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  • "With homespun grace, Philip Gulley is well on his way to becoming our own Garrison Keillor." -The Indianapolis Monthly Magazine

    Quaker minister Philip Gulley never thought he could be a writer. "I made a D in English Composition in college," he admits. "I only made a D because I promised my professor I would never write again." Against the advise of his college professor, Gulley pursued writing and currently has more than 365,000 copies of his first three books in print.

    Gulley had no idea that one day the essays he wrote for his church bulletin would land in the hands of popular radio broadcaster Paul Harvey and change his life. Harvey's son, Paul Harvey Jr., happened to attend Gulley's small church, Irvington Friends Meeting, in Indianapolis. After the young Harvey signed the guest registry, he began receiving the small congregation's bulletin. He passed the humorous and heartwarming essays along to his famous father, who passed them along to folks at Multnomah Publishers and four books later…"now you know the rest of the story."

    The folksy and poignant stories found in Gulley's church bulletins are recounted in his first three books, Front Porch Tales, Home Town Tales and For Everything A Season (all Multnomah Publishers). Gulley has created a truly charming collection of stories and remembrances from a simple, country pastor that cause readers to yearn for a similar, uncomplicated life. His latest book is his first novel, Home to Harmony (October 2000), chronicling life in the fictional small town of Harmony, Indiana. Gulley moved to fiction out of necessity. "When I moved back to the town where I grew up, I tired of people coming up and saying, 'You ought to write about my Aunt Sally in your next book.' And they would be upset when I didn't!"

    Raised in Danville, Indiana, Gulley takes many of his characters and recollections from his boyhood in this small midwestern town. "People always think small towns are boring," admits Gulley. "But to me, small towns are fascinating. There are opportunities for relationship in a small town unlike anyplace on earth."

    The fourth of five children in a strong Catholic family, Gulley became a Quaker at age sixteen when he was invited by neighbors to attend their church youth group. He earned a degree at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis.

    Gulley is a part-time writer, speaker, and stay-at-home dad of two small boys. A steadfast homebody, Gulley and his wife Joan recently celebrated their sixteenth wedding anniversary.

    "The Andy Griffith Show" is one of Gulley's passions in life. He only plugs in the television on Sunday evenings to watch reruns of his favorite program, deeply believing that all good ideas about God can be traced back to the program. Besides his family, Gulley's other passions are puttering in the garage and writing. His essays have previously been published in the Indianapolis Star, Indianapolis News, Readers Digest, Parent Life, Quaker Life and iBelieve.com.

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