About the Author
From a published poet in the 70s to a newspaper columnist in the 80s and 90s, Jim Gibbons emerged in the 21st Century with enough flashbacks of the good old days for a book or two. His most recent essays can be read in the Anderson Valley Advertiser out of Boonville, California (theava.com). Thanks to the HWG, he hopes to have his first book in 47 years out real soon.
Jim Gibbons’ writing career started his junior year in high school when he made the wrestling team, but noticed his school newspaper didn’t cover the team’s recent victories. He complained to the editor, who countered, “Do you wanna do it?” Gibbons did it, and became sports editor the following year.
Gibbons majored in English at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, but after disliking a Structural Linguistics class, decided to take a creative writing class, and soon became a well-known Milwaukee poet, printing a small local poetry magazine called Pretty Mama, and giving readings with other Milwaukee Poets at the Avant Garde coffee house.
Gibbons’ first book of poems, Prime the Pump, was the first book printed by Morgan Press in 1970. Ed Burton’s Morgan Press, operated from his Milwaukee basement on an old letterpress, went on to print many more creative poetry books, chapbooks, posters, and postcards.
During the seventies, Gibbons’ poetry was in newspapers, magazines, and poetry anthologies with some of his favorite poets, including Richard Brautigan, Charles Bukowski, Gregory Corso, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Frank O’Hara, Jack Kerouac, Anne Sexton, Lew Welch, Phillip Whalen, William Carlos Williams, and Al Young.
However, before he was published with his poetry heroes, he had turned his back on the poetry scene by dropping out and moving to the woods of Mendocino County in Northern California, where he built funky cabins, and helped raise chickens, goats, and his two boys.
In the late seventies, Gibbons went back to school to get his teaching credential, and got into running. He returned to journalism and wrote a weekly running column for the Willits News called FootNotes, and briefly became the Willits News sports editor. He also taught English and journalism in the local school district, and coached the runners at the high school.
Jim's new book, his second in 47 years, A Jog Down Memory Lane, has just been published as a Kindle and you can see or get it here. It is a collection of running articles he wrote for his weekly FootNotes column in the Willits News and the Anderson Valley Advertiser (both in Northern California). Jim got caught up in the running boom, traveling to races all over the country, from San Francisco to Eugene to Spokane to Chicago to New York to Boston to Florida and back to California. Between 1978 and 2016, he ran 528 races and has more medals and columns than he can count, or wants to bother.
Jim Gibbons’ writing career started his junior year in high school when he made the wrestling team, but noticed his school newspaper didn’t cover the team’s recent victories. He complained to the editor, who countered, “Do you wanna do it?” Gibbons did it, and became sports editor the following year.
Gibbons majored in English at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, but after disliking a Structural Linguistics class, decided to take a creative writing class, and soon became a well-known Milwaukee poet, printing a small local poetry magazine called Pretty Mama, and giving readings with other Milwaukee Poets at the Avant Garde coffee house.
Gibbons’ first book of poems, Prime the Pump, was the first book printed by Morgan Press in 1970. Ed Burton’s Morgan Press, operated from his Milwaukee basement on an old letterpress, went on to print many more creative poetry books, chapbooks, posters, and postcards.
During the seventies, Gibbons’ poetry was in newspapers, magazines, and poetry anthologies with some of his favorite poets, including Richard Brautigan, Charles Bukowski, Gregory Corso, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Frank O’Hara, Jack Kerouac, Anne Sexton, Lew Welch, Phillip Whalen, William Carlos Williams, and Al Young.
However, before he was published with his poetry heroes, he had turned his back on the poetry scene by dropping out and moving to the woods of Mendocino County in Northern California, where he built funky cabins, and helped raise chickens, goats, and his two boys.
In the late seventies, Gibbons went back to school to get his teaching credential, and got into running. He returned to journalism and wrote a weekly running column for the Willits News called FootNotes, and briefly became the Willits News sports editor. He also taught English and journalism in the local school district, and coached the runners at the high school.
Jim's new book, his second in 47 years, A Jog Down Memory Lane, has just been published as a Kindle and you can see or get it here. It is a collection of running articles he wrote for his weekly FootNotes column in the Willits News and the Anderson Valley Advertiser (both in Northern California). Jim got caught up in the running boom, traveling to races all over the country, from San Francisco to Eugene to Spokane to Chicago to New York to Boston to Florida and back to California. Between 1978 and 2016, he ran 528 races and has more medals and columns than he can count, or wants to bother.
