Carole Johnston is an imagist poet who writes, primarily, Japanese short form poetry, ( haiku and tanka.) She has published poems in numerous journals including the prestigious, Cattails, Ribbons, and Frog Pond. Her publications also include five books of poetry, Journeys: Getting Lost – Chapbook – Finishing Line Press, Manic Dawn – Wildflower Poetry Press, Purple Ink: A Childhood in Tanka – Finishing Line Press, Midnight Butterfly and Other Juxtapositions – Alien Buddha Press. Secret Words: A Philosophy In Crayon – Alien Buddha Press.
Before retiring, Carole taught in the Literary Arts program at the School for The Creative and Performing Arts at Lafayette High School, in Lexington, Kentucky. Currently, she teaches poetry writing to children at the Carnegie Center for Literacy, in Lexington. Her poems can also be found on Facebook, a blog, dogandponypoet.blogspot.com, and a website:
Cassandra on the Spectrum: Visions From a Neon Mind by Carole Johnston is a dazzling and brilliant exploration of the neurodivergent experience, a kaleidoscopic journey through perception, imagination, and the poetry of being. This collection does not speak only to the neurodivergent; it invites every reader to experience the extraordinary in the ordinary, to see through a prism of wonder, and to embrace the power of words as a lifeline, a map, and a celebration of the self. Johnston’s Cassandra on the Spectrum is a masterful ode to creativity, resilience, and the luminous beauty of difference.
–Cristina Crocker Escribano is a teacher and writer.
Carole Johnston’s Cassandra on the Spectrum is a radiant testament to what it means to live, perceive, and create with a “neon mind.” These poems shimmer with synesthesia, alchemy, and haunting beauty, unmasking both the brilliance and the vulnerability of a neurodivergent life. Johnston writes with fierce honesty and luminous imagery, guiding us through visions where language itself transforms into color, sound, and pulse. This is more than a collection of poems—it is a spectrum of experience, a prism refracting the raw intensity of being alive and being different. Johnston has given us a book that sees the world in hues we too often overlook, and in doing so, teaches us how to notice, to marvel, and to believe.
–Whitnee Coy, author of “We Left Constellations in Each Other”, “this deep, wide, dark world”, and “A Limb Outgrowing a Weathered Tree”
See how vivid colors mingle and merge and create wondrous visions, listen as ancient artists chant holy mantras and draw figures onto dark walls, feel the penetrating, lonely ache when no one understands, and experience all of this and more through the vision of a brilliant poet whose language and artistry lead us into a world where we can enter the extraordinary diversity and creativity of the human mind. Most importantly, in the end, we realize that we have seen ourselves and our connectedness with myriad worlds that are, in truth, our own. Such is the magic of Johnston’s poetry.
–Jonel Sallee is a teacher and poet. Her published works include academic papers and collections of poetry, including In Such Wonder.
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