Jerry Engler is the author of two books, Just Folks: Earthy Tales of the Prairie Heartland and A Heartland Voice: Just Folks Two , available at Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble.com. He grew up on a family farm southwest of Topeka with a large extended family an important part of his life. He was an avid reader often finishing at least one book a week. He says he was destined to get an education because there was always a library in his classroom when he decided regular classes weren't interesting enough. He'd not only read every dog and horse book by the time he left elementary school, but also all of the Charles Dickens, Mark Twain and other great classic novels the libraries had. Jerry says, "I also liked to watch birds and animals, and they'll teach you a lot." He and his wife, Belinda, have lived in rural situations for their adult lives with kids,generations of dogs and cats, and other animals. Their home now is two miles from where the Cottonwood River flows into Marion Reservoir, a location where visitors watch flocks of white pelicans in summer and bald eagles in winter. It's a good setting for Belinda's work in giving "horsemanship" lessons with her Welsh ponies and Morgan/Arabian horses. Jerry says it's a place where coyotes and bobcats compete to see which will have the bigger population, and either one of them outnumber the people. Jerry has a B.S. from Kansas State University, and did graduate work both there and at the University of Missouri where he says he finished with a marriage license. He has written extensively for daily newspapers, weekly newspapers and magazines with thousands of articles written especially for readers in Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Arkansas. "I thought 100 column inches published in a semester was a lot when they told me I had to do that for a college course. In the newspaper business, 100 column inches published weekly wasn't a lot at all." He says, "There's no education that can beat the booms and busts of life," and his stories seem to reflect that. The short stories in his two books are known for their authenticity, humor, unique style, vivid description, warmth, and understanding of both nature and human behavior. Critics and fans are saying that is why they call him "The Voice of the Heartland." Jerry tells people that "most of my stories are either highly embellished truth or complete concoctions. The fun part for me is that people usually can't tell the difference. I have yet to have anyone tell me I write some pretty good lies. "People also tell me my stories uplift them. I like that. "I also like fiction because it allows the space to crunch the English language, and play with it."

Jerry W. Engler

I came to AD with a reputation as a short story writer and newspaper journalist. Although I drew praise as a poet back in the 1980's, I had stopped pursuing it. AD has stimulated me to return to poetry, and I am very pleased with the way it has been received. My poem, Oh my Father, appeared in many newspapers for Veterans' Day. Now I also have had the experience of reading it as a eulogy at my father's funeral. The poet laureate of the State of Kansas, has offered my poetry rare praise. I still consider myself primarily a story teller. I am pleased that book sales are beginning to verify my work as worthy with readers. The far reach of my work has surprised me. I didn't anticipate that people in Europe and other parts of the world would read my work. . I now know that my books have gone to The United Kingdom, Germany, Norway, Canada and Australia as well as in many states. I didn't know that people in urban areas of the United States would like it, and respond to it as much as they have.