Born in Puerto Rico, John grew up in Michigan, mainly Jackson. After earning a BA in Creative Writing from Michigan State University, he escaped for many years, working at a wildland firefighter in the American Southwest, travelling the world, and obtaining a MFA in Poetry Writing from The New School for Social Research in New York City.
He was lured back to Jackson to teach at Jackson Community College, and obtained an MA in The Teaching of Writing from Eastern Michigan University. He can be found frequently open mic nights in Jackson, playing bass, or in Ann Arbor on the weekends, sitting in his favorite café reading, writing and sipping jasmine tea.
A note on the last name:
Pronounced YO-hee, the name comes from the Alsace region between France and Germany. Depending on which family member you talk to, the name is mostly French or mostly German. John personally thinks it’s a French-ified version of the German name Johann.
Education:
2007-2009 MA in Written Communication: The Teaching of Writing
Eastern Michigan University-Ypsilanti MI.
Masters Project: “I Hate English But I Love Writing": Using Creative Writing in the Composition Classroom.
1992-1993 BA in English: Creative Writing
Michigan State University-East Lansing, MI
1990-1991 Associates in Arts
Jackson Community College-Jackson, MI
Teaching Experience:
2009-2010: Adjunct Faculty
Jackson Community College, Jackson, MI
2007-2009: Graduate Assistant
Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI
2005-2007: Adjunct Faculty
Jackson Community College, Jackson, MI
2005-2007: Faculty Tutor
Center for Student Success
Jackson Community College, Jackson, MI
1999: Tutor
Parsons School of Design, New York, NY
Other Work Experience:
1994-2008 Wildland Firefighter
US Forest and Park Service
1999 Bike Messenger
Breakaway Couriers, New York, NY
1998 Deckhand/Oiler
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
1994-1995 Wilderness Specialist
Coconino and Tonto National Forests, AZ
1992 Computer Consultant
Jackson Community College, Jackson, MI
Other odd facts:
John has run the 2009 Detroit Marathon, the 2010 Detroit Marathon, the 2010 Pinkney Trail Marathon, the 2010 Woodstock 50K, the 2011 Pinkney Trail Marathon, and the 2011 Kalamazoo Marathon, all barefoot. Check out his barefoot running blog experiment: www.johnsbarefootrunningblog.blogspot.com.
John was a wildland firefighter from 1994 to 2008, both for the US Forest Service, and the US Park Service. Positions included: Hotshot, Fire Use Module, Helitack, and Helirappel.
John earned a Professional Musician’s Certificate from the Musician’s Institute, in Hollywood, California. He plays electric bass, all styles of music, and now also sings and plays guitar, and can sometimes be found busking out in the streets.
He has taught all levels of college composition, and creative writing, for the last seven years, and currently teaches writing full-time at Jackson Community College, in Jackson, Michigan.
