Kris Johnson is from America’s Washington state but has lived in the UK since 2007. She received her MA and PhD in Creative Writing from Newcastle University where she has also taught and worked as a researcher. In 2019, she was awarded a Developing Your Creative Practice grant from Arts Council England, and in 2026 received a Charlotte Aitken Trust Award for Poetry (Northern Writers' Awards). Her debut pamphlet, Skinny Dip, was published in 2022 by Enchiridion. Her first book-length collection, Ghost River, was published by Bloodaxe in 2023. It was longlisted for The Laurel Prize 2023 and shortlisted for the Michael Murphy Memorial Poetry Prize 2025. Her second poetry book, The Vast Kingdom of Nowhere, is published by Bloodaxe in 2027. She lives in York, and is Caster Cultural Fellow in Poetry (2026-2028) at the University of Leeds.
Author photo: Phyllis Christopher
