John Mark Schnick

John Schnick was born at Portsmouth Naval Hospital in Virginia, in 1949. When his father had sea duty, John lived on the family dairy farm in Arkansas. When his father was “on the beach” he lived on Navy bases in the US and Canada.

John dropped out of high school in the 1960’s, then his parents moved to Hong Kong. He spent the next years as a homeless vagrant and a dirtbag climber, in the States as well as Mexico.

He got his act together in the 1970s, becoming a father, going to junior college, then working as an art director and package designer for thirty years in San Francisco and Emeryville, California.

Since retiring from advertising, he has made ceramic sculptures and travel videos.

Cold 'Coon & Coffee was written in India, France, Cuba, and California, where he lives with his wife, Josie Jurczenia, plus two large and smelly dogs.