Allan G. Johnson

Interview on National Public Radio

Allan Johnson — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 21:51:28 +0000

The First Thing and the Last is the subject of an interview on National Public Radio’s syndicated news show, Here and Now. To listen, click here.

Allan Johnson — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 12:06:43 +0000

Allan Johnson — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 12:05:09 +0000

An Incredible Publishing Story

Allan Johnson — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 14:41:42 +0000

Yesterday I spent the day posting notices on internet discussion lists letting people know The First Thing and the Last has been published and asking them to spread the word. I ask because it won’t happen on its own. There’s a reason it took seven years to find a publisher who would be – in the words of one editor unable to persuade his publisher to accept the novel – “brave enough to take this on.” The reason is an ocean of denial around the subject of men’s violence against women, that keeps us from living in the reality of what is and doing something about it.

Some years ago I was commiserating with my agent at the time about the endless stream of rejection letters, some of them ‘amazing’ as she put it, and she said this would make an incredible publishing story some day. I wasn’t much encouraged by that at the time, but I see now what she meant. And she was right. It will be an incredible publishing story. I say ‘will be’ because it isn’t over yet.

It’s not over because the same mainstream cultural forces that kept the novel from being published for so long, that kept this story from making its way into print until now, will stand in the way of potential readers ever finding out about it. So, if you believe in this work, it matters that you do what you can to get the word out. Let people know. It won’t happen any other way.

For more about The First Thing and the Last, click here.

Something New

Allan Johnson — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 18:52:50 +0000

My first novel has just been published. It’s been a long road getting to here from writing my first story when I was ten years old, but, then, it seems any road worth traveling is a long road. This is an exciting time for me, coming full circle as an artist, the product of years of solitary work going out into the world. I have no idea what comes next, which is probably as it should be.

The timing couldn’t have been better for a complete redesign of my website. Thank you, Anita Sarkeesian, for your generous, thoughtful, and skillful support for my work. This is beautiful.