Verlena L Johnson

Verlena L. Johnson was born in Chicago and grew up in Madison and Beloit Wisconsin. She received her M.A. from the University of Wisconsin - Madison in Afro-American Studies with an emphasis in Art History and her M.F.A. from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in Sculpture. She has exhibited her artwork in Chicago, New York City, Los Angeles, Oakland and beyond. Verlena has created puppets for three different companies Redmoon Theater (Chicago), Rogue Artists Ensemble (Los Angeles) and Manual Archives (Los Angeles). Her artwork has appeared on the cover of the book Approaches to Teaching the Novels of Toni Morrison and the journal Sinister Wisdom. She has taught studio art and art history to children and adults in community centers and colleges.

Besides creating artwork and writing, Verlena enjoys yoga, meditation, reading, public speaking, roller-skating and, most of all, spending quality time with her kindhearted, science- and math-loving 9-year-old son, Kai.

The Adventures of Kai and the Magical Machines is Verlena’s first children’s book.