John C. Fisher

Author and Speaker


Fisher has been a freelance writer and speaker for over twenty years, focusing on topics in Missouri, Ozarks, agricultural, and food history in addition to Missouri folklore.

ABOUT
John C. Fisher, a freelance writer and speaker, is the author of four books, two of which were co-authored with his wife and writing partner, Carol Fisher. He has also written numerous magazine articles.

His writing topics include Missouri history, especially southeast Missouri regional history, small farm agriculture, devotionals, restaurant profiles, Missouri folklore, Ozark history, and food history.

John is available to speak to civic groups, historical societies, and schools on topics related to his writing interests. He is a member of the Missouri Speakers Bureau sponsored by the Missouri Humanities Council and the State Historical Society of Missouri.

Bio
John C. Fisher, a native of Missouri's Bootheel region, was born in Kennett and grew up on a farm near Holcomb. After high school, he attended Southeast Missouri State University, earning a degree in geology. Following graduate work in geology at the University of Missouri-Columbia, John returned to operate  diversified row-crop and vegetable farms in Dunklin and New Madrid counties. He managed a roadside produce stand featuring sweet corn, melons, purple hull peas, and other vegetables.

Fisher retired from farming in 2000 and began his career as a full-time freelance writer. He began with magazine articles then expanded to books.

Organizations with which Fisher is affiliated include Missouri Writers Guild, Heartland Writers Guild, Missouri Folklore Society, Center for French Colonial Studies, Central Mississippi Valley Archaeological Society, and the State Historical Society of Missouri. He also serves on the Missouri Board on Geographic Names and is an elder at the First Christian Church in Kennett.

BOOKS

Catfish, Fiddles, Mules, and More: Missouri's State Symbols, University of Missouri Press, 2003

Catfish, Fiddles, Mules, and More: Missouri's State Symbols, University of Missouri Press, 2003

Review: Thoroughly researched and well written. This book fills a niche for this kind of information in a way no other work has done. It will be valuable to anyone with an interest in Missouri, and will be particularly useful to elementary and high school students in their study of the state.

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Pot Roast Politics, and Ants in the Pantry: Missouri's Cookbook Heritage, University of Missouri Press, 2008, Co-authored with Carol Fisher

Pot Roast Politics, and Ants in the Pantry: Missouri's Cookbook Heritage, University of Missouri Press, 2008, Co-authored with Carol Fisher

REVIEW: "The Fisher's demonstrate that what people eat and how they fix it, as chronicled over time in the cookbooks of Missouri, help us understand the nature and characteristics of the state, its people, its culture, and its past. The Fisher's book will not disappoint." Tom Harte, author of Stirring Words: Reflections and Recipes from a Harte Appetite. AWARDS: 2nd Place Winner, 2008 Missouri Writers Guild Walter Williams Major Work Award. This book is in the process of being revised and will be republished in the near future.

Food in the American Military: A History, McFarland Publishers, 2011, Co-authored with Carol Fisher

Food in the American Military: A History, McFarland Publishers, 2011, Co-authored with Carol Fisher

REVIEWS: " Well researched and prepared. Very easy to read and a must read for anyone curious about how the military has been fed for the last 230 years." "A very detailed and thorough accounting of U. S. military rations from the earliest days to present. I was very pleased with it." "Lots of info with enough pictures. Easy to read and understand. Connects the history in a seamless way." AWARDS: 1st Place Winner 2011 Missouri Writers Guild Walter Williams Major Work Award

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Southeast Missouri from Swampland to Farmland: Transformation of the Lowlands, McFarland Publishers, 2017

Southeast Missouri from Swampland to Farmland: Transformation of the Lowlands, McFarland Publishers, 2017

REVIEWS: I found this book very interesting and well-researched. The author writes well, is organized and kept my attention. More people from the Bootheel in SE Missouri need to read the book to fully appreciate the struggles people had in draining the area." "The topic was very well researched, easy to read, makes me proud to be a 'Swampeaster' " Excellent and well written account of the timber era in southeast Missouri. It is nice to see a properly written and cited book on our local history. Highly recommend, great read." AWARDS: 1st Place 2018 Show-Me Best Book Awards, Missouri Writers Guild.

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ARTICLES
John has written  numerous articles for a variety of magazines. His articles have covered such wide-ranging topics as farm equipment, growing specific vegetables, food history, schlorlarly articles on southeast Missouri history, religious meditations, Missouri state symbols, restaurant profiles, food preservation, and tourist attractions. Here are some of the magazines and journals in which he has published articles:
Missouri Historical Review
Missouri Folkore Journal
Kitchen Garden
Back Home
Missouri Life
Show Me Missouri
Backwoods Home
Old Farmers Almanac
Secret Place
Rural Missouri





PRESENTATIONS
John C. Fisher  has made presentations across Missouri. He frequently speaks to local historical societies, civic clubs, libraries, and other groups about topics including Missouri history, especially southeast Missouri regional history, military food history, and Missouri folklore. Fisher is also available to speak to writer's groups and conferences about a variety of writing related topics. If you would like to arrange for John to speak to your group or to learn about other presentations he makes use the contact button. To see his Missouri Speakers Bureau presentations use the MHC button.
Listed below are a few examples of the presentations he has given.

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
"The 1939 Southeast Missouri Sharecroppers Demonstration," Arkansas State University, Delta Symposium, 2023

"French Settlement in Missouri's Eastern Ozarks," Missouri State University-West Plains, Ozarks Symposium, 2022

"The Civil War in the Missouri Bootheel: The Legend of Billie Dement," Missouri Folklore Society Conference, Boonville, MO, 2023

"Writing Query Letters," Heartland Writers Guild Conference, Sikeston, MO, 2002

OTHER PRESENTATIONS
"Transformation of the Southeast Missouri Lowlands," Dunklin County Library, Kennett, MO, 2023

"Divining Rods, Water Witching, and Grave Dowsing," Pemiscot County Historical Society, Caruthersville, MO, 2022

"The Soldier's Love of Coffee," Stoddard County Historical Society, Bloomfield, MO, 2015







INTERVIEWS
John has been interviewed numerous times by media across the region about his writing. Here are a few of the places he has been interviewed.

KOPN Radio, Columbia, MO with Margo McMillen

KRCU Public Radio, Cape Girardeau, MO

KFVS12 Television, Cape Girardeau, MO with Mike Shane

KTMO Radio, Kennett, MO with Steve Patton

Aycorp Media, Malden, MO, "Barry Interesting" with Barry Aycock

Contact


 fisherjohnc@yahoo.com