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"The Cannibal and the Eucharist" Essay on IMAGE's "Good Letters" Blog

“The Cannibal and the Eucharist” Essay on IMAGE’s “Good Letters” Blog

  Today my essay “The Cannibal and the Eucharist” is available to read at IMAGE’s “Good Letters”  blog. It describes my none-too-brave encounter with singer-songwriter Michael Knott’s song “Kitty” as a sophomore in high school. “The Cannibal and the Eucharist” is my first essay for IMAGE. I hope to write...
Chad Thomas Johnston: BIO

Chad Thomas Johnston: BIO

Chad Thomas Johnston is an author, sonuva’ preacha’ man, PhD-dropout, singer/songwriter, daydreaming doodler, publicist, PUN-isher, mixtape maker, & pop-culture junkie. He is represented by Seattle, WA-based literary agent Jenée Arthur, who is currently shopping his manuscript, The Stained-Glass Kaleidoscope: Essays at Play in the Churchyard of the Mind, to major publishing...
CTJ PRESS: News That's Fit to Print for a Man Who's Fit to Be Tied

CTJ PRESS: News That’s Fit to Print for a Man Who’s Fit to Be Tied

  Joshua Madden (@maddenjoshua), Arts & Entertainment Editor of The Baylor Lariat, picked my brain and found 27 cents in lost change and a stale Funyun from 1997 in the folds of my gray matter. The resulting feature is the first and only solo interview I have granted for any publication, and hopefully...
Rubblebucket Tours for "Omega La La" LP, Sings Omega Lullabye for Evie

Rubblebucket Tours for “Omega La La” LP, Sings Omega Lullabye for Evie

I was already off work this week, attempting to help the wife keep our almost 3-week-old daughter from sabotaging sanity and sleep alike, but it was Rubblebucket that really made my week. It’s one thing to take perverse joy in the knowledge that your coworkers are handling all the “TPS...
My Book: The Stained-Glass Kaleidoscope

My Book: The Stained-Glass Kaleidoscope

Above: “The Nirvana-Shaped Hole in My Heart,” by Danny J. Gibson. More high-resolution images of the art from The Stained-Glass Kaleidoscope can be found here. About the Book  Author Chad Thomas Johnston’s The Stained-Glass Kaleidoscope: Essays at Play in the Churchyard of the Mind is an essay-driven creative memoir that explores life through the...
CTJ Lands Publication in "FrontMatter" With Article on eBooks & Scholarly Publishing

CTJ Lands Publication in “FrontMatter” With Article on eBooks & Scholarly Publishing

I wrote an article for Allen Press‘ publication FrontMatter, and it appeared in the newly published volume 16 issue yesterday. It is available for reading here. The article is titled “eManifest Destiny: Implications of the eBook Frontier for Scholarly Publishing.” Most shocking of all about this piece is the fact...
Nobody Wants to Be the Stinky Kid: CTJ Creates Planetary Recycling Poster for Allen Press, Inc.

Nobody Wants to Be the Stinky Kid: CTJ Creates Planetary Recycling Poster for Allen Press, Inc.

I created the above poster (click on it to enlarge it) for Allen Press, Inc., my place of employment here in Lawrence, KS. First, I sketched the shapes and facial expressions for each planet. Then I used GIMP, a freeware raster graphics alternative to Adobe Photoshop, to “ink” the images....
Buy My T-Shirts. Give Baby Evie a Future. You Know Writers Make Bupkis.

Buy My T-Shirts. Give Baby Evie a Future. You Know Writers Make Bupkis.

http://www.cafepress.com/ChadThomasJohnston The madness begins now (now now now … sinister echo). Most of my drawerings are too low-res for Café Press’s guidelines, but I am making sure all of my new ones lend themselves handy creations such as this nifty marshmallow sandwich totebag. You’re capitalists, so I don’t have to...
CTJ Creates Cover Art for Author Dwain Smith's New Book "Bullheaded"

CTJ Creates Cover Art for Author Dwain Smith’s New Book “Bullheaded”

In February, one of my contacts on Twitter, Claudia Hall Christian (@ClaudiaC), indirectly introduced me to Washington D. C.-based author Dwain Smith (@DwainSmith). She informed her followers that I was interested in creating book art, as I love drawing (in addition to writing). But I gave Claudia a little extra...
My Honorable Mention Essay Entry in Belle & Sebastian's "Write About Love" Contest

My Honorable Mention Essay Entry in Belle & Sebastian’s “Write About Love” Contest

Today I received notification from Matador Records that I have been awarded honorable mention in Belle & Sebastian’s Write About Love essay contest. We were limited to 300 words, and I did the best I could with what time I had.  We honorable mention essay writers will receive an autographed...
BIO: Something’s Bacon in My Brain

BIO: Something’s Bacon in My Brain

Since I’m only a blogger and aspiring author at this point, people ask what I do for a living. I work for Allen Press (http://allenpress.com/) in Lawrence, KS. My wife Becki, on the other hand, works as a Physician Assistant in Topeka, KS. She brings home the bacon. I bring...
Latest entries
Beware the Cute Bomb: A Shameless Collection of Cute Baby Photos to Draw Blog Traffic

Beware the Cute Bomb: A Shameless Collection of Cute Baby Photos to Draw Blog Traffic

