Born in Guelph, Ontario, John has lived in Egypt, Iraq and Japan and then settled in Toronto. He has a BA and MA in English from York U., and non-credit writing courses at the jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics, where he worked closely with Allen GInsberg and Anne Waldman. After jobs in publishing and corporate communications, be began a 20-year career teaching in Ontario community colleges.  He taught English and general education courses, and then for the last 10 years led faculty development at Centennial College. Now retired, he enjoys free-lance editing, improving his photography, playing guitar and travelling.