Barry Head – författare

In Working Cowboy, Margot Liberty and Barry Head present the oral history of Ray Holmes, a Wyoming cowboy born in 1911. Holmes has spent his life on horseback, herding cattle and doing other work with livestock. Since the time he rode his first horse, Holmes wanted nothing more than to be a cowboy--though his father insisted he would never make a living at it. The determination that started him on his dream has stayed with him throughout his life. Holmes remains a quiet man, averse to bragging but is candid and strongly opinionated.Practical chapters, such as ""Some Talk about Cowboys"" and ""Some Talk about Calves and Calving,"" alternate with chapters describing Holmes's colorful life, including his coping with the blizzard of 1959, listening to the very first radio in the neighborhood, and sleeping with potatoes to keep them from freezing.

Set in the south of Mexico, this is the realistic, colorful story of one childs rough road into the modern world. From what hes heard, Utuyu, about six years old, thinks the city of Oaxaca sounds like a marvelous place. It looks different, though, when he finds himself there all alone, hungry and homeless, nearly run over by the traffic, not knowing how money works or where to get any, and even unable to speak the language of the people around him. Theres a lot Utuyu has to learn--and fast!--if he is to survive.Utuyus adventures make a tale of determination, courage and resourcefulness as he learns to cope with feelings all children share.Charmingly illustrated, The Balloons of Oaxaca makes perfect bedtime reading in the old tradition. Its readable to five-year-olds and readable by ten-year-olds themselves.

BARRY HEAD is a painter and writer, spending most of the year in Oaxaca, Mexico. We invite you to visit barryhead.com and barryheadwriter.com

HELLO. Welcome to my cottage. And yes, do please come in and make yourself comfortable.

So begins this collection of intimate essays by a man, who says hes in his 90s and wanting to leave a loving farewell to humankind. Hes not quite one of us, he claims, and wants to offer us a special parting gift.

His gift will be accepted by some, rejected by others, come as a source of comfort or, quite possibly, outrage. Determined to keep his last days for himself, he insists on remaining anonymous.

Says the writers godson and editor, Barry Head: Like many of you who will read Swansong, Im not sure what to make of it. I found it challenging and provocative, but while disagreeing with my godfather about many things, I found what he says always beguiling in its friendly, playful, non-judgmental tone. Very quirky. So quirky, in fact, that I felt it deserved publicationparticularly as it was written as a legacy for all of us.

BARRY HEAD is a painter and writer, spending most of the year in Oaxaca, Mexico. We invite you to visit barryhead.com and barryheadwriter.com

Original cover art 2007 by Barry Head