This is a 3D ultrasound photo taken a week before Evie was born. She looked just like this when she came out, much to our amazement. I just remember thinking, “I’m so glad she’s actually cute. People won’t have to lie and say ‘Oh, what a pretty baby!’ when they really mean, “Start the car,...
Guest Post by Jennifer Luitwieler: "Emotional Constipation's Uglier Cousin"

Guest Post by Jennifer Luitwieler: “Emotional Constipation’s Uglier Cousin”

One of the reasons I adore Chad Thomas Johnston and think of him as a brother from another mother is his affinity for stories with a fecal undertone. I was introduced to Chad’s penchant for potty humor through his post on a snow toilet he built with his sister in their yard one winter. They...
"A Light Goes On": A FREE Holiday Art + Music Compilation for the Naughty & Nice

“A Light Goes On”: A FREE Holiday Art + Music Compilation for the Naughty & Nice

My friend Sam Billen has orchestrated yet another fantastic holiday project this year. It’s called “A Light Goes On,” and it is a synthesis of art and music that pairs musicians’ Christmas songs with visuals that likewise celebrate the festive season. It features works by the ever whimsical and wonderful Half-Handed Cloud, Japan’s The Tenniscoats,...
Guest Post: Shawn Smucker Exhumes the Stories of His Ancestors

Guest Post: Shawn Smucker Exhumes the Stories of His Ancestors

Today’s guest post is by Pennsylvania-based author Shawn Smucker, who is both humble and talented (a rare combination, I assure you). He is a stone’s throw away from one of my favorite bands, The Innocence Mission, and it appears that he loves them as much as I do (also a rare thing). Mr. Smucker has...
Download CTJ's Free 35-Song Anthology: "Source Materials & Sorcerer Materials"

Download CTJ’s Free 35-Song Anthology: “Source Materials & Sorcerer Materials”

DOWNLOAD THE ALBUM HERE, OR USE THE WIDGET ON THE SIDEBAR!  A hearty thanks to the following people for inspiring me to assemble this musical madness: Ben Chlapek, for making a mix of only my songs for his friends a few months back, even if it meant they might all (Gasp!) unfriend him on Facebook....
Christmas Chrome: Audio of CTJ & His Sister Alyssa at Ages 6 and 2, Respectively

Christmas Chrome: Audio of CTJ & His Sister Alyssa at Ages 6 and 2, Respectively

If you really follow my blog (I don’t, but you might), you’ll know I ran this exactly a year ago today. But I figure a rerun is acceptable on occasions such as these, when new parenthood has left my eyes bloodshot, my brain beleaguered, my hair prematurely gray. I exaggerate: Baby Evie is a delight....
CTJ Adds Extra Ham to Bethlehem: New Christmas Cartoon

CTJ Adds Extra Ham to Bethlehem: New Christmas Cartoon

Yes folks, that is indeed She-Ra masquerading as the Angel of the Lord. A good enough reason for me to say “Fear not!” unto you. The shepherds and cow below belong to a nativity scene my family used to set out each December when I was a child. I often played with the figurines as...
I Met My Wife Because I Made a Christmas Record: Download the LP for FREE

I Met My Wife Because I Made a Christmas Record: Download the LP for FREE

In the summer of 2004, my friends Matt and Rebecca Fillingham gave me a copy of a Christmas album they made together as husband and wife. Being perpetually nine-years-old in my mind, my 25-year-old self listened to it and instantly replied, “I want to make a Christmas record, too!” That fall, beginning in early October,...
CTJ Presents "Dark Potential: A Virtual Gallery by Artist Megan Frauenhoffer"

CTJ Presents “Dark Potential: A Virtual Gallery by Artist Megan Frauenhoffer”

In 2004, I had the privilege of having a tremendously talented young artist in my public speaking class, although I did not know it at the time. Megan Frauenhoffer was quiet, reserved, and a good student. Like most of her peers, public speaking made her visibly nervous. But buried in her head were innumerable images...
Introducing My Newest Client, Author Jennifer Luitwieler

Introducing My Newest Client, Author Jennifer Luitwieler

Please extend a warm welcome to my newest client, author Jennifer Luitwieler (@jenluit on Twitter). I will be serving as her publicist, much as I have for Kansas City artist Danny J. Gibson. Her book, Run With Me: An Accidental Runner and the Power of Poo, is a delightful memoir that mines both dog poo and depression...
Guest Post by Landra Graf: The Art of Word Choice- A Tendril by Any Other Description!

Guest Post by Landra Graf: The Art of Word Choice- A Tendril by Any Other Description!

I met Landra Graf about a year ago on Twitter (Follow her: @riseoftheslush), and she went on to become a member of #DessertIsland, the online collective that brings you literary heroes such as Jennifer Luitwieler (@jenluit), Nancy Berk (@nancyberk), Ian Makay (@ianmakay), Jennifer Harris-Dault (@jennintheattic), Liza Hawkins (@AmusingFoodie), Jackie Wilson (@WritRams), Amanda Lynch (@thebookprincess), and...
Nightmarriage 2011: Our Hearts Are Open Even Though Our Doors Are Locked

Nightmarriage 2011: Our Hearts Are Open Even Though Our Doors Are Locked

I knew I needed to blog about this as soon as my friend Brandon showed up with an ax. It’s not every day that a friend is welcomed to your house with cheers when he steps out of his car clutching an ax, is it? It was August 2oth, 2011 – the day of our first...