Title
Author
Amanda Johnston is the founding editor and writer of torch, a combination of poetry, prose, and short stories by African American women. Amanda isn't just a poet and editor; she loves all things that involve performance. She is a strong African American woman who has greatly contributed to other African American women and their writings, she is what I call an up-and-coming "Literary Legend".
Tahonee: Where are you from? Tell me about your youth.
AJ: I'm originally from East St. Louis , IL . My family still lives there except for my immediate family, my mother and younger brother. My mother and I moved to Austin, TX when I was very young. She was a single mother and raised me in a Union household. This meant that sometimes I played on picket lines and my mother worked two or three jobs during strikes. I remember fish fry's and hall meetings and being proud, even as a child, to be around a diverse group of people who stuck together for a greater good. There was also a sense of individual contribution and responsibility instilled in me that I'm sure is largely responsible for who I am today.
Tahonee: How did you become interested in writing poetry?
AJ: I didn't start writing poetry until I was in my twenties. I had married and started a family in Fort Knox, Kentucky where my then military husband was stationed. Let's just say that being a young bride and moving to Fort Knox, KY from Austin, TX in 2000 was a culture shock. I started writing poems as a release. The page didn't judge or turn away when I needed to express myself. A friend at the community college I worked at invited me to join the local writing group she belonged to. I went along with her and that was it. From there I started looking for other poetry spots and open mics and found myself racking up miles on my car going to different poetry readings and workshops several times a month.
Tahonee: Are you currently working on any projects (short-stories, prose, poetry)?
AJ: Torch is still a new online journal so building on the foundation our first four issues have made is a priority. Aside from editing the journal, I have three manuscripts in progress, Tough, Key Grip, and Virgins at the Gate.
Tahonee: As a woman what challenges have you faced in pursuing your career?
AJ: In the beginning I often found myself the one of very few if not the only woman signing up at my local open mic poetry spot back in Kentucky. Managing the politics of that was sometimes very intimidating. One time I drove for an hour and a half by myself to compete in a slam. I remember showing up and having the doorman take my five bucks and say "Oh, you gonna try and rep with the big dogs tonight?" That didn't do much for my nerves that night, but I must say being the only woman in that slam, and winning, made the drive back home a lot easier.
Tahonee: Do you believe your work shows activism?
AJ: I believe any work that dares to speak truth is a form of activism. Coming to the page is a risk, for some more than others, but a risk nonetheless. As writers we are documenting what some might want to suppress. We are telling stories that may otherwise not see the light of day. Writing is a freedom that can save someone's life.
Tahonee: What advice would you give to someone who wants to follow in your path?
AJ: Watch out for potholes! Seriously, it's bumpy, but it is possible because of so many who have come before, so many who have lit this path for us, we are able to come to the page and write. Here's a great quote from Nikky Finney "You are only as writerly as the last thing you've written." I love that quote. Use it as a mantra if you are going to do this work.
Tahonee: Who is your favorite poet and why?
AJ: One of my favorite poets is Nikky Finney. The risk and care exhibited in her work reflects how she carries herself in this world. If you are ever in the same room with her you will be infected with her honest spirit immediately. She is poet, storyteller, teacher, healer and the world shines a brilliant orange glow when she is spinning a poem.
Tahonee: Have you received any awards or recognitions for your publications?
AJ: I'm the recipient of two Artist Enrichment grants from the Kentucky Foundation for Women. I'm a Cave Canem Fellow and an Affrilachian Poet. My poem "Thyme for Onions" won the Austin International Poetry Festival's Christina Sergeyevna Award.
Tahonee: Where do you see yourself in five years from now?
AJ: Writing poems, publishing Torch, loving, laughing, and smiling as much as possible!
Tahonee: Do you have any other interest besides writing, if so why are these things interesting to you?
AJ: I love performance, photography and making short films. The alternate perspectives explored on stage or through the lens are fascinating. It reminds me that I'm always functioning as part of a greater community even when I'm alone.
Tahonee: What is your favorite poem, and why?
AJ: Just one? You're killing me. Right now, in this exact moment, it would be "The Defense" by Sharon Olds. The speaker in this poem exemplifies power, grace and the unapologetic strength of love at a woman's core set ablaze in the face of adversity.
And because I CANNOT NAME JUST ONE "won't you celebrate with me" by Lucille Clifton, because she writes it best...
"come celebrate
with me that everyday
something has tried to kill me
and has failed."
Tahonee: If you could have your dream dinner, and you could invite anyone dead or alive who would it be, and why?
AJ: My mother's parents because they died when I was just a baby and I never got to know them. My father's parents because they live far away and I miss them. Carrie Allen McCray, and amazing poet who recently passed away, because if you saw her in the room you knew you were going to smile and laugh and hear wonderful stories and everyone talked about her amazing cooking and I want some of her macaroni and cheese! I feel it's important to know your elders, but we don't take the time to visit and listen as much as we should. They have stories we need to hear before they are gone.
Tahonee: What type of music are you into? Name one musical artist who influences you.
AJ: I love to dance so anything that will get me out of my chair! But as for meaningful lyrical content I like Mos Def and Ani DiFranco.
Tahonee: What do you find to be the most exciting aspect of being a publisher/ editor?
AJ: Each submission that comes across my desk has a background, a story, beyond the work. I think of the author. I think of this Black woman following her calling to the page and being brave enough to answer that call. To know these magic workers, these wordsmiths are out there adding to the long narrative of our literary legacy makes me full of optimism for our present and future. Being part of the path this necessary work travels is an honor and responsibility that I do not take lightly.
Amanda Johnston
www.amandajohnston.blogspot.com
www.torchpoetry.org