Love is superior, family is mighty, and we were put here, not for ourselves, but for each other. These are the core values that were passed down to me from my grandfather. Don't chase the chickens, because one day, one might just chase you back; beer is more than just a breakfast drink; and do what you want, not what you're told - these were also some things of value that were passed down to me from Grandpa. Growing up just down the hill from my grandfather and his chickens taught me more about life than anything that I could've learned in school (had I paid attention). Learning how to stand up for myself, to lend a helping hand, to nurture, and to protect the things I love, are just a few of the lessons that I learned while crossing that grassy path between his house and mine. Life Lessons from Grandpa and His Chicken Coop is a book about love, family, youth, maturing, and all the learning that happens in between. It is a powerful, humorous, insightful, playful, ornery, and philosophical narrative about perspective and the lessons that I have learned from growing up just as ornery as my ornery grandfather and his damn chickens.
About the Author: Jacob Paul Patchen is a strong advocate for love, family, and laughter. He is his mother's favorite child (arguably), his grandfather's ornery double (not so arguably), and the one who offers the blessing before holiday dinner. With his background in poetry and his open heart, he sees the world in a transcendent light. With a deeper understanding of the importance of life's "little things," enriched by his time spent at war in Iraq, Jacob offers a philosophical, light-hearted, and insightfully energetic tone to his writing style. Jacob is an award-winning writer and poet from Cambridge, Ohio. He was the recipient of the Beulah Brooks Brown Award in Poetry and was selected as the feature writer for Muskingum University's creative writing magazine, First Circle. Jacob graduated from Muskingum University with a bachelor's degree in English while focusing on creative writing, journalism, and speech communication. Since graduating, Jacob has written a script for a feature film, started a blog (which has, almost and sort of, made him semi-famous in a small town), and created Jacobpaulpatchen.com, a website focused on creating a community of readers and writers. Life Lessons from Grandpa and His Chicken Coop: A Playful Journey Through Some Serious Sh*t is Jacob's first book. Growing up a few miles outside of a small village in the rolling hills of South East Ohio, Jacob spent most of his youth playing sports, spending time outdoors (i.e. climbing trees and hiding from babysitters), and finding his unique voice in writing. Feeling patriotic, he enlisted into the Marine Corps. Reserves during his senior year of high school. During his six year enlistment in the Infantry, he was deployed to the Al Anbar Province, Iraq in 2005. After his return from Iraq, with a better understanding of life and a renewed appreciation for opportunity, Jacob enrolled into Muskingum University to pursue a formal education in writing. He is now living outside of Cambridge, Ohio where he balances part time work with full time play.