LIVE WORKS

1. J. Chester Johnson Is Guest for National Radio Interviews on “Ed Tyll Show” - January 11, 2018

On January 11, J. Chester Johnson appeared as guest for National Radio Interviews on “Ed Tyll Show” of Starcom Radio Network to talk about the status of poetry in the United States, including the relevance of Johnson’s latest books, Auden, the Psalms, and Me and Now And Then: Selected Longer Poems. Also, among the topics covered were the importance of truth in poems, the role of poets in our nation’s arts, and the endurance that poets must exhibit to have their voices heard today. Johnson spent considerable time describing his own journey over many decades following “his own nose” in pursuit of his own muse and voice. Click below to hear the thirty-minute interview.


2. J. Chester Johnson Interviewed on Ed Tyll Show – October 25, 2017

On Wednesday, October 25th, 2017, J. Chester Johnson was interviewed by the nationally syndicated Ed Tyll Show, and this interview was broadcast live nationally over 40 radio stations. The interview focused mainly on Johnson’s book, Auden, the Psalms, and Me, which was published in September, 2017. You can listen by clicking below.


3. Reflection and Reconciliation: The Elaine Race Massacre

J. Chester Johnson returned to the site of the 1919 Elaine Race Massacre, one of the deadliest assaults on African-Americans in our country’s history. The event and its ramifications in Phillips County, Arkansas, where the Massacre actually occurred, were discussed at this presentation. J. Chester Johnson, whose maternal grandfather participated in the Elaine Race Massacre, was joined by Sheila Walker, whose family members, including her great-grandmother and great uncles, were among the victims. Since Sheila and Chester had antecedents representing the two sides of the conflagration, they have, over the last several years, committed to a reconciliation of the inter-racial and generational trauma that has been associated with the massacre.

Video Courtesy of Delta Cultural Center


4. “For Conduct and Innocents”– Multimedia Performance Based on Drama In Verse by J. Chester Johnson

Johnson’s drama in verse, “For Conduct And Innocents,” about the martyr and 20th century theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, was presented as a multi-media event (drama, music, dance, film) on Oct. 18, 2015 at Trinity Wall Street with nearly 50 performers participating.
Courtesy of Trinity Wall Street, New York


5. Honoring Martin Luther King Jr. at Trinity Wall Street, January 18th, 2015

J. Chester Johnson gave the Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday sermon at Trinity Wall Street on Sunday, January 18, 2015 at 11:15AM.
Courtesy of Trinity Wall Street, New York


6. J. Chester Johnson Reading at Kairos Poetry Café, NY, NY

J. Chester Johnson was the featured poet appearing at the Kairos Poetry Café, St. John’s Lutheran Church in the West Village, on Sunday, November 17th, 2013. Johnson read a number of his shorter poems – some older pieces, some new. He introduced each poem with a short comment on the event or salient motif that inspired the creation of the verse.
Courtesy of Kairos Poetry Café


7. September 10, 2011: Ten Years After September 11, 2001

Remembrance and Reconciliation Through Poetry
Seven leading American poets, including J. Chester Johnson, read poems of remembrance and reconciliation on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks at Trinity Wall Street, located only a few yards from Ground Zero; the event was sponsored by Poets House and others.
Courtesy of Trinity Wall Street in the City of New York


8. October 28, 2010:  Johnson’s Poetry Reading at the University of Arkansas

Courtesy of Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History


9. A Reading of Selected Poems by J. Chester Johnson

Original poems from his latest book of verse, St. Paul’s Chapel & Selected Shorter Poems.


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NOTABLE

- Damaged Heritage: Anti-Racism Text at St. Luke in the Fields; Click Here.

- J. Chester Johnson's "Night" Featured by Carnegie Hill Village. Click Here.

- J. Chester Johnson Named To Board of Advisors For Poetry Outreach Center. Click Here To Read More.

- For Recent Conversation Among Descendants of the Elaine Race Massacre 104 Years Later Click Here.

- J. Chester Johnson Discusses His Poem, "St. Paul’s Chapel", At Manhattan’s Church of the Heavenly Rest. Click Here.

- J. Chester Johnson Interviewed by Tavis Smiley. Click Here.

- For Cornelius Eady’s Interview of J. Chester Johnson for Poets House/WBAI, Click Here.

- For NPR Article on Elaine and Tulsa Race Massacres, Click Here.

- HNN Publishes Article by J. Chester Johnson on Father of Black Liberation Theology. Click Here.

- Favorable Review of "Damaged Heritage" in Current Issue of American Book Review. Click here to read.

- Damaged Heritage Placed On Selective Goodreads’ List of Best Nonfiction Books. Click Here for Details.

- Damaged Heritage Motivates Nationwide Talks on Social Justice and Racial Equity. Click Here for Details.

- J. Chester Johnson Discovers Another Consequential Race Massacre. Click Here.

- Video of J. Chester Johnson’s Presentation at Johnson House Historic Site (Underground Railroad). Click Here.

- Book Review from Green Mountains Review of Damaged Heritage. Click Here.

- J. Chester Johnson’s Article on Best American Poetry Blog About Publishing in a Pandemic. Click Here.

- Crystal Bridges Museum Features Elaine Massacre and J. Chester Johnson. Click Here.

- Cornelius Eady and J. Chester Johnson Discuss Their 9/11 Poetry On BCR’s Inaugural Poetry Podcast. Click Here.

- LitHub: J. Chester Johnson Interviewed for ‘Keen On’ Podcast About Damaged Heritage, click here.

- Literary Hub Publishes Article and Excerpt From Damaged Heritage by J. Chester Johnson, click here.

- Published Profile for J. Chester Johnson in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, click here.

- For a video presentation and discussion of Damaged Heritage with J. Chester Johnson, hosted by The Center for Reconciliation, click here.

- For a video presentation to the Washington National Cathedral, D. C., by J. Chester Johnson on Damaged Heritage: The Elaine Race Massacre and A Story of Reconciliation, click here.

- For a conversation through Trinity Church Wall Street on Damaged Heritage by J. Chester Johnson between Dr. Catherine Meeks and the author, click here.

- For an interview on racial reconciliation between J. Chester Johnson, whose grandfather participated in the Elaine Race Massacre, and Sheila L. Walker, whose forebears were victims, click here.

- For a video presentation to The Carter Center by J. Chester Johnson on his latest book, Damaged Heritage, click here.

- To review selections on the Elaine Race Massacre and Elaine Massacre Memorial, click here.

- Review of Now And Then: Selected Longer Poems by J. Chester Johnson appears in BigCityLit (Autumn/Winter edition). To read the review, click here.

- Damaged Heritage: The Elaine Race Massacre and A Story of Reconciliation, written by J. Chester Johnson, will be published by Pegasus Books on May 5, 2020. Click here for book cover image and more information.

- J. Chester Johnson, one of fifteen authors, was featured at the Harvard Alumni Authors’ Book Fair. Click here for more information.

- Interview by NPR of J. Chester Johnson and Kyle Miller on the Elaine Race Massacre and Memorial. For the interview, click here.

- AP Story of the Elaine Race Massacre Features Interview With J. Chester Johnson. Click Here For More Information.

- J. Chester Johnson Spoke at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC on Sunday, June 30th, 2019. Click Here For More Information.

- J. Chester Johnson Interviewed on Podcast for ‘Things Not Seen’ Program. Click Here For More Information.

- Poem by J. Chester Johnson Embedded in DeWoody Art. Click Here For More Information.


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