Who: Johanna Gohmann.
Where: Ireland. Dublin. Born in Indiana, Jo lived in New York for nearly a decade before moving to Ireland.
What: Jo has written for print and online publications that include: Salon, The Chicago Sun-Times, The Morning News, Bust, Babble, Elle, Red, YourTango, The Irish Independent, and The Dubliner.
Her essays have been anthologized in:
- A Moveable Feast - Life-Changing Food Adventures Around the World
- The Best Women’s Travel Writing 2010 (Winner of an Independent Publisher Book Award and the Bronze Solas Award from Traveler’s Tales Publishers.)
- The Best Sex Writing 2010 (Winner of an Independent Publisher Book Award)
In her Words:
The day of the wake, the weather was the typically confusing mix of blinding sunlight and rain that seems to fall from nowhere. David and his three brothers hoisted the coffin onto their shoulders and carried it slowly past the pale flowers of their mother’s garden, up the porch steps, and positioned it in its place in the living room. David would later rub his shoulder for days, as though caressing a phantom ache.
The house was soon packed with men wearing crisp white shirts, black trousers and black ties. They looked like a pack of missionaries, or some Irish version of “Reservoir Dogs,” as they stood in clusters and reminisced. People shared wild stories of Fabian in his younger years. Dramatic tales of violence and danger shared in conversational tones and sometimes followed by cackles of laughter. One man casually recounted the story of digging a hole under a wall to escape internment.
The above is from a great article Jo wrote for Salon.
Please leave comments below if you’ve worked with Jo or are inspired by her work!