In his 20's Frank was a very successful college dropout. Or you could say he took a gap year that lasted 84 months. He finally figured out that he wanted to make a living from his hobbies. At that time they included politics, gardening and writing. In short order he was freelancing for the local alt-weekly, starting an award-winning garden design/build/plant business and cutting off his pony tail to launch a successful campaign for a seat on the Durham City Council. More than 30 years later, he has columns in six mid-size national magazines, his first book out (on chickens, called Hentopia--who'da thunk) with a top publisher (Storey) has sold over 12,000 copies, his second book--How to Forage for Mushrooms without Dying-- has sold 30,000 copies in the first year. His essays, articles and op-eds have appeared in the NY Times, WSJ, two dozen other newspapers (op-eds) and a couple dozen magazines like Organic Gardening, Horticulture, Boys Life, Bicycle Times, Paleo and Fine Gardening. You can learn more about him (and his speaking topics) at www.bluecollarcomeback.com and www.frankhyman.com.