Johnny Carrol Sain writes from the River Valley and Boston Mountains of Arkansas, where he explores the relationships between people and place through thoughtful observation and active participation in the natural world. His essays, which blend lyrical storytelling with unflinching examination of environmental and cultural issues, have appeared in Outdoor Life, The Bitter Southerner, Sporting Classics, The Food & Environment Reporting Network, The Drake, Hatch Fly Fishing,  MidCurrent Fly Fishing, and Strung Sporting Journal among others.
 

While rooted in hunting, fishing, and rural life, Johnny's scope extends beyond traditional outdoor writing. He has reported on environmental challenges facing Louisiana's marshlands and Florida Bay, investigated the impacts of industrial agriculture in Arkansas, covered public wildlands protection in New Mexico, and addressed climate change through both journalism and advocacy. His commitment to addressing environmental concerns has led him to speak at the Arkansas State Capitol during Earth Day celebrations and meet with members of Congress in Washington, D.C., regarding coastal wetland preservation.

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Johnny's work has been recognized with awards from the Outdoor Writers Association of America, the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association, and the Society of Professional Journalists. His writing has been incorporated into university curricula, including an honors course, and his unique voice has earned him invitations on national podcasts to discuss topics ranging from public land access to thoughtful hunting practices.

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Before becoming a writer, Johnny lived many lives—insurance salesman, hog farmer, property owner, convenience store owner. The 2008 recession changed everything, wiping out his businesses, savings, and home. Starting over with his wife, Christine, and two young daughters felt impossible until he returned to college and, more importantly, pursued a dream he'd shelved for decades.
 

That dream had roots in a boyhood bedroom piled high with magazines that he read until they fell apart as well as various works of literature with Jack London as a favorite. Writing seemed like "magic," requiring skills he didn't possess, so he waited. Years later, he tentatively sent an essay about a nocturnal bird to his hometown paper. They published it, he changed his major to journalism, and found his calling.
 

Through careful prose that acknowledges both the beauty and brutality of living close to the land, Johnny examines what it means to be human in an increasingly disconnected world, finding profound truths in simple acts of daily life.