Amanda Johnston

Amanda Johnston (born 1977) is an African-American poet. She was born in East St. Louis, Illinois, and currently resides in Round Rock/Austin, Texas. Amanda Johnston received a Master of Fine Arts degree in creative writing from the University of Southern Maine. She is a Stonecoast MFA faculty member, executive director and founder of Torch Literary Arts, and cofounder of #BlackPoetsSpeakOut.

An Affrilachian poet, former Cave Canem Foundation Board President, and Austin Project Fellow, Torch Literary Arts founder and a Black Poets Speak Out cofounder, Johnston is both a poet and performer. As an activist with Black Poets Speak Out, a video project consisting of African American poets protesting police misconduct with poetry, she has highlighted racial and social injustice in the United States.

Genesis Johnston is the creator of a style of poetry known as Genesis. It is a style consisting of five poems written in columns, and read from top to bottom, plus an additional sixth poem that is created by reading all five columns together, left to right, and a seventh poem that is created from italicized words and phrases in the five columns, which are also read left to right. The poems also must move chronologically through time.

Awards

2016 Pushcart Prize Nominee, “Night Hike,” The Quarry, Split This Rock 2015 Split This Rock, Freedom Plow Award, Joint Finalist 2014 Poets & Writers, Grant 2015: Freedom Plow Award for Poetry & Activism Finalist 2005: Austin International Poetry Festival Christina Sergeyevna Award 2004: Kentucky Foundation for Women Artist Enrichment Grant 2003: Kentucky Foundation for Women Artist Enrichment Grant "13 Black Poets You Should Know," Blavity

Selected works

Printed works 2019 “History Repeating Repeating,” Thalia Magazine 2019 “Crossing In,” Thalia Magazine 2019 “forgive me, but another black woman has been killed and I’m shook,” Thalia Magazine 2018 “Code Switchin’,” Ice Cream Social Anthology 2017 “When My Daughter Wasn’t Assaulted,” Women of Resistance: Poems for a New Feminism Anthology 2017 “Photo: White Woman Sitting on Black Woman as Chair on MLK Day,” Women of Resistance: Poems for a New Feminism Anthology 2017 “Love is a Bloody Thing in the Dark,” Talking River 2017 “Another Morning Blessed Be,” Black Bone: 25 Years of Affrilachian Poets Anthology 2017 “Answer the Call,” Black Bone: 25 Years of Affrilachian Poets Anthology 2016 “When My Daughter Wasn’t Assaulted,” No, Dear Magazine 2016 “How to Eat Bread,” Harlequin Creature, Issue 8/9 2016 “On National Poetry Month,” Academy of American Poets for Poetry Magazine 2016 “Early,” The Plume Anthology of Poetry 4 2016 “Night Hike,” Full: An Anthology of Moon Poems 2015 “It Ain’t Prostitution,” Circ’s Lament: Anthology of Wild Women Poetry 2015 “Facing US,” Pluck!: The Journal of Affrilachian Arts & Culture 2014 “If I Should Disobey an Order,” Straylight Volume 7.22 2014 “For the Baby,” Straylight Volume 7.2 2013 “How to Drink Bourbon,” Small Batch: An Anthology of Bourbon Poetry 2013 “Red Birds,” Cabildo Quarterly 2012 “Thyme for Onions,” The New Sound: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Arts and Literature 2012 “Genesis,” The New Sound: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Arts and Literature 2010 “Oracle,” Reverie, Annual 2010 “Girlfriend There Is No Spoon,” Reverie, Annual 2009 “Buckle,” Reverie, Spring/Summer Vol. 3 2008 "Sparky Considers God's Hands" Cave Canem XI 2007 Anthology 2008 “Orange” The Journal of Affrilachian Arts & Culture 2008 “Making Brown” Pluck!: The Journal of Affrilachian Arts & Culture 2007 "A Burden of Flame: An interview with Amanda Johnston" Callaloo, Vol. 30, Number 4 2007 “Suburban Cows” New Literati 2007 “Pity” New Literati 2007 “Over Breakfast” His Rib, Penmanship Publishing 2007 “History Lesson” His Rib, Penmanship Publishing 2007 “Over Breakfast,” His Rib, Penmanship Publishing 2007 “History Lesson,” His Rib, Penmanship Publishing 2007 “Round,” Tempu Tupu, Africa World Press 2007 “Mourning,” Tempu Tupu, Africa World Press 2007 “Vacant Apartment,” Tempu Tupu, Africa World Press 2007 “Have you ever been convicted of a felony?” Tempu Tupu, Africa World Press 2007 “Bowing in the Church of Beauty” The Ringing Ear: Black Poets Lean South, Georgia Press 2006 “Bowing in the Church of Beauty” Sorin Oak Review 2006 “Origami” Sorin Oak Review 2005 "Cul-de-sac" Kudzu 2005 "Dissecting Heritage" Kudzu 2005 "Thyme for Onions" di-verse-city Anthology 2004 "Reading in Bed" di-verse-city Anthology 2004 "Baby Mama Drama" KRHN Newsletter 2003 "Four Line Depression" The Heartland Review 2002 "Animal Instinct" The Heartland Review 2002 "Miz Cassidy's Vision" The Heartland Review 2002 “If Iraq Happens" The Heartland Review

