About the Founder
Roman Johnson
Roman Johnson, PhD, MFA is a writer and scientist interested in the intersection between art, health, the environment, and cultural strategy from Memphis, Tennessee. He obtained his Master of Fine Arts in the Department of Literary Arts at Brown University. He has a Ph.D. in Medical Sociology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, a M.A. in African American Studies from Georgia State University and obtained a B.A. in Political Science from Morehouse College. He is the co-founder of the New England Hoodoo Society. He is the current Radical Reversal Poet in Residence at the Suffolk County House of Corrections in Boston, Massachusetts. He is the winner of the 2026 Readers’ Choice Poetry Award from Arc Poetry, the 2026 Michael S. Harper Memorial Prize in Poetry from Brown University, Lucille Clifton Poetry Prize from Backbone Press, a past winner of the Clark Atlanta University Poetry Prize and has received fellowships and residencies in poetry, fiction, and science from Harvard University, Northwestern University, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Brown University, the National Institutes of Health, Breadloaf, Lambda Literary, Kimbilio, McCormack Writing Center (formerly Tin House), the Writers’ Studio, Martha Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing, Obsidian Foundation United Kingdom, the City of Boston, the Linda Hall Library, the Massachusetts College of Health Sciences and Pharmacy, Massachusetts Cultural Council, the New England Poetry Club, the Palm Beach Literary Festival, the Hudson Valley Writers Center, the Poets and Scholars Summer Writing Retreat at Rutgers University, and the Watering Hole, and elsewhere. His work has received both Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominations and concerns itself with grief, longing, masculinity, violence, and connection. His work can be found in Arc Poetry, American Literary Review, Obsidian, African Voices Magazine, and elsewhere. He believes the real work of writing is living well.
About Literary Hoodoo
Literary Hoodoo is the personal site of Roman Johnson, PhD, MFA that is dedicated to developing a deeper understanding of the cultural framework, Literary Hoodoo, first articulated by Arthur Flowers in his book Mojo Rising :Confessions of a 21st Century Conjure Man (2002), as a culturally component way of engaging with the world. Roman understands that the ability to discern African-American cultural realities is a tool of cultural humility and a force of creative strategy and development for individuals, organizations, and institutions.
Services
Roman is available for individual and organization creative consultant development and provides tools, courses, workshops, seminars, and facilitates retreat center culture evaluations and growth. Learn more about services offered at literaryhoodoo.com/services. Additional services, consultations, and tools can be obtained by reaching out to Roman directly at info@literaryhoodoo.com.
Testimonials
Alula
Kindall
Alula
Roman's poetry practice stirred me from a decade-long hiatus in writing poetry. I learned how to write with people, and felt fed enough to embark on my own amateur career in writing creatively! He also encouraged me along my journey of writing and reading, and got me my first opportunity reading my poetry to an audience--I'm forever grateful.
Geo
Kindall
Alula
Roman facilitated poetry workshops, mainly during Poetry month in April, that had a focus for men’s mental health and the connection to community and life. his attention to history, nature & spirituality are key components of his unique, deeply intentional poetic practices.
Kindall
Kindall
Kindall
Roman is a great workshop facilitator. His preparation, attention to detail, and gathering of useful and accessible resources was a highlight of my experience. Outside of the logistical aspects, his work feels rooted in ancestral knowledge and a lineage he pays homage to through his teachings.