John Meacham will share stories at Chester Library

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Award-winning outdoor humor writer John Meacham will share the stories behind some of his tall tales when he speaks at Chester Public Library at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 11.

"I'll tell where I first got some of my ideas," Meacham, who lives in Bremen with his wife, Bonnie, said. "For me, it all begins with an idea. Sometimes it comes from something I read, or something I hear someone say. Other times, it may be something that happens to me -- usually as a result of something downright dumb that I've done."

"One of my early stories, 'Senorita Margarita and the Katfish Ketchers,' came from an outrageous article about Chester being burned to the ground by alien beings that appeared in a UFO magazine back in 1978."

"Honey, He Shrunk My Head!" was Meacham's first story in a nationally circulated publication. It appeared in Buckmasters Whitetail Magazine in September, 1997. It placed second in the Outdoor Writers Association of America's humor contest in 1998 and became the title story in Meacham's self-published book, which includes 21 "Tall Huntin' and Fishin' Tales."

Stories by Meacham have been named "Best of Open," the category that includes humor, in the Association of Great Lakes Outdoor Writers contests three of the past five years. "The Pros and Cons of Hunting Partners," published in Adventure Sports Outdoors, won in 2008. "Henry Johnson and the High-Tech Hunter," published in Turkey Call, won in 2005. "Fergie Foreman and the Big Boss Gobbler," published in Petersen's Bowhunting, won in 2004.

"Many of my stories are set in Southern Illinois and feature members of the fictitious Kickapoo County Sportsman's Club, like Lordnose Nelson, Big Ben Klock, Lead Pipe Finch, Fergie Foreman, Morton Magpie and Bald Nobby Bell," Meacham said. "One of my favorites to write about is Fishhook Fields, a former hunting and fishing guide turned private eye. He's a take-off on Sherlock Holmes, and he's the star of my newest tale, 'The Adventure of the Exotic Doctor.' It takes place on an island in the Mighty Mississip'."

Examples of Meacham's stories, hunting and fishing trophies and gear are now on display at the library. For more information about the author and his work, visit www.storiesbyjohn.com.