John Christopher Nelson’s youth was divided between the ninety-four-acre site of a defunct dairy and a high desert mining town. John is an erstwhile ambulance driver, surf shop manager, and ghost tour guide. He studied literature at UCLA and is a graduate of the Stonecoast MFA, where he later lectured on violence in writing. He served as senior editor for his respective undergrad and graduate literary journals, Westwind and The Stonecoast Review. During his twelve-year Pacific Northwest exile, John interned at Hugo House. During a month-long ICU stay in Reno, he nearly died twice. John lives in Hermon with his fiancée and their cat.