Moves to New York City to pursue writing career
Poet involved
What happened
Johns relocated from St. Louis to New York City, the epicenter of American literary modernism, to advance his writing career. He would reside in the city on and off for the next decade, immersing himself in the vibrant Greenwich Village arts scene.
Literary impact
The move to New York exposed Johns to the cutting-edge modernist movements that were reshaping American poetry, including free verse and imagism. It placed him in direct contact with the "Others" group of poets — including William Carlos Williams, Wallace Stevens, and Marianne Moore — whose experimentation would challenge and expand his own poetic practice.
Source: University of Texas at Austin
