John Urban was born at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri. He attended schools in Alaska, Wyoming, and California, graduating from San Jose State College, San Jose, California with a degree in Physics, minors in Philosophy and Creative Writing. His Poems have been published in the Common Ground Review, New Vision, Jet Fuel Review, The Mobius Strip, being human, Sound and Literary Art Book and The Rolling Stone. Three Songs for Children is his first collection of Poems. His interests and influences include Classical Metaphysics and Modern Spirituality. He considers his work to be in the Romantic Tradition of Emily Dickinson, Hart Crane and Wallace Stevens, but distinguishes it as Transcendental Romanticism.

As Elizabeth Porter has said of his work it is "rich with metaphysical insight" and "through its meanderings. . . our innocence is restored and we know ourselves to be the children to whom these Poems beckon."