John LaMar Cole grew up on a tobacco farm in the central Bluegrass of Kentucky. He is a professional pianist/composer and interpreter/translator. Cole was raised among a host of writers, composers, pianists and artists. He has written poetry since childhood, publishing a collection of poems from 1985-2023 in his book, "the ephemeral everything," which has received praise from numerous poets, writers and critics. Cole is finishing his DMA in music composition & piano in 2026.