Paul Foster Johnson

Poet Paul Foster Johnson grew up in New York City and earned a BA in English at SUNY Geneseo and an MFA in creative writing at Brown University. His parents named him after political activists Paul Robeson and William Z. Foster and nurtured his interest in politics.

His free verse poems explore safety and risk within public, intimate, and political spaces. Johnson is the author of poetry collections Refrains/Unworkings (2008) and Study in Pavilions and Safe Rooms (2011), and poems have appeared in The Awl, Jacket, Cannot Exist, GAM, EOAGH, Fence, and Octopus. He has served as editor of Litmus Press and as curator of the Experiments & Disorders reading series.

Johnson lives in New York City.