Many people who live in rural areas and small towns are struggling to preserve a way of life that is in danger of vanishing. These people have interesting stories to tell. The Rural Stories Project began with the goal of sharing these stories with the world. Using the internet to spread word of creative and unique people and projects in rural areas and small towns, the Rural Stories Project is building a network of people interested in rural issues, a network that can inform and support people working to improve their communities.

The Rural Stories web site will include:

• A directory of organizations and individuals interested in rural issues.
• A directory of links to web sites with a rural focus.
• Articles about rural organizations, people and initiatives.
• A calendar of events of interest to the Rural Stories community.
• Web logs (blogs), which are chronicles of rural life, written by a variety of people.

Rural Stories is a project of Irish Rose Consulting. Founded in 1989, Irish Rose Consulting is a software and web site development firm based in Wisconsin. Company founder Dennis Deery has focused on working with companies and individuals that are not traditional users of technology, mainly small, rural businesses. The Rural Stories Project grew out of a desire to share the stories of innovative people working to preserve the rural way of life and the fabric of their communities.