Novelist Cheri Johnson On Gods and Mortals, Anne Frank As Writer, Monumental Shining Dresses, And Her Cherished Desk

What is the one book people should read to understand what you do?

Ovid’s Metamorphoses. I’m really into clashes between people and the gods—especially when the powerless find ways to make meaning and assert themselves when faced with the powerful.

Who is the one person, living or dead, in your profession who you most admire?

Probably Anne Frank, who was not only a brilliant writer when she was still only a child, but held onto hope until the end and wrote not just for herself but for the world, even when she had no idea if the world would ever see it.

What have you seen lately that’s been inspiring?

This summer I went to the Cincinnati Art Museum for the first time and saw Thomas Gainsborough’s portrait Ann Ford (later Mrs. Philip Thicknesse). I can’t stop thinking about it. The look on her face! A young woman eager to get back to whatever she was doing before she agreed to pose for a picture. And that monumental shining dress. How would I describe it in words? I haven’t tried yet. I’m still mulling it over.

What would you do (or pursue) if money were no object?

So many things! I’d write the million stories I have ideas for. And a play. I’d love to write a play. Join a community band and a community choir, make a lot of art, go to a show every night, and take dance classes.

What’s your favorite desktop/office item?

I love my desk. My father made it for me when I was in elementary school and my boyfriend made a beautiful polished wood extender to lay over the top to make room for my ergonomic keyboard.  A few years ago, my niece gave me a rock that says “you rock” on it. I put it on my desk because I thought it was cute, but I had no idea how many times I would glance over at it for encouragement whenever I felt overwhelmed with work or was worried I wasn’t getting something right.  I get an extra boost from this object because I also really love rocks. I used to collect them as a kid and force my family to walk through the “museum” I made in the log playhouse my father built. The collection was mostly rocks, freshwater shells, and a few mole skeletons.

We met Cheri Johnson at the University of Minnesota MFA program where she gave us some of the best writing advice ever: create a character you love and make them do something you hate. Her dedication to craft has paid off handsomely. In 2022, she published The Girl in Duluth under the pseudonym Sigrid Brown. Publisher’s Weekly called it “ an affecting debut …. Fans of thoughtful crime fiction will hope for more from Brown.” In 2024, her powerful literary novel Annika Rose, which we’ve had the pleasure of reading in manuscript, will be published by Red Hen Press.