Henry T. Ireys is a former health policy researcher. He published numerous papers in health policy journals and, since his retirement, has been writing for The Hampshire Review about farming and the natural world. Priscilla M. Ireys worked in the fashion industry for thirty years, where she designed and made stage clothes for country music stars such as Loretta Lynn before leaving to focus on farming and the conservation of heritage breeds. Together, they have lived on a farm in Hampshire County since 2001, tending a core herd of fifty Spanish and Savanna goats. The Keep is their first book together.