Andrew Nash Gifford (born 1974) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

publisher born in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

He is most known for founding

Santa Fe Writers Project The Santa Fe Writers Project (SFWP) was founded in 1998 by Andrew Gifford. It began as a small effort supported by writers and arts advocates, and has since grown into a well-known independent press. SFWP hosts a literary awards program and an ...

, an

independent press Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

. Gifford is also the author of the memoir ''We All Scream'' which details his family story; Gifford is the grandson of John Nash Gifford, the founder of Gifford's Ice Cream & Candy Co.

Early life

The son of a prominent Washington, D.C. area family, Andrew Gifford was the heir to the Gifford family ice cream empire before his father, Robert Gifford destroyed the business with a faulty

franchising Franchising is based on a marketing concept which can be adopted by an organization as a strategy for business expansion. Where implemented, a franchisor licenses some or all of its know-how, procedures, intellectual property, use of its busine ...

scheme. Robert Gifford disappeared in the wake of bankruptcy proceeding. Andrew Gifford's mother, Barbara, was fanatically religious and fascinated by Charles Manson. Both parents were alcoholic, and the household was abusive. Gifford has written extensively about his life in his memoir, and his criticisms of his family have not always been well received.

Publishing career

Inspired by

zine A zine ( ; short for '' magazine'' or '' fanzine'') is a small-circulation self-published Self-publishing is the publication of media by its author at their own cost, without the involvement of a publisher. The term usually refers to writ ...

culture, and in particular

Pagan Kennedy Pagan Kennedy (born c. 1963) is an American columnist and author, and pioneer of the 1990s zine movement. She has written ten books in a variety of genres, was a regular contributor to the ''Boston Globe'', and has published articles in dozens o ...

, in 1989 Gifford founded his first publishing company, Purple Publications, which had to be shut down while Gifford was in college and struggling with Trigeminal neuralgia. He went on to be an editor of

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wires and a developmental editor at the

American Psychological Association The American Psychological Association (APA) is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States, with over 133,000 members, including scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants, and students. It ha ...

; however, during this period, Gifford was depressed. During a trip to visit family in

Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe ( ; , Spanish for 'Holy Faith'; tew, Oghá P'o'oge, Tewa for 'white shell water place'; tiw, Hulp'ó'ona, label=Tiwa language, Northern Tiwa; nv, Yootó, Navajo for 'bead + water place') is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. ...

his uncle, the writer

Richard Currey Richard Currey (born 1949) is an American author born in West Virginia. He is known for his writing of the Vietnam era and of West Virginia. He is the recipient of two NEA fellowships. Early life and education Born in Parkersburg, West Virgi ...

encouraged him to get back into publishing. In 1998, Gifford founded

. (SFWP) As of 2018, Gifford's publishing company SFWP had been continuously operating for twenty years. In addition, books published by the press have been nominated and received numerous awards, and have been reviewed positively by publishing trade media like Kirkus and Publishers Weekly. In 2020, he spoke with Real Fiction Radio about some of his many experiences as a writer and publisher.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gifford, Andrew Nash 1974 births Living people