John R. Haws Author's Autobiography Olympia, Washington
	Writing poetry is something that I have always enjoyed doing. I write because I have to. It is good psycho-therapy and just plain fun. Please do not misunderstand. It's also a lot of work and a lot of sleepless nights struggling with a word or a phrase. But when it comes, it comes like a flood. And the more I do, the more I stew...
	I was born in Fullerton, California in 1937. When I was three, we moved north to Santa Clara, California. I graduated from Santa Clara High School in 1955. I attended San Jose State College on and off for a few years. It was during my second time at San Jose State College that I began writing poetry. It just seemed like a natural thing to do. The year was 1960.
	As the years went by, I continued to write a poem here and one there. The poems just accumulated amongst all my other papers. I never had any idea of what to do with any of them. In 1970, I moved to Olympia, Washington and worked for the U.S. Postal Service as a letter carrier for fourteen years. Then, in 1984 I went through a classic mid-life crisis. By 1987 I was divorced.
	I went back to college for the third time and graduated from South Puget Sound Community College with an Associate of Arts degree in Computer Programming. Those were difficult years but I managed to get through them because of my faith in God and His Son, Jesus Christ.
	Early in 1990, I was encouraged by a professional writer to get my poetry published. So, I compiled a set of twenty-eight poems into a logical arrangement, went the Olympia Copying and Printing Center, and had them print a set of 100 copies of my first book called POETRY, Book 1. I had a second set of 100 copies printed about a year later. I gave all of the copies away to friends, relatives and complete strangers.
	I have never had the urge to sell any of my poetry. I have always felt that I am just the messenger, a mailman of lore, the deliverer of the words - and nothing more.
	John R. Haws November 2004
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