WMRA's September Books & Brews will feature Henry and Priscilla Ireys, authors of The Keep, Living with the Tame and the Wild on a Mountainside Farm.
We will also have a representative from the Virginia Cooperative Extension on site with more information about local agriculture and farm-to-table practices.
Tuesday, September 9, 2025 at 7pm.
Our conversation will take place live at Pale Fire Brewing Company in Harrisonburg, and will be available to watch later on WMRA's Youtube Channel.
Signed copies of The Keep, Living with the Tame and the Wild on a Mountainside Farm will be available at the event and online at Stone Soup Books - https://www.stonesoupbooks.net
WMRA's Books & Brews is made possible thanks to our series sponsor, Gaines Group Architects. The Gaines Group has offices in Charlottesville and Harrisonburg.
About the Book
When a mid-life couple finds an old farm that promises refuge from hectic lives and encroaching illness, their world opens up to unexpected adventures: breeding heritage goats, hogs, and cattle; managing a half-dozen large guardian dogs; dealing with barn fires, rapacious logging, and the death of treasured animals. The farm and the surrounding forest also lead to surprising moments of beauty-from sublime sunsets and powerful connections with animals to an outpouring of help from neighbors.
About the Authors
Written separately by wife and husband with distinctly separate voices, the book's essays illustrate different perspectives of life on a farm dedicated to the compassionate treatment of livestock and a deep appreciation of nature's complexities. Priscilla embraces the intensity of loving animals; Henry explores the mysteries of living in a beautiful place. And, in telling their tales, the authors provide a glimpse into their own marriage-as complicated, improbable, and enduring as life itself. The Keep-the term for "the strongest or central tower of a castle, acting as a final refuge"-is a love letter to an unexpected place and adopted lifestyle.