i'm k.johnson [secondkoan, occasionally k.koan], and i'm currently:

• finishing several poetry collections - including one about a journey of faith deconstruction and reconstruction, one about Black fatherhood, and one that explores the excavation of lineage’s lingering smoke.

• developing an overarching creative approach to guide my work that exists at the intersection of afro-surrealism, transcendent narratives, and spiritual syncretism

• building an interactive thematic project called ‘Futures [Not] Imagined, They [Will Not] See Us, Faces With[Out] Features, We [Do Not] Exist’ dealing with the impact of AI and generative tools on the perceptions and narratives surrounding the Black community as well as concepts of cultural erasure and digital resurrection

• aligned in community with the chicory project to present one aspect of the ‘Futures [Not] Imagined, They [Will Not] See Us, Faces With[Out] Features, We [Do Not] Exist’ project, entitled ‘existence beyond code’ , at the maryland center for history and culture starting dec. 2024

• working on projects featured on this site, including:

  • not(e)ourpoetry: digital artifact that transforms historic Black literary works into glitch-poetry, exploring themes of digital preservation and erasure

  • null / space: experiments with branching paths and unstable timelines revealing fleeting glimpses of quantum possibilities that shouldn't exist

  • fractal gr10t: where traditional storytelling weaves with digital algorithms to create an ever-evolving tapestry of narrative

  • black everything: word exploration that draws inspiration from the cultural concept of "all black everything”

• relaunching the historic chicory magazine with just.devlon & slangston hughes

• exploring curious phenomena as the archivist at the monument city preternormal arts society

• assisting in the production of the just.devlon podcast and working alongside the custodians of what's possible

• directing marketing strategies at peake releaf