Born in Boston, Massachusetts, John Bankston began writing articles while still a teenager. Since then, over two hundred of his articles have been published in magazines and newspapers across the country, including travel articles in The Tallahassee Democrat, The Orlando Sentinel and The Tallahassean. He is the author of over sixty biographies for young adults, including works on Alicia Keys, Missy Elliot, Eminem, scientist Stephen Hawking, author F. Scott Fitzgerald and actor Jodi Foster.