British Dairying magazine shares a little about Barn Gothic and what lessons other countries can learn from what happened to the US dairy industry.
Ryan Dennis
@penofryandennis.bsky.social
Editor of @themilkhouse.bsky.social, author of novel The Beasts They Turned Away and memoir Barn Gothic from @IslandPress.bsky.social.
If you got some Wednesday nights (Irish time) free in October/November, I'm teaching a course called "Writing the Rural" with @channelpress.bsky.social.
Channel Press@channelpress.bsky.social · 2w agoThe first offering on our online course programme, Writing the Rural: Person, Place and Process with the brilliant @penofryandennis.bsky.social, is now taking bookings 🍃 Cost: €200 with a half-price solidarity rate available. Find out more: channelpress.ie/product/writ...
"For people who’ve raised cattle, the farm is their center of gravity, and it determines how they live and die. The rhythms stay with a person long after the last cow is milked." — @penofryandennis.bsky.social, author of Barn Gothic, on what it means to lose a farm. Read more here:
What it means to lose a farm
There are only three times when a farm receives a lot of visitors: during an open house after expanding, after the farmer gets seriously injured, and when the farm sells out and auctions its…
press.princeton.edu
1/2 If you liked Tara Westover's 'Educated' or are a fan of Cormac McCarthy, then I think you'll love 'Barn Gothic.' @penofryandennis.bsky.social writes with heart, depth and incredible honesty, about three generations and the eventual demise of a family dairy farm.
Bookpost! Thanks to @penofryandennis.bsky.social for the signed copy - really looking forward to reading this one 🤩 #LoveBooks #LoveReading
@welch.senate.gov, working with @familyfarmco.bsky.social, introduced the Milk from Family Dairies Act to the senate. This bill includes measures that are exactly what my memoir, #BarnGothic, called for. Please contact your senator and tell them you support this bill. nffc.net/pr-milk-from...
New Landmark Dairy Bill Will Transform and Revitalize Dairy Sector - National Family Farm Coalition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Samantha Cave Communications Coordinator samantha@nffc.net 603-333-6281 New Landmark Dairy Bill Will Transform and Revitalize Dairy Sector The Milk from Family Dairies...
nffc.net
Dust catches in my throat between the rows, following the windrows— line after long line... This week on The Milk House: "Absolution for Two" @lauradehartyoung.bsky.social. Read it here: www.themilkhouse.org/absolution-f...
Absolution for Two by Laura DeHart Young – The Milk House
"Dust catches in my throat / between the rows, / following the windrows— / line after long line..." -Absolution for Two by Laura DeHart Young
themilkhouse.org
The Beasts They Turned Away by @penofryandennis.bsky.social ‘Half mad, wholly inspired and completely brilliant.’ Available from you local bookshop, as ePub or direct from us: www.epoquepress.com/online-store... #epoquepress #books #bookcommunity #bookrecommendations #bookstagram
"Probably the aspect of publishing Barn Gothic that has surprised me the most is how many farmers have found me, in person or online, to say: 'That’s my story, too.'” Said in an interview with Farm and Livestock Directory. Read it here: farmandlivestockdirectory.com/the-decline-...
The Decline of Family Dairy Farms: A Personal and Political Story | Ag Industry News - Farm and Livestock Directory
Ryan Dennis, a columnist for Farm and Livestock Directory, has recently published Barn Gothic: Three Generations of Family Dairy Farms. He explores the politics that had led to those difficult financi...
farmandlivestockdirectory.com
Barn Gothic author @penofryandennis.bsky.social says the proposed 2026 farm bill weakens state oversight and accelerates the consolidation that leaves small farms behind. A better path? Supply control, fair price floors, and “green” payments to support family agriculture. Read more:
What Farmers Need — and Never Get — in a Farm Bill
By Ryan Dennis
islandpress.medium.com
The proposed #farmbill will only accelerate the decline of #familyfarms. Here's my quick thoughts on a what a meaningful farm bill would actually look like... islandpress.medium.com/what-farmers...
What Farmers Need — and Never Get — in a Farm Bill
By Ryan Dennis
islandpress.medium.com
I'm proud of what Samantha Rogers, Alma Antón, Madelyn Pendry and I put together. There are some amazing rural voices in this collection. Some of these stories and essays are going to stay with you for a long time. Get a copy here: www.themilkhouse.org/product/2026...
Rules I live by: 1). Never miss a Super Bowl 2). Never miss a chance to talk ag policy progressive.org/op-eds/how-t...
Island Press@islandpress.bsky.social · 6mo agoIn a new op-ed for the #IslandPress Short-form Program, author @penofryandennis.bsky.social writes that it's time to un-rig agriculture and put family farms back at the center of U.S. farm policy after decades of consolidation, trade harms, and neglect: progressive.org/op-eds/how-t...
