“Discovering her stories is like stumbling into a fully loaded wild blackberry patch—impossible to rush through, sweetly fulfilling, with an immediate longing to return to them again and again.”
—Joshua Kilmer-Purcell, The Fabulous Beekman Boys
Spanning the most recent five years in the life of New York State farmer Sylvia Jorrín, The Improbable Shepherd is a wonderful collection about life on the farm and will provide comfort and inspiration to those searching for meaning with life’s many blessings.
Sylvia Jorrín single-handedly, for the past 25 years, has operated one of the largest woman-owned livestock farms in the New York City Watershed. Sylvia captures her experiences with exquisite prose and graceful craftsmanship.
The Improbable Shepherd picks up where her first book, Sylvia’s Farm, left off: covering the past five years of her experiences on her rural sheep farm in beautiful Delaware County, New York. The Improbable Shepherd brings readers closer to the world around them, and allows them to recognize the simple, often hidden beauties that nature holds. Told in short vignettes and anecdotes, it is a journal of the continuing growth, persistence, and hope that each new day can bring.
The Improbable Shepherd includes photos, artwork, and recipes from her life on the farm to again inspire readers old and new.
Also re-released concurrently is a special edition of the original Sylvia’s Farm. These two books together, spanning nearly two decades, brilliantly capture Sylvia Jorrín’s journey, one of life on the farm and all of the often beautiful, always meaningful lessons that it continues to teach. They are journals of growth, determination, and the unexpected joys that a new day can bring.
About the Author
Sylvia Jorrín has been a farmer in Delaware County, New York for 25 years. Hers is one of the few large livestock farms in the New York City Watershed solely owned and operated by a woman. For 24 years she has published stories about her life on the farm in the Delaware County Times, and on her website, www.sylviasfarm.com. In addition, her writings on agriculture have been published in many of the region’s magazines and newspapers.
Sylvia’s house was photographed for Farmhouse Revival by Susan Daley and Steve Gross. Sylvia was also featured in Martha Stewart Living magazine in an article about shearing on her farm and Sylvia’s recipes. Sylvia’s Farm was chosen for the Book of the Month Club in 2005 and was also excerpted in Willie Nelson’s book, Farm Aid: A Song for America.
THE IMPROBABLE SHEPHERD
More Stories from Sylvia’s Farm
Written by Sylvia Jorrín
Foreword by Joshua Kilmer-Purcell
978-1-57826-471-1, $15.95 paperback
978-1-57826-472-8, $9.99 eBook
SYLVIA’S FARM
The Journal of an Improbable Shepherd
Written by Sylvia Jorrín
Foreword by Joshua Kilmer-Purcell
978-1-57826-469-8, $15.95 paperback
978-1-57826-470-4, $9.99 eBook
New from Hatherleigh Press. Distributed through Random House. Available wherever books are sold.
