Jim Harrison was born in Grayling, Michigan, in 1937 and grew up close to the land, spending his time fishing and hunting. In his teens he committed himself to be a writer and has never looked back. His first book of poetry, Plain Song, was published in 1965; his first novel, Wolf, in 1971. In 2007 he was elected into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He lives in Montana and Arizona, where he continues to write and publish.
Gregg Orr, a vice president with Westower Communications, has assembled the most complete private collection of Jim Harrison's published material known to exist. He assisted in the preparation of the Rothschild bibliographical catalog of William Somerset Maugham.
Beef Torrey (1958–2013) was a psychologist associate at Beatrice State Developmental Center in Nebraska, the editor of Conversations with Thomas McGuane and the senior editor of Conversations with Hunter S. Thompson.
Robert DeMott, the Edwin and Ruth Kennedy Distinguished Professor of English at Ohio University, is the author or editor of more than fifteen books, including Conversations with Jim Harrison.
