Short Bio…
Dave Watson is a retired large animal veterinarian from southern Wisconsin. His story ideas sprouted during the countless hours he spent traversing country roads to see his patients. After years of taking notes, he started writing his stories that are reflective of his life experiences and his curiosity about the world around us.
His short stories have appeared in Foliate Oak Literary Review, Antigonish Review and Roanoke Review. He lives with his wife and a plethora of pets with frequent visits from his two grown sons.
Long Bio…
I grew up the son of a minister, and contrary to what some of my friends thought at the time, being a pastor’s kid was not a dull existence. As a kindergartener I once went with my father to one of his church services inside the Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison. In the 4th grade, I tagged along on my dad’s youth group trip to the Boundary Water Wilderness in northern Minnesota, and in my early teens I backpacked with his confirmation class in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado.
It wasn’t only my dad’s adventurous ministry that shaped my childhood. I have fond memories of trips with my mom to the local library to check out favorite books like Andrew Henry’s Meadow, The Box Car Children and Henry Huggins. She also introduced me to the joy of music and maybe most influential, she let me spend time with her dad on his farm. During my visits, I learned to love the smell of fresh cut hay and the rewards of physical labor stacking straw bales in the barn. I have vivid memories of watching my grandma place a newborn baby pig in her kitchen oven to revive it from hypothermia on a cold March day, and walking the cow pasture with my grandpa to find a newborn calf hidden in the tall grass. My trips to the farm fostered my curiosity about animals which in turn blossomed into a career in veterinary medicine.
I came to my writing later in life. The voice urging me to put my stories to paper started soon after college, but initially I resisted. There were so many other things to do, a career, start a family. I eventually relented and now, after years of practice and persistence, it’s gratifying to see the stories I envisioned come to life.