perhaps these pieces, this Possum Trot, form not a lament, but a celebration of life. There is laughter here, the laughter that comes after the funeral, when the family is gathered in the home, the casseroles have been eaten and the boys are playing catch in their church clothes. The men have taken off their jackets and rolled their sleeves, and the women are pouring coffee. Do you remember when...? someone says. They do remember, and they laugh. There are tears in their eyes because one of the family is missing. But those tears are mixed with tears of laughter, because look around you. Here we all are. Still here. Alive and kicking. A Midwest Connections Pick for 2010!</p>

Possum Trot

Literature & Fiction

J. Harley McIlrath

Short Stories & Anthologies

Ice Cube Books

<p>Farmscape is inspired by the community play which documents the contemporary Midwest farmscape. Savor the taste of organic vegetables on a truck on its way to the local farmer s market, suit up in protective clothing and a mask before you enter a hog confinement operation. Experience the David and Goliath story of an organic farmer up against the economic forces of the 3500 acre agri-business operation next door. In the end, you ll understand that during the pioneer days, farming completely changed the ecosystem of the prairie. A hundred and fifty years later, this landscape is dramatically changing again. This book will feature a collection of well-known and talented contributors including: This book contains the full readers theatre script as well as commentary on both Farmscape and the Changing Rural Environment</p>

Farmscape: The Changing Rural Environment

Gene, Logsdon

Mary Swander

Jim O'Loughlin

Anna Lappe

Frederick Kirschenmann

Brian Burmeister

Dramas & Plays

Ice Cube Press

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by J. Harley McIlrath. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by J. Harley McIlrath