This week we welcom back J. Chester Johnson as our guest author. Chester has written
verse for over forty years. His work
received praise from writers and poets spanning several decades –
from, among others, Allen Tate and Nobel Laureate I. B. Singer to
current, well-known poets, such as Molly Peacock and Major Jackson, who commented,
regarding Johnson’s most recent volume, St.
Paul’s Chapel & Selected Shorter Poems: “Undoubtedly, this is a work
headed for literary permanence in our collective ear.” In his twenties, Johnson served with W. H.
Auden as the two poets for the retranslation of the Psalms, as now contained in
The Book of Common Prayer. For the
last ten years, “St. Paul’s Chapel,” the signature poem for his latest book of
verse, has been the memento card for the approximately 30,000 weekly visitors
to the Chapel, which was the relief center for the recovery workers at Ground
Zero following 9/11. He and his wife,
Freda, live in New York City and have two children.
Welcome, Chester.
–– sdh