John was born in Manhattan and raised in Queens, New York, where he still lives, with his wife Anne and their cat Yaeger.
John attended public schools, including the LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts, where he majored in Drama. John graduated from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts with a B.F.A. in Dramatic Writing. He then attended N.Y.U.’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and graduated with a M.A. in English. John later attended Queens College, where he received another M.A., also in English.
John has taught test-prep for The Princeton Review and English at Bergen Community College and LaGuardia Community College. He currently teaches 6th and 7th grade English at the Greek American Institute, where he also serves as assistant principal. John is also an adjunct professor at Nassau Community College (SUNY).
PLAYWRITING
John began writing plays while in high school. His plays started getting produced in the late 1980s in venues small and even smaller in New York . He was a member of Playformers from 1988-1992, and was also a member of New Directions Theatre from 1993-2000. Favorite productions include Best Friends (Double Image One-Act Festival), The Progressives (Stage Two, Illinois), Cute Lonely Guys Looking for You, Hermione, The Autumn House and Memorial Days (New Directions Theatre).
All Gone West
In March 2015 John’s play ALL GONE WEST will open at Teatro Circulo, 64 East 4th Street, produced and directed by Jonathan Fluck.
Henry Kissinger
In 2006 John's play Henry Kissinger: A Romantic Comedy was presented in the New York International Fringe Festival. Called “A charming coming of age play…” by N.Y. Theatre.com, Henry Kissinger was one of the highlights of the festival.
NON-FICTION
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In 2007 John’s book DANIEL BARENBOIM: HIS LIFE, MUSIC, AND ART, a biography of the famous pianist and conductor, also written for teens, was published (J.G. Burke Publishing).
In 2005 John’s middle grade novel EDDIE AND THE JETS was published by Darby Creek Publishing. The story of a football obsessed sixth grader who has to deal with broken friendships, a broken family, and a first love, it was a Junior Library Guild Selection for 2005/2006, and was listed as “Highly Recommended” by Small Press Bookwatch. In 2007 a Scholastic Book Clubs edition was released.
FICTION
In 2003 John completed YO-YO MA: A LIFE IN MUSIC (J.G. Burke Publishing), a biography of the famous cellist, written for teens. It was later published in Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China.