David Johnson is a witty and quirky performance poet mixing stand-up humour with his own verse. His inspiration comes from our bizarre world combined with a wry commentary on change and progress.
David has been a featured artist at poetry and literary festivals in Bristol, Cheltenham, Bath, Kingston, Swindon, Oxford, Hay, Houston and Austin. He has also appeared at: Nuyorican Poetry Café, New York; Sweet Lorraine’s, New Orleans. In April 2005, he completed a three week tour of the USA. He was a featured poet at the 2009 Austin International Poetry Festival.
David is co-founder of Paralalia, a poetry partnership dedicated to promoting and encouraging live poetry performance. He is a multi-slam champion including the Swindon Literary Festival, Oxford All Star Slam and the Lydney Arts Festival.
David co-wrote and appeared in “Slam Bangin’ Home Again”, a play for BBC Radio 4 for whom he also co-wrote "The Boy Fathers". He helped organise and performed on BBC Radio 7’s late night poetry series “Poetry Stand Up” and his commissioned radio serial, Brunel 2206, was broadcast in March 2006. He was part of the 2009 organising team for the Radio 4 Slam series. David was commissioned to write poems for National Poetry Day 2009 and to welcome home Winter Olympics gold medal winner Amy Williams in March 2010 by BBC Radio Bristol.
He has recently won an award for a poetry film about the Severn Beach Railway line, which he wrote and narrated.