James Cox grew up in both the cities and countryside of Michigan, where he learned wilderness survival and a variety of urban skills such as driving fast through heavy traffic. Now retired, he describes himself as a "Taoist wild man, poet, dog lover, philosopher, old soul, cook, dishwasher, flower finder, healer, aphorist, and novelist." He enjoys hiking in the mountains and learning wildflower names in and around Whittier, North Carolina. James has published poetry in a variety of online and press journals and has been featured in several anthologies. He has won prizes for poetry in Milestone Magazineand in the North Carolina Writer's Network annual contest.