In A Dark Room… With Highlights of Maroon

Love, sorrow, and the scenes of New York City come alive in Sheree N. Johnson’s poetry collection In a Dark Room…with Highlights of Maroon.

Johnson, among the poets who have honed their skills at the famed Nuyorican Poets Cafe, lets it all out as she speaks the truths that others leave bottled up inside. Lyrical illusions spread across the page bringing experiences such as lovesickness, lust, and enchantment to life. She also pays tribute to her African American ancestors and condemns the slavery they endured while capturing everyday life in its purest form.

Poetry always served as a means of escape for Johnson, an inner city child in the Bronx who turned to poetry for release. She performed around Manhattan with the encouragement of her teachers and trusted in the written word to keep her out of trouble. Now a public relations account manager, she stays true to her love of language as the arts remain at the core of everything she does.

Reading Johnson’s poetry is like making love, mourning your lost relatives, and celebrating the richness of your community all in the same night. Lock yourself up in your own dark room, and enjoy.