Matthew Johnson

Poet

Greensboro, NC
Twitter: 

Author's Bio

Matthew is the author of the poetry collection, Far from New York State (New York Quarterly Press) and Shadow Folk and Soul Songs (Kelsay Books).

Among selected journals, Matthew's poetry has appeared or is forthcoming in Jerry Jazz Musician, The Roanoke Review, The Sport Literate, Maudlin House, The Westchester Review, Kissing Dynamite Poetry,  Twin Bill, The New Southern Fugitives, The Maryland Literary Review, and NY Quarterly. He is the managing editor of The Portrait of New England and the poetry editor at The Twin Bill. Formerly a sports journalist and editor, he has written for The Carolinian, Fansided, The Daily Star (Oneonta, NY), and the USA Today College, and has been a contributor on radio (WUAG 103.1). 

A native of New Rochelle, New York, and raised in Stratford, Connecticut, he now lives in Greensboro, North Carolina, after earning his MA in English from UNC-Greensboro. 

Find him on Twitter: @Matt_Johnson_D or visit his website: www.matthewjohnsonpoetry.com

Publications & Prizes

Book:
Shadow Folk and Soul Songs (Kelsay Books, 2019)
Journals:
First Literary Review-East
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Ink In Thirds
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Jerry Jazz Musician
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Maryland Literary Review
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Plum Tree Tavern
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Rye Whiskey Review
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Spitball
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Sport Literate
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The New York Quarterly
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Twin Bill: A Literary Baseball Publication
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Yellow Chair Review
Prizes won: 

2017, 2021, 2023 Best of the Net Nominee (nominated by The Roanoke Review and The Twin Bill, respectively)

Nominee in The Sport Literate's "Fight Contest"

Nominee on Poetry Category of The Lyre's 2022 Issue

Personal Favorites

Favorite authors: 
Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, Georgia Douglas Johnson, Jean Toomer, Carl Sandburg, Emily Dickinson, Mark Twain, Frederick Douglass, Washington Irving, John Steinbeck, Herman Melville, Dan Gutman, Kevin Young, Nikki Giovani, Sonia Sanchez, August Wilson, Karen Hesse, Henry Louis Gates Jr., Jane Leavy.
What I'm reading now: 
Beloved by Toni Morrison

More Information

Gives readings: 
Yes
Travels for readings: 
Yes
Identifies as: 
African American
Prefers to work with: 
Any
Fluent in: 
English
Born in: 
New Rochelle, NY
New York
Raised in: 
Stratford, CT
Connecticut
Please note: All information in the Directory is provided by the listed writers or their representatives.
Last update: Mar 15, 2023