Many thanks to @themilkhouse.bsky.social and @penofryandennis.bsky.social for the shoutout!
The Milk House@themilkhouse.bsky.social · 6mo agoCongratulations to @williamburtch.bsky.social on an excellent collection of rural short stories, titled #OtherwiseWretched. Available from Sunbury Press: www.sunburypress.com/collections/...
The @dailyyonder.bsky.social allowed me to share a little bit about where #BarnGothic came from. A big thanks to Claire Carlson for asking interesting questions. dailyyonder.com/qa-ryan-denn...
Q&A: Ryan Dennis on the History of Agriculture | The Daily Yonder
Editor’s Note: This interview first appeared in Path Finders, an email newsletter from the Daily Yonder. Each week, Path Finders features a Q&A with a
dailyyonder.com
What a great night at @kennysbookshop.bsky.social Friday. It was fun getting to share #BarnGothic with both friends and strangers. With such a robust crowd, it was probably my best chance to try crowd surfing. I didn't, though, and I regret it.
It's great to see that the readers of @barnraiser.bsky.social listed Barn Gothic as one of their favorite books of 2025! Barn Raiser is a great source of news for Rural America. barnraisingmedia.com/our-readers-...
Our Readers’ Favorite Books of 2025
I loved it for its beautiful language and the story of a dull life with no escape, a near dead experience and being conned by a crazy visitor which in the end opened doors to possibilities that were r...
barnraisingmedia.com
Thanks to @agriland.bsky.social for letting me share a little bit about Barn Gothic. The American dairy industry is a cautionary tale for the EU. www.agriland.ie/farming-news...
Latest Farming News - Farming In Ireland - Farm Ireland
Agriland is Ireland's largest farming news portal. Daily Irish farming news and Irish agricultural news for farmers.
agriland.ie
Thanks to @dailyyonder.bsky.social for publishing the finalists of the #BestinRuralWriting Contest. Vote for overall winner on The Milk House's contest page. Read the judge's choice for Best Short Story, "The Escapee's Lover" by Dennis McFadden: dailyyonder.com/2025-rural-w...
2025 Rural Writing Contest Best Short Story: 'The Escapee’s Lover' | The Daily Yonder
Editor’s note: The third annual “Best in Rural Writing Contest” was presented by the rural literary journal The Milk House with promotional support from
dailyyonder.com
Thanks to Barn Raiser for sharing a little bit of my memoir #BarnGothic, about the loss of family dairy farms in the US. What a great publication for those in rural areas...
Barn Raiser@barnraiser.bsky.social · 9mo ago"My father wanted others to know his story" barnraisingmedia.com/how-we-lost-...
It's publication day! #BarnGothic has been released into the wild. You know that you can never get someone else's story perfectly right, but I hope it's close enough that my family, my community, and family farmers everywhere can see themselves in it. bit.ly/4pd1JRM
Every so many years I stumble onto a poetry collection that makes me excited about the possibilities of language again. #ThisMuchVery by @hiramlarew.bsky.social has surprising turns, a unique voice, and is a celebration without a hint of sentimentality. Highly recommended.
I'm really glad to be a part of this project and bring some excellent #ruralwriting to as many shelves as possible!
The Milk House@themilkhouse.bsky.social · 10mo agoCover Reveal Alert! The Milk House is delighted to unveil the cover of its latest project – the 2026 Best in Rural Writing Anthology. Coming this winter!
It's great to see that #BarnGothic, my upcoming memoir about the dairy industry (November 13th), is listed in @foodtank.bsky.social's Fall Recommended Reads! foodtank.com/news/2025/10...
Your Fall Reading List for a Better Food Future
Covering everything from soil to supper, these 26 inspiring books on food, farming, and climate are must-reads this fall.
foodtank.com
Two months left to enter the 2025 Best in Rural Writing Contest! In partnership with @dailyyonder.bsky.social and judged by @jamesgwriter.bsky.social, the #writingcontest is accepting fiction and nonfiction under 7,000 words. Deadline: September 15th To enter: themilkhouse.org/contest
Recently we concluded our 10-day creatives retreat in Doolin, Ireland with 28 participants from the US and Canada. We had tracts in writing, art and photography. And most of all, we had a good time. DM me if interested in the Irish retreat for Summer 2026. #writingretreat
The Milk House is excited to announce the 3rd annual #BestinRuralWriting Contest, judged by @jamesgwriter.bsky.social. Fiction and nonfiction. Deadline: Sept 15th, 2025. Prize pool: $700. Finalists published in the 2026 Best in Rural Writing print anthology. To enter: themilkhouse.org/contest
