John Maxwell was born in Jackson and spent his early years in Pickens. He became interested in works by famed Mississippi author William Faulkner when he was in his twenties. Maxwell conducted extensive research on Faulkner’s professional and personal life, and the result was Oh, Mr. Faulkner, Do You Write?, which features some of Faulkner’s own words and made its debut at Jackson’s New Stage Theatre in 1981. Maxwell has presented his play to audiences in the United States as well as around the world. In 2002 Maxwell founded the Fish Tale Group, a nonprofit theatrical organization. He wrote three original monologues profiling John the Baptist, Paul, and Peter, as well as several short “mock-umentary” videos that depict modern-day versions of well-known Bible stories. Maxwell has been a principal player in many productions of Jackson’s New Stage Theatre, where he spent six years as artistic director.