Johnson, Ronald, 1935-1998

Ronald Johnson was born in Ashland, Kansas on November 25, 1935 to A.T. Johnson and Helen Mayse (1910-1993). When he was a child, his family moved to Topeka, Kansas. He spent some time at the University of Kansas before performing two years of national service in the Army, in Georgia, Arizona, and California. He completed his Bachelor of Arts in 1960 at Columbia College.

In 1964, Johnson published his first collection of poetry, A Line of Poetry, A Row of Tree, with Jargon Press. He would go on to publish numerous poetry collections, including two with W.W. Norton & Company, Incorporated.

Johnson's epic work ARK was published in 1996 and is divided into three books of thirty-three sections. The text contains "Radi Os," a poem that Johnson created by marking out portions of the first four books of John Milton's Paradise Lost.

Johnson lived much of his life in San Francisco, employed at various occupations to support himself. During his professional career he also held several guest professorships at universities such as the University of Kentucky and the University of Washington. Johnson died March 4, 1998 in Topeka, Kansas at the age of 62.

From the guide to the Ronald Johnson papers, 1954-1993, (University of Kansas Kenneth Spencer Research Library Department of Special Collections)