Books:
The Closest Thing To
Good Luck Etc.
Huron
Suggests Nightfall
Albums:
Antique Sadness
Landscape Man
Mister Sweet Whisper
Johnny Coley (1950-2025) was a writer and artist from Alexander City, Alabama. He lived the majority of his life in Birmingham where he was active as a poet, political activist and spoken word improvisor. As a young student abroad in France, he pursued a deep interest in literature and participated in the student protests that coalesced in 1968. In the ensuing decades, he often read at demonstrations opposing racism or supporting gay rights or prison reform. At the memorial service for renowned Birmingham musician Sun Ra, Johnny was asked to read one of his poems. His first two books of poetry, Good Luck, and No, were published in the mid 1970s by Kudzu Press. Peasant Attitudes Towards Art followed in 1984, along with poems published in several literary journals.
The community aspect of Johnny's poetry carried over into what became the most important outlet for his work. In the 1970s he began performing with friends such as musician Jimmy Griffin and the avant-garde duo of Davey Williams and LaDonna Smith. He moved to Tuscaloosa in the 90s to work as a home health aide and eventually returned to Birmingham, working at the central library after the death of his partner, artist Steve Skidmore, in 1999. Around this time, Johnny began focusing on making visual art which combined painting, collage and handwritten text. Years later, the degenerative symptoms of multiple sclerosis made walking difficult, leaving him increasingly homebound but active in his writing and art making. Despite his physical disability, Johnny continued to participate in many cultural events, showing his artwork and reading poems.
Among those inspired by his performances were artists associated with Sweet Wreath who sought out Johnny and began collaborating with him on recordings of improvised music and spoken word. This led to a series of albums including Antique Sadness, Landscape Man and Mister Sweet Whisper. In addition, Sweet Wreath published another poetry book, Suggests Nightfall in 2021, and the novel Huron in 2024. In his last years, Johnny continued to record, write and paint prolifically while spending time with many friends and family at his apartment in Highland Towers. As his work gained wider recognition, Far Out magazine called him “an overlooked queer hero” and the Southwest Review published a biographical feature on Johnny in the summer of 2025.
The community aspect of Johnny's poetry carried over into what became the most important outlet for his work. In the 1970s he began performing with friends such as musician Jimmy Griffin and the avant-garde duo of Davey Williams and LaDonna Smith. He moved to Tuscaloosa in the 90s to work as a home health aide and eventually returned to Birmingham, working at the central library after the death of his partner, artist Steve Skidmore, in 1999. Around this time, Johnny began focusing on making visual art which combined painting, collage and handwritten text. Years later, the degenerative symptoms of multiple sclerosis made walking difficult, leaving him increasingly homebound but active in his writing and art making. Despite his physical disability, Johnny continued to participate in many cultural events, showing his artwork and reading poems.
Among those inspired by his performances were artists associated with Sweet Wreath who sought out Johnny and began collaborating with him on recordings of improvised music and spoken word. This led to a series of albums including Antique Sadness, Landscape Man and Mister Sweet Whisper. In addition, Sweet Wreath published another poetry book, Suggests Nightfall in 2021, and the novel Huron in 2024. In his last years, Johnny continued to record, write and paint prolifically while spending time with many friends and family at his apartment in Highland Towers. As his work gained wider recognition, Far Out magazine called him “an overlooked queer hero” and the Southwest Review published a biographical feature on Johnny in the summer of 2025.