J. A. Nunn was born in Pasadena, California. At a small Baptist college struggling with social inequality in the 1960s, he earned a BA in literature. After winning a fellowship at Southern Illinois University, he received a MA in literature. Returning to California to teach, Nunn lived in Berkeley, Pacific Grove and a few other California towns before accepting a teaching position in Tokyo. While there, he switched to marketing and was subsequently appointed Washington State’s Japan-based trade representative. After a second career in marketing electronics, Nunn retired to Seattle with his wife and their many memories.