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Dana Johnson

ダナ・ジョンソン

Dana Johnson

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1967-01-01 （Los Angeles, California, United States）
Nationality
American
Languages
English
Residence History
South Central Los Angeles → Echo Park, Los Angeles → Suburbs of Los Angeles, California → Returned to and resides in Los Angeles

Career

Occupations
Writer, Associate Professor of English, Creative Writing Instructor
Active Years
1995-
Affiliations
University of Southern California (faculty), Pasadena City College (writer-in-residence, etc.)
Influenced By
Lou Matthews, James Baldwin, Raymond Carver, Studs Terkel, John Edgar Wideman, Mary Gaitskill, Junot Díaz, bell hooks, John Fante, Helena María Viramontes, Toni Cade Bambara, Chris Ware

Education

University of Southern California
Print Journalism (major), Creative Writing (minor)
Country: United States
Undergraduate studies in print journalism with a minor in creative writing
Indiana University
Creative Writing (MFA)
Degree: MFA
Year of Graduation: 2001
Country: United States
Graduate MFA program in creative writing
UCLA Extension
Creative writing courses
Country: United States
Began writing seriously after taking courses here

Awards

Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction
2001
Work: Break Any Woman Down
Organization: University of Georgia Press
Result: 受賞
Hurston/Wright Legacy Award (nominee)
2002
Work: Break Any Woman Down
Organization: Hurston/Wright Foundation
Result: ノミネート
Patterson Fiction Prize (finalist)
2002
Organization: The Patterson Prize (organizers)
Result: 最終候補
Pushcart Prize (Special Mention)
2002
Work: Melvin in the Sixth Grade
Organization: Pushcart Press
Result: 特別言及
Hurston/Wright Legacy Award (nominee)
2013
Work: Elsewhere, California
Organization: Hurston/Wright Foundation
Result: ノミネート

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Break Any Woman Down

2001 Short story collection (fiction) 168 pages

A collection of nine short stories set in Southern California, focusing on African-American women confronting identity, class tensions, and fraught relationships.

raceclass consciousnessidentityurban Los Angeles

Elsewhere, California

2012 Novel 256 pages

Follows a day in the life of Avery, interspersed with flashbacks to her childhood, exploring class mobility, interracial relationships, and personal identity.

identity crisisassimilationinterracial relationshipsclass mobility

In the Not Quite Dark

2016 Short story collection (fiction) 240 pages

A collection of eleven stories set in and around Los Angeles that probe race, class, love, and other social concerns through varied characters.

raceclasslovehomelessness and gentrification

Bibliography

  • Elsewhere, California (Counterpoint; 2012)
  • Break Any Woman Down (Anchor; 2001)
  • In the Not Quite Dark: Stories (2016)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Realistic, observant narrative voiceConcise and sometimes lyrical proseA measured focus on social issues
Recurring Motifs
diverse landscapes of Los Angelesclass dividesshifting self-perception shaped by race and genderpeople on the margins of the city

Legacy

Dana Johnson is recognized for rendering the many faces of Los Angeles with care. Her work makes visible the lives of people on the margins by exploring intersections of class, race, and gender. She has received awards and nominations for both short fiction and novels and contributes to the academy as a faculty member at USC.

Quotes

  • I reject the idea that as a black woman, I’m relegated to writing black women exclusively. That is not what being a writer is for me.
    Source: Interview in Los Angeles Review of Books (Natashia Deón) (2016)

Trivia

  • Grew up in a working-class family whose parents moved from Tennessee.
  • A devoted Dodgers fan; her father took her to games from a young age.
  • Married; husband is from Alabama.
  • Her work frequently explores the varied neighborhoods and social differences of Los Angeles.