Chelsey Johnson

Last updated
Chelsey Johnson
Born Minnesota, U.S.
Occupation
  • Author
  • former professor
NationalityAmerican
Education Iowa Writers' Workshop (MFA)
Website
www.chelseyjohnson.com

Chelsey Johnson is an American author and former professor, known for her 2018 debut novel Stray City. [1]

Stray City takes place in Portland, Oregon in the 1990s and is told in partial epistolary style. [2] It tells the story of a young lesbian who has a fling with a man, gets pregnant, and decides to keep the baby while dealing with the fallout from her community. [3] Johnson lived in Portland from 2002 to 2009; the book was released with its own online mixtape. [2]

Johnson was an associate professor of fiction and coordinated the creative writing program at Northern Arizona University. [4] [5] Prior to coming to NAU, she taught at the College of William & Mary and at Oberlin College. [6]

Johnson was born in Northern Minnesota. She received an MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop. She has written for Ploughshares , The Rumpus , Elle , One Story, and NPR's Selected Shorts, and was an editor of Out . [7] [8] [9]

Johnson was awarded a Stegner Fellowship from Stanford University in 2003. [10] She has also received fellowships to the MacDowell Colony and the Virginia Center for Creative Arts. [11] She currently lives in Flagstaff, Arizona with her partner. [12] [13]

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References

  1. French, Agatha (2018-03-23). "Carrie Brownstein interviewed Chelsey Johnson about 'Stray City,' her novel set in Portland". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2021-09-02.
  2. 1 2 "Stray City Is a Love Story about Friendship, Portland, and Chelsey Johnson's Queer Community". Autostraddle. 2019-02-12. Retrieved 2021-09-02.
  3. Jernigan, Jessica. "STRAY CITY". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 2021-09-02.
  4. "NAU Directory". NAU Directory. Retrieved 2021-09-03.
  5. McCarthy, Maureen. "Review: 'Stray City,' by Chelsey Johnson". Star Tribune. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  6. "Chelsey Johnson". HarperCollins. Retrieved 2021-09-03.
  7. Johnson, Chelsey (2018-03-20). "Chelsey Johnson Had to Write Her Queer Life Before Living It". Out Magazine. Retrieved 2021-09-03.
  8. "Introducing 2018 Debutante: Chelsey Johnson". One Story Blog. 2019-01-02. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
  9. Krueger, Katherine (2021-04-30). "Lost and Found: One Year in Quarantine". ELLE. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
  10. "Former Stegner Fellows". Creative Writing Program. Retrieved 2021-09-03.
  11. "Chelsey Johnson - Artist". MacDowell. Retrieved 2021-09-03.
  12. Conrad, SVEA (2020-03-02). "A reverse coming out story: Chelsey Johnson discusses debut novel 'Stray City'". Arizona Daily Sun. Retrieved 2021-09-02.
  13. "ABOUT". CHELSEY JOHNSON. Retrieved 2021-09-02.