'More Than Words' by Jerry Apps
Jerry Apps has been writing fulltime since retiring from UW-Madison in 1996. Since then, he’s become rural Wisconsin’s answer to John Gurda, a chronicler of changing seasons and farm life in the Upper Midwest. His newest book is a memoir of his writing life, an interest he had as a young man. He cites 1966 as his first year as a professional writer with the debut of his “Outdoor Notebook” column for small town papers; his first book, The Land Still Lives, was published in 1970, but most of his time was taken by teaching and academic administration. He soon learned an important lesson: “If I wanted to pursue a career in writing, I would have to learn to think more like the publishing professionals who dealt in genres and marketing plans.”
Apps had a unique perspective as a writer, based on growing up on a farm when electricity was a novelty and storytelling was the main pastime after a day in the fields. More than Words details his life as the writer of more than 50 books—in several genres—and his active pursuit of opportunities to connect with readers
