John Onyx was born in the village of Pay Pay, Peru, and raised in West Virginia after his adoption. At twenty, he enlisted in the United States Navy, where he serves as a senior enlisted leader in the submarine force.
His work traces a lifelong navigation of loss and fracture, discovering the beauty and light born from that darkness.
Beyond the page, John helps to cultivate local poetry groups and events, bringing poets of all ages together to connect, grow, and speak honestly.