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About John

I'm a writer and journalist exploring nature and the environment. I have a special interest in the landscapes, waters, wildlife, and conservation of North America's Great Plains; the Mediterranean cork forests and the cork industry; and fishing-dependent coastal communities worldwide. I write frequently about Oklahoma and the southern Great Plains.

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My photography documents rural America and life in the countryside.

 

​I'm the author of Red Dirt Country: Field Notes and Essays on Nature, Pecan America: Exploring a Cultural Icon, and a forthcoming title, Landscaping for Wildlife. My essays and reporting have appeared in American Forests, Big Sky Journal, the Dallas Morning News, Southwest Review, the Atlantic, and have been cited in The Best American Essays and The Best American Sports Writing anthologies. 

Clients

John Gifford's essay "To Know a Place" appears in the 2022 Fly Fishing issue of Big Sky Journal, a magazine showcasing the culture and lifestyle of the Northern Rockies. John Gifford is a freelance writer, author, and journalist based in Oklahoma City.
John Gifford's story "It Comes with the Territory" appears in the November 27, 2015 issue of the Saturday Evening Post, the classic American magazine promoting the arts and literature while inspiring and empowering individuals to embrace a proactive approach to physical, mental, and spiritual health. John Gifford is a freelance writer, author, and journalist based in Oklahoma City.
John Gifford's 2016 profile of Oklahoma City appears in U.S. News & World Report. John Gifford is a freelance writer, author, and journalist based in Oklahoma City.
John Gifford's essay "Pie Transports Me" appears in the April 22, 2013 issue of the Christian Science Monitor. John Gifford is a freelance writer, author, and journalist based in Oklahoma City.
John Gifford's essay "Salmon on the Table" appears in the Winter 2020 issue of Gastronomica: the Journal for Food Studies, published by the University of California Press. John Gifford is a freelance writer, author, and journalist based in Oklahoma City.
John Gifford's profile of Oklahoma City breakfast cafes appears in the December 2015 issue of Austin Monthly, a magazine showcasing the people and culture of Austin, Texas. John Gifford is a freelance writer, author, and journalist based in Oklahoma City.
John Gifford's creative-nonfiction piece, "Five Fabulous Bars in Oklahoma City," appears in the August 9, 2015 issue of the Dallas Morning News. John Gifford, a former Dallas resident, is a freelance writer, author, and journalist based in Oklahoma City.
American Automobile Association (AAA)
John Gifford is the former Outdoors and Nature Expert for the Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation, and is a freelance writer, author, and journalist based in Oklahoma City.
John Gifford's profile of Paul Quinn College President Michael Sorrell appears in the September 2019 issue of EatingWell magazine. John Gifford is a freelance writer, author, and journalist based in Oklahoma City.
John Gifford's essay "Answering the Humble Knock" appears in the Summer 2019 issue of Harvard Divinity Bulletin, published by Harvard University. John Gifford is a freelance writer, author, and journalist based in Oklahoma City.
John Gifford's article, "Reading Stream Pools," appears in the June 2004 issue of Boys' Life magazine, published by the Boy Scouts of America. John Gifford is a freelance writer, author, and journalist based in Oklahoma City.
Georgia Electric Membership Corporation
ESPN (Entertainment and Sports Programming Network)
John Gifford's essay on the Mediterranean cork industry's comeback appears in the February 25, 2016 issue of The Atlantic, an American magazine covering news, politics, culture, and technology. John Gifford is a freelance writer, author, and journalist based in Oklahoma City.
John Gifford's profile of the Cross Timbers appears in the Spring 2017 issue of American Forests magazine. John Gifford is a freelance writer, author, and journalist based in Oklahoma City.
John Gifford's 2021 profile of Oklahoma City, "Sunny City on the Southern Plains," appears in the December 2021 issue of Western Art & Architecture magazine. John Gifford is a freelance writer, author, and journalist based in Oklahoma City.
The University of Oklahoma Press published John Gifford's 2019 book of nature writing, Red Dirt Country. John Gifford is a freelance writer, author, and journalist based in Oklahoma City.
John Gifford's feature on the U.S. pecan industry appears in the September 21, 2016 issue of Modern Farmer magazine. John Gifford is a freelance writer, author, and journalist based in Oklahoma City.
The Oklahoman
W.W. Norton & Company
John Gifford's 2002 books Oklahoma Sportfishing and Small Stream Bass were published by the Countryman Press, a division of W.W. Norton & Company. John Gifford is a freelance writer, author, and journalist based in Oklahoma City.
John Gifford's feature on bonefishing on Long Island in the Bahamas appears in the February 2007 issue of Saltwater Fly Fishing, published by Morris Communications. John Gifford is a freelance writer, author, and journalist based in Oklahoma City.
John Gifford's essay on Traverse City, Michigan's Cherry Capital Airport chili appears in the May 2020 issue of Traverse Magazine, published by MyNorth Media. John Gifford is a freelance writer, author, and journalist based in Oklahoma City.
John Gifford's essay "The Solace of Flowing Water" appears in the Autumn 2016 issue of Notre Dame Magazine, published by the University of Notre Dame. John Gifford is a freelance writer, author, and journalist based in Oklahoma City.
John Gifford's essay on Hawaiian bonefishing appears in the Summer 2023 issue of Sporting Classics magazine. John Gifford is a freelance writer, author, and journalist based in Oklahoma City.
MetLife
Valir Health
John Gifford's feature on the U.S. pecan industry, originally published in the September 21, 2016 issue of Modern Farmer magazine, was republished on September 29, 2016 in the Huffington Post. John Gifford is a freelance writer, author, and journalist based in Oklahoma City.
Alabama Media Group
The University of Kansas published John Gifford's 2019 book of immersion reporting, Pecan America: Exploring a Cultural Icon. John Gifford is a freelance writer, author, and journalist based in Oklahoma City.
Miles Partnership: a strategic marketing company
John Gifford is a former nature and outdoors columnist for the Norman Transcript, published by CNHI, LLC. John Gifford is a freelance writer, author, and journalist based in Oklahoma City.
Writer's Digest
John Gifford's essay on wildfires, "Fires," appears in the Spring 2015 issue of Southwest Review, published at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. John Gifford is a freelance writer, author, and journalist based in Oklahoma City.
John Gifford's essay on beavers, "Oh, Give Me a Home..." appears in the January 11, 2017 issue of the Smart Set: a journal of arts and culture. John Gifford is a freelance writer, author, and journalist based in Oklahoma City.

© 2025  by John Gifford

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