John Kosnow displays the nine titles he has authored on topics ranging from recovering from being hit by a car and using powerlifting as an emotional outlet. Kosnow said that when inspiration strikes, he just starts writing and lets the book take shape. (Molly Rains photo)
John Kosnow knows first-hand how past hardships can have ripple effects that extend well into the future. In his municipal roles, personal life, writing, and work, Kosnow is dedicated to helping himself and his community understand and heal from adversity in order to access a brighter future.
Kosnow, who sits on the Waldoboro Planning Board and Sylvania Re-Development Committee, moved to town about eight years ago from Boothbay Harbor. In addition to volunteering with the town, Kosnow is a respiratory therapist at LincolnHealth’s Miles Campus in Damariscotta.
Kosnow grew up in Portland with six siblings and a home life he described as chaotic and tumultuous.
As a young adult, he served in the Marine Corps for two and a half years before returning to Maine, where he owned a fitness center in Portland. Eventually, Kosnow felt called return to school. It was then that he became a respiratory therapist.
“My parents always told me to help people,” he said about his desire to work in health care.
Kosnow’s participation on town committees is informed by his life experiences and long-held values. This is exemplified by his perspective on the rejuvenation of the Sylvania site, which Kosnow said he takes so seriously in part because of his first-hand experience with contaminated soils and groundwater.
For the majority of Kosnow’s time with the Marine Corps, he was stationed at Camp LeJeune, in North Carolina.
“From Camp LeJeune, I know all about toxins and contamination,” Kosnow said.
As many as two million people are thought to have been exposed to contaminated water at LeJeune between the years of 1953 and 1987. Many soldiers and family members who spent time there were later diagnosed with conditions including various types of cancer that are thought to be the result of the contaminated water.
This includes Kosnow, who is a bladder cancer survivor.
“The thing is that some people knew, and they didn’t tell anyone,” Kosnow said. “That’s why I take our work at Sylvania so seriously.”
Industrial activity at the Sylvania plant on Friendship Road in Waldoboro, which was operational for more than 50 years before shuttering in 2005, released contamination at the 40-acre property. Now, Kosnow brings his experiences with contaminated water to the Sylvania committee’s efforts to put the site to good – and safe – use.
When Kosnow has a few free hours, he can often be found powerlifting. Kosnow holds four world champion titles in his age and weight class, he said, gesturing to several plaques displayed together on a windowsill. Kosnow credits his dedication to athletics with getting through difficult times throughout his life, including emotional and physical challenges.
Kosnow also works through difficult experiences on the page. A prolific author, he has written nine books to date, covering topics from powerlifting to grieving. In all his books, Kosnow interweaves deeply personal anecdotes and valuable lessons from his past with memories and analysis.
Kosnow was inspired to write his first book after being hit by a vehicle in a crosswalk in Boothbay. Titled “The Crosswalk: A Mad Man Gone Mad,” the book recounts Kosnow’s recovery following the incident, which he says was as difficult mentally as physically.
Later books have included memories from Kosnow’s childhood, which is the explicit focus of his most recent work: “A.C.E. in the Hole: The Stacked Deck of Adverse Childhood Experiences.”
In the book’s 120 pages, Kosnow discusses how such adverse experiences – including witnessing and experiencing abuse – can affect individuals throughout their life. Confronting and understanding trauma and past harms, Kosnow believes, is essential to limiting those experiences’ potential to impact us negatively in the future.
While Kosnow writes, he sits at his “command center”: A desk in a sunny corner of his home, where the walls are papered with personal photographs, mementos, and inspiring notes. From here, Kosnow can gaze over the Medomak River and the woods of Waldoboro when he needs inspiration.
“I write these books for my own self, but also so that it will help others,” Kosnow said. “It makes me feel like my life experiences have meant something.”
The same desire to give back to the community motivates Kosnow’s municipal involvement.
“I like Waldoboro. You’ve got to give something back,” he said. “My way to do that was getting onto these committees.”
Like many municipalities, Kosnow said, Waldoboro now faces the challenge of balancing the need for economic growth and affordable housing with important considerations around responsible development and protecting the environment.
“People can’t find housing around here,” Kosnow said. “You need to have housing. You need a place for people to go … I’m somewhat vocal at times, because these are things I really feel strongly about.”
When asked about the town’s future, Kosnow said that he felt optimistic and was looking forward to continuing to address the myriad of challenges that come before the planning board.
“You can do both,” he said. “You can protect the environment and have good solid growth. And that is very rewarding.”
Kosnow’s books are available for purchase online including on amazon.com.
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