Meet Sandi Johnson

We recently connected with Sandi Johnson and have shared our conversation below.

Sandi, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

Growing up in Liberia, we were taught two different ways of our history: written and oral. Written History came to us from overseas in textbooks written by historians who probably never visited Liberia. Whereas Oral History was delivered by Liberia’s chiefs and aunties. During our Oral History classes, we ballooned our green jumpers over our white ankle socks, sat on the floor in a circle and listened. Everyone went silent, even heavy breathers and those who fidgeted minded themselves. I basked in joy because our history came to us as friends; sometimes we giggled with tight lips or whimpered with locked jaws. Sermons in our country’s colloquialism, imagery, and lessons always seasoned our hearts.

My purpose and inspiration for writing stem from the dire need to give a helping hand to anyone who has a little voice inside which has been stifled for any reason or transformed into someone else’s story. As a nationalized citizen and Texas woman, I became a teacher over fifteen years ago to exhibit practices and channels toward authentic voices of people in underrepresented communities. Through my love teaching and learning, my gut instinct, which is my first language, is awakened and desires to thrive.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

Because I was formally trained in literature, my influences root in classic Japanese, British, and Irish works. However, I have also come to appreciate a poem’s organic form and sound. The works of Nikki Giovanni, Langston Hughes, and Sandra Cisneros have become a home-comfort. These writers and many others have inspired me to relish in the craftsmanship of writing. As I immerse myself in the pursuit of this craft, each day becomes a new missive of womanhood and survivorship.

From Mount Mary University in Wisconsin, I earned a BA in English and Philosophy with a minor in Journalism. Later, I completed an MA in English after founding the college’s first literary journal. I am looking forward to my MFA in Poetry for Carlow University in January 2026. While in Texas, I initiated a 15-year streak as an English professor. In other experiences, I worked as a journalist and copy editor for the Milwaukee Courier Newspaper, a copy editor for Houston Modern Luxury Magazine, and a content advisor and copy editor for SMAG Media.

In 2009, I was honored to receive the Solstice Institute for Diverse Voices Prize, followed in 2021 by the Solstice: A Magazine of Diverse Voices Stephen Dunn Poetry Prize for “The Invisible Woman,” about which the guest judge, poet Tim Seibles, stated, “This poem invites every reader to widen the lens through which we imagine the often invisible but extremely sharp edges that define the world in which we must try to live.” My published works appeared in Sounds of this House with the National Book Foundation, Swirl Literary Journal, Solstice Literary Magazine. In 2023, my collection of poems called, “Daughter of Our People” became a Brian Mill Press Editor’s Pick for National Poetry Month. My poem “Dodging Bullets” was included in the Carlow MFA 20th Anniversary Anthology while my poem “By Design” was in The Watershed Journal Winter 2025 Edition, and my short story, “Mosaic Corpses” with recently published with The Bayou Review Fall 2025 Issue.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I strongly believe in discovering one’s gut instincts for an authentic voice. Through formal knowledge, craftsmanship, and diversity, our stories can be witnessed. If anyone sticks with those, they will be successful in mind, spirit, heart, and humanity.

Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?

In America, I continued learning and writing from many brilliant writers and teachers across the globe, even as a professor. Though I was often persecuted because of my informal language and diction, I continuously worked on grammar and phonetics. For many years, my creativity felt stifled, but I recognized my hinderance and enlisted tutors. I included many revisions within my writing process through my master’s degree. I often write as I speak with Liberia’s colloquialisms, so therefore, I’ve realized writing is a craftsmanship that requires appropriate tools to fix the inconsistencies from my Liberian’s foundation of writing. My teachers and mentors provided me with a safe space to always grow and be bold.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: sandi.k.johnson.writer