Thank you to John Cuk, Marty Heresniak, Jan Callner, Joseph Ilardo, Jonathan Klein, Brian Maillard, and Daniel Holabaugh for bringing music into my life. And a huge thank you to Ken Wilcox for being the best darn guitar teacher.
To my Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram friends, and all the readers who have reached out to me, it is one of the greatest honors of my life to be understood by you and to know we have such kindred spirits. Thank you for chiming in with answers to my weirdo research questions and letting me know you were hoping for another book.
In 1997, I saw Peter Mulvey play at Ithaca College, and since then, most of the music I listen to is in some way related to his beautiful slice of the folk world. Steadily and with great empathy, he carries on the tradition of being a folksinger, and by following his work and the way he navigates the world, I’ve learned a great deal about the kind of creative person I want to be. I have also been greatly inspired by Chris Pureka, who writes the most wise and beautiful songs I’ve ever heard, and whose lyrics helped me navigate my intentions for this work.
The soundtrack to this book and this phase of my life has been full of Mark Erelli, Kris Delmhorst, Jeffrey Foucault, David Goodrich, Tracy Chapman, Dar Williams, The Waterboys, R.E.M., Counting Crows, Indigo Girls, Steve Earle, Glen Phillips, Meg Hutchinson, Gordon Lightfoot, Arlo Guthrie, Carole King, James Taylor, Yusef Islam, and （of course） Bob Dylan. I am so grateful for their brilliant work.
It is very hard to write this part because I don’t know that my dear old friend Stella will still be here when this book comes out, but she has been with me while I wrote it, snoring at my feet for twelve years of this journey. Everyone should have such a steadfast friend. I have loved every moment of her.
Jeremy Larkin, I freaking love you. You’ve lived with this book as long as I have and believed in me in times when I forgot to. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for making me laugh. Thank you for dancing. What a great adventure we’ve been on this far. I’m so glad to be home with you.