Amanda Johnston facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Amanda Johnston
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| Born | September 18, 1977 East St. Louis, Illinois
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| Education | Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from University of Southern Maine |
| Occupation | American Poet |
Amanda Johnston (born in 1977) is an amazing African-American poet. She was born in East St. Louis, Illinois. Today, she lives in Round Rock and Austin, Texas. Amanda studied creative writing and earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Southern Maine.
Amanda is a teacher at the Stonecoast MFA program. She is also the leader and founder of Torch Literary Arts. This group helps support and celebrate Black women writers. Amanda also helped start #BlackPoetsSpeakOut. This project uses poetry to speak up against unfair treatment and promote justice. She is known for both writing and performing her poems.
Contents
What is Genesis Poetry?
Amanda Johnston created a special way of writing poems called "Genesis." This style uses five poems written in columns. You read each column from top to bottom.
Then, there's a sixth poem. You create this by reading all five columns together, from left to right. There's also a seventh poem! This one is made from special italicized words and phrases in the five columns. You read these from left to right too. All the poems in this style also tell a story that moves forward in time.
Awards for Her Poetry
Amanda Johnston has won many awards for her powerful poetry. Here are some of them:
- 2016: Nominated for the Pushcart Prize for her poem "Night Hike."
- 2015: Finalist for the Split This Rock, Freedom Plow Award.
- 2014: Received a Grant from Poets & Writers.
- 2005: Won the Christina Sergeyevna Award at the Austin International Poetry Festival.
- 2003 & 2004: Received Artist Enrichment Grants from the Kentucky Foundation for Women.
- She was also named one of "13 Black Poets You Should Know" by Blavity.
Her Published Works
Amanda Johnston has written many poems and contributed to several books. Her work often explores important themes.
Poems in Books and Magazines
Here are a few examples of her poems that have been printed:
- 2019: "History Repeating Repeating," "Crossing In," and "forgive me, but another black woman has been killed and I’m shook" in Thalia Magazine.
- 2017: "When My Daughter Wasn’t Assaulted" and "Photo: White Woman Sitting on Black Woman as Chair on MLK Day" in Women of Resistance: Poems for a New Feminism Anthology.
- 2017: "Another Morning Blessed Be" and "Answer the Call" in Black Bone: 25 Years of Affrilachian Poets Anthology.
- 2016: "On National Poetry Month" for the Academy of American Poets.
- 2012: "Genesis" in The New Sound: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Arts and Literature.
Poems Online
Many of Amanda's poems can also be found online:
- 2018: "When My Daughter Wasn’t Assaulted" in Lone Star Literary Review.
- 2017: "We Named You Mercy" as part of the Poem-A-Day series by the Academy of American Poets.
- 2016: "Hand to Mouth" in The Offing.
- 2016: "Heirloom," "Man Picking Cotton," and "Egg Wash" in Puerto del Sol.
Books and Collections
Amanda has also published her own collections and contributed to others:
- 2017: Another Way to Say Enter, a collection of her poems.
- 2015: Was a guest editor for Pluck!: The Journal of Affrilachian Arts & Culture.
- 2014: Published two smaller collections called GUAP and Lock and Key.
