Naming the Afternoon
LSU Press 2002
ISBN: ‎ 978-0807128107
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Winner of the won the George Garrett New Writing Award for Poetry of the Fellowship of Southern Writers.

The poems in Naming the Afternoon gather naturally together in three sections that tackle the subjects of Time, Eternity, and Language. The poems, influenced by Johnson's New Orleans upbringing but not drawn from any specific place, are mysterious yet inhabit a world of reason and explanation. Even though that world may seem distant and strange, it is composed of familiar elements - a kitchen, a violin, a purse. The collection focuses on images and feelings and has an underlying sense of urgency to name the passing moment, which is over in an instant.