This book is dedicated to the memory of my Dad,
Robert “Bob” Gibbons, who used to say,
“Jim, when are you going to finish something."
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What others have said about Jim Gibbons’ memoir, which begins when he leaves Milwaukee back in 1969 and heads to California.
“Great piece, Jim. Really good! Your account of arriving in San Francisco in the teeth of flowerchild-ism is the best I’ve ever read. That baby’s going right on the front page next week.” - Bruce Anderson, Editor of the Anderson Valley Advertiser (theava.com)
“Wow, I really enjoyed your stories! Really well written. You clearly make your point, with lots of witty humor in between! Thanks for sharing some of your life’s angst.” - Shirley Ching, Retired teacher and yoga buddy
“That was a great story, Uncle Jim. Funny thing is I was born April 1st, exactly one week after you left Milwaukee back in’69. That was pretty gutsy of you to make your way out there with no plan, low funds, and no place to stay when you got there. A real adventure for sure. You must have been motivated for a change. - Jeff Firzlaff, my sister Kathy’s son, an engineer at Ford Motor Co.
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What others have said about Jim Gibbons’ memoir, which begins when he leaves Milwaukee back in 1969 and heads to California.
“Great piece, Jim. Really good! Your account of arriving in San Francisco in the teeth of flowerchild-ism is the best I’ve ever read. That baby’s going right on the front page next week.” - Bruce Anderson, Editor of the Anderson Valley Advertiser (theava.com)
“Wow, I really enjoyed your stories! Really well written. You clearly make your point, with lots of witty humor in between! Thanks for sharing some of your life’s angst.” - Shirley Ching, Retired teacher and yoga buddy
“That was a great story, Uncle Jim. Funny thing is I was born April 1st, exactly one week after you left Milwaukee back in’69. That was pretty gutsy of you to make your way out there with no plan, low funds, and no place to stay when you got there. A real adventure for sure. You must have been motivated for a change. - Jeff Firzlaff, my sister Kathy’s son, an engineer at Ford Motor Co.
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 I'm repairing my 8-foot dinghy on the deck of a sunken WW II sub-chaser that sat in the mud at Gate 6, Sausalito. Circa 1974
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Makana and I fist-bumping in front of old photo of me on my bike that Ed Burton made into a poster. Circa 1975?
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Do Yvonne and I look happy enough with Eli, our first baby? Circa 1973.
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The Box
by Jim Gibbons I got a birthday present that made me feel so fine It was my secret boy-cave I went there all the time But people laughed and told me To wear pants, shoes and socks Which made me think and ever since I’ve thought outside the box |
Bicycle
Ebbie built this bicycle. I thank Heather for the fine paint job. People smile and point when I ride by. You see, it’s twice the height of a normal bike with a view those short bikes lack. Some think it takes special skill to ride Or figure there’s a trick up my handlebars. They often stop me and ask, “How do you do it?” Not usually being in any kind of hurry I show them. |
Jim's New Book: A Jog Down Memory Lane
What others have said about Jim’s new book
I’m not a runner, but I sure enjoyed your book. There’s a lot here to keep a non-runner engaged and interested. You have a style that appeals. It almost made me want to start running myself. Fortunately, this mad impulse passed, and at my age it’s too late. Whew. I’ll just read the book again. - Lois Rohlicek, a long time Willits friend
I looked up your book on Amazon. You’ve hit the big stage! I really like the title, and commend you on writing about your adventures through the years so others can jog down Memory Lane with you. - Rodger Schwartz, Willits Classic Race Director
I met runnin’ Jim Gibbons at a long-ago footrace. He ran, I shuffled and lurched, casting an amazed and envious eye on him as he breezed effortlessly past on his way to the finish line, while the rest of the pack was still outbound to the turnaround. Always fit, always disciplined, I’m not surprised that Jim has made writing look as easy and as graceful as he made running. His fine stories will beguile the active and the sedentary alike. - Bruce Anderson, Editor and Publisher of Anderson Valley Advertiser
You make running sound interesting. The running stats were broken up with conversation and funny comments. Held my interest. Nicely done. - Julia Pace, Hawaii Writers Guild member.
Jim's Newest book