Electronic publications 2018 “When My Daughter Wasn’t Assaulted,” Lone Star Literary Review 2018 “Love is a Bloody Thing in the Dark,” In Their Own Words Feature, Poetry Society of America 2017 “We Named You Mercy.” Poem-A-Day, Academy of American Poets, Poets.org 2017 “When My Daughter Wasn’t Assaulted,” BillMoyers.com 2016 “Making Amends,” Stonecoast Review 2016 “Peeling Potatoes,” Stonecoast Review 2016 “I Embrace You,” Stonecoast Review 2016 “Hand to Mouth,” The Offing 2016 “Heirloom,” Puerto del Sol 2016 “Man Picking Cotton,” Puerto del Sol 2016 “Egg Wash,” Puerto del Sol 2014 “Mixed Blood,” Kinfolks Quarterly, Issue 2 2014 “Blade Speaks at Career Day,” Kinfolks Quarterly, Issue 2 2014 “Plea,” La Fovea 2014 “The Viewing,” La Fovea 2014 “Woman in Red Dress,” Tuesday Morning Love 2013 “Asylum,” Cabildo Quarterly 2012 “Transition,” Muzzle Magazine 2009 “Bomb Threat,” November 3 Club 2009 “Domicile,” The Drunken Boat 2009 “My Father as a Blooming Stem,” The Drunken Boat 2008 "Pinky Wants To Live" The Nubian Chronicles 2008 "Swimsuit" Un-Mute.com 2008 "First Song" Un-Mute.com 2006 “Bowing in the Church of Beauty” Cave Canem Featured Poem 2005 “Not Another Love Jones,” Old City Cool 2005 “Not My Husband,” Old City Cool 2003 "If Iraq Happens" Poets Against the War 2003 "Miz Cassidy's Vision" Poetry Repair Shop

Work featured on Bill Moyers Poetry Society of America's series In Their Own Words Academy of American Poets Poem-a-Day series

Books, chapbooks, CDs, DVDs 2025 Praisesong for the People: Poems from the Heart and Soul of Texas 2017 Another Way to Say Enter, Collection 2016 Not An Apology, Anthology, Foreword 2015 Pluck!: The Journal of Affrilachian Arts & Culture, Issue 13, Guest Editor 2014 GUAP, Chapbook 2014 Lock and Key, Chapbook 2008 Affrilachian Poets at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, DVD 2008 Excerpts, Chapbook 2004 Not Another Love Jones, Chapbook 2004 Quickies, CD