Most recently a magazine feature journalist, John Hoctor has also written extensively for the Fog City Journal, a ground-breaking news platform committed to covering breaking news, arts and politics in San Francisco and the Greater Bay Area. In 2008, John wielded his political coverage expertise in the 9th Federal District court, known as the country's most activist federal circuit courtroom. He covered a four-month class action vets’ trial for FCJ that exploded into a hot button media case with national coverage. While passionate about politics and courtroom stories, he has commensurate expertise writing about arts and leisure topics, especially popular music and culture and produced hundreds of articles. He has covered celebrities as well known as Governor Schwartzenneger., but balances this ability with stories like ‘Down and Out,’ where he focused his written lens on the plight of the homeless in affluent suburbia. http://www.fairfieldweekly.com/news/featured-news/down-and-out-in-westport A native New Yorker, John has been a staff writer for the Gannett newspaper group, as well as the Westchester/Connecticut Business Journal. Long a crusader for Veterans’ Rights, John has published features in Washington, D.C., for Army Times. http://lawyersforwarriors.blogspot.com/2008/06/anti-ptsd-email-and-senate-testimony.html In Connecticut, John has published in the Stamford Advocate, The Fairfield County Weekly, and In Connecticut, John has published in the Stamford Advocate, The Fairfield County Weekly, and [currently launched in August 2011, www.hamlethub.com/westport] (a hyper local site). He is most familiar with solid, ‘old-school’ journalism, but embraces the challenge of expanding his content’s reach through web venues. John’s career as a journalist began with a degree in European History, along with one in Journalism. He is a graduate of the University of Iowa’s Writer’s Workshop, where he worked with such legendary teachers as Paul Engel and by mentored staff that trained with Kurt Vonnegut. A standing member of the Connecticut Press Club, I've applied my knowledge of European History (studied at the Univ of Freiburg) to writing a proposed for a biography on the relative, Thomas Francis Meagher, the so-called Civil War ear 'Irish General'. FUN FACT, my great grandfather married his sister.http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Thomas_Francis_Meagher.aspx While living in San Francisco, John developed a passion for the outdoors, holistic wellness, and physical fitness. He mountain bikes and is certified as a TRX personal trainer. These are additional areas of expertise and experience he looks forward to writing about.