Johnna M. Gale has been writing poetry since the age of fourteen. She studied Poetics in High School, and as a result, began honing her craft. In college, she studied the art of making television and film. The goal was to eventually put her poetry onto video or film.

"After college, I started taking Poetry seriously. And ventured out to Open Mics. I read my work, and the audience responded. This encouraged me to continue to get up and read my work publically."

Stepping out from behind the camera, Johnna became the front voice for the Performance group "The Mud People." An avant-garde, tribal group that played on the streets of Tucson. Elements of the performance included ambient sound, drums, electric guitar, fire, and MUD.

"Part of our schtick was to invite the audience into the Mud Pit, and put on authentic Santa Cruz River Mud."

George Arnst was the brain-child of this group that had performed inconsistantly in and around Tucson for several years. Seeing a need in the Poet to express herself, he brought her in as the "Voice."

"I was in intensive therapy at the time. I was writing to purge a bad childhood. I needed an outlet to vent my frustrations over another relationship gone bad. George gave me that outlet. For six months, I had a place to be every other Saturday night. I was in recovery, I needed that alternative from going to bars. The Mud People became this outlet."

As an outcropping of The Mud People, Johnna put together her first serious collection of poems. A small 10 page chapbook called "Power Fuck Poetry." Then, she really went to work, and developed "Catharsis."

"Catharsis became my reason for being. I still remember when I picked up the first 10 copies from the printer's. I thought "Wow! This is my work, my stuff, my anger and angst of over twenty years, finally, in a bound version."

She went to the little cafe that she frequented. While sitting there, with fresh books, a winter visitor came in and asked her what the books were.

"She bought a copy right off me. That's what self-publishing is about."

She continued writing, working, and going to open mic venues. She was the host for the Tucson Poetry Festival's Open Mic for three years. She was the host for a major venue at Tucson's Premiere of "Poetry Crawl." A Poetic event held every May. And She has been a Featured Reader for "Make a Date with a Poet."

"I was the Angry Lesbian Poet voice of Tucson at that time. The definition of Catharsis IS my Artist's Statement."

During this tumultous time, She also produced video through AccessTucson, Tucson's public access cable channels.

"I had wanted to produce video poetry since I first entered college. My friends at the public access station helped re-ignite this goal."

During the time of "The Mud People" AccessTucson had what was called Instant Access. During Downtown Saturday Nights, there were roving live cameras.

"It never failed, the guys would put us (The Mud People) live on the wire. It gave me a lot of exposure."

On nights that she wasn't performing, they would find her in the cafe, put the camera to her face and demand a poem.

"Pretty heady stuff. Before the Mud People I had only read my work twice in public."

People continued to purchase "Catharsis." And Johnna continued to make video poetry.

Although most of it is still in raw form, Johnna has completed two video projects:
"Catharsis:" Which includes approximately eight poems from the book.
And "The Pleasure/Pain Ratio:" A Spoken Word piece about lesbian BDSM Relationships, and how they affected her.
Both of these programs ran on AccessTucson for a period of one year.

Johnna was still working on more video poetry, when life found her back in the Valley of the Sun, Phoenix.
"I found myself moving back to where it all began."

It wasn't a bad move, however she lost the creative and technical support that she had built up in Tucson. "I've spent my time here concentrating on putting together several more books of Poetry. And gaining an internet presence."

"Sometimes I consider myself a little mad (as in the crazy kind of mad). That is what it takes to be a Spoken Word Artist, I think."

Right now, "Catharsis" is not available. There are plans to revise, and revisit that work.

The "The Pleasure/Pain Ratio" will be available on DVD at some point in the future.

There is a Spoken Word DVD in the making.


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