Mention the name Jim Erskine in some small Kentucky towns and
the people there will tell you he's the one that put them on the map. He's
no locally-bred celebrity to these people. He isn't a famous politician who
revitalized a hometown's dying industry. And he isn't a business mogul who
brought fame and fortune to many of Kentucky's tiniest hamlets. Jim Erskine is
the creator of "An Honest and True Map of Kentucky." It points out as
many of the off-the-beaten-path towns that may or may not appear on traditional
maps—places like Monkey's Eyebrow, Bee and its sister city Wax, and
Tywhoppety.
It's not enough that he has simply mapped out the rural
oddities of the Bluegrass State. Erskine, an artist and humorist, is also a
successful author. His most recent work, The Southerner's Instruction
Book, is a team effort with his wife Susan. It takes a light-hearted
look at living in the South and emphasizes the dos and don'ts of being a
proper Southerner.
"This title is meant to be a collection that the
reader can identify with. It is realistic and honest, finding humor and wisdom
in simple everyday life. It is funny because it is familiar ground and you see
yourself in it."
Jim Erskine has published several humor and children's books including
Fold a Banana, Throw a Tomato, Hug a Teddy and Lie Down and Roll Over.
He began his art career working for Hallmark and left the company to start his
own, Arf Arf Studios, which produces and distributes lines of greeting cards and
postcards. He holds a degree in folklore from Western Kentucky University and
has had artwork published in Cosmopolitan, Campus Life, and other
national publications. Erskine also shares the honor of being the founding
member of the Kentucky-based Ugly Necktie Society of America.
Susan Erskine is a native of southern Kentucky and is also a
graduate of Western Kentucky University. A self-described country girl, she is
content with the simple things in life like raising their three children.