To preserve a bit of one’s art is a true act of love, even if the book of stories that comes out is titled Surrounded by Weasels: Stories from the Northwest of Ireland. The late Josie Gray is the story teller, and his widow Tess Gallagher, the world renowned poet, collaborated on these heretofore unpublished stories that never fail at once to entertain and give an oral history about life in the mid to late twentieth century in a certain part of Ireland. Washington State native Tess Gallagher has published eleven distinguished collections of poetry, most recently Is, Is Not, and earned the Academy of Rome Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023.

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* December 11, 2025, correction. Tess Gallagher is not EDITOR but collaborator for this book.