John Christopher Nelson's youth was split between a defunct dairy farm on ninety-four acres of chaparral in East County San Diego and a silver-boom mining town. John is an erstwhile ambulance driver and surf shop manager, with over 100 tattoos. He has moved thirty-six times and currently resides in the central Nevada high desert splendor of Tonopah, where he works in hospitality. John earned his BA in American Literature from UCLA and is a graduate of the Stonecoast MFA at the University of Southern Maine. In 2020, he was appointed off-the-books as the inaugural member of the “Guy That Julia Obviously Wants to Kiss” initiative, and remains the sole fellow of the program. He has experience as an intern at Hugo House and filled the role of senior editor for both of his campus literary journals: Westwind and The Stonecoast Review, respectively.
