Cora and Martha and Other Stories

By: Thomas Penn Johnson
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
Publication Date: July 15, 2025
ISBN: 979-8891327191
Reviewed by: Alma Boucher
Review Date: June 11, 2025

In Cora and Martha and Other Stories, writer Thomas Penn Johnson delivers a captivating and richly textured collection of interconnected tales that explore the human condition with a quiet, unrelenting intensity. With artistic skill and attention to the emotionally significant, Johnson invites readers into the intimate, often wounded spaces of his characters’ lives—each story serving as a glimpse into decisions, remorse, strength, and the subtle poetry of everyday moments.

Fifty years ago, two houses were quietly occupied by their original inhabitants at the northern edge: Cora Johnson and Martha Brown. These women represented a familiar presence in many Black neighborhoods—strong elders who had endured years of transformation, having resided there since the Great Depression.

In Summer's End, reflection is offered through poetry shaped by a life marked by hardship and history. The verses draw from personal experiences, offering stories deeply rooted in the Black American tradition where the past is always present. Since the Civil War, the reality of racial violence lingered— emphasized by the disturbing image of Confederate flags defiantly declaring, “Nigger Beware.” These symbols were not just relics but living threats.

In Once Upon a Time at Shooting Creek, readers are brought into the Blue Ridge Mountains, a region where faith, memory, and nature hold significant importance. Throughout the Civil War, both enslaved and free Black people worked in apple orchards, nurturing them amidst the chaos of war. When the soldiers returned home, the trees flourished, nurtured with affection and attention. This act served as a form of quiet defiance, a legacy sustained through the land.

Another story follows Chrisholm, a slender Black boy who meets Duck, a classmate facing a terminal illness. Duck’s only wish was to attend school. Despite his fragile condition and being placed in special education, he and Chrisholm quickly formed a bond. When Duck left for extended treatment, both boys knew he would not return. Their silent farewell carried a weight beyond words—a final, shared moment between two souls connected by more than circumstance.

Every following story enriches the central themes of the collection. Johnson depicts his characters with both respect and authenticity. His writing is lean but lyrical, willingly dwelling in grief while ensuring it never veers into sentimentality.

Johnson’s experience as a poet shines through in his writing. His sentences breathe with rhythm and clarity, and every paragraph is woven with sensory detail and emotional resonance. More than once, a turn of phrase lands with the weight of revelation, drawing readers into a moment of truth so personal it feels shared.

What distinguishes Cora and Martha and Other Stories is not just the profound emotional resonance but also its stark honesty. These are stories of ordinary people facing the extraordinary within themselves, confronting the quiet violence of time, memory, and social division. And yet, hope flickers at the edges of nearly every tale, not brightly, but enough to remind us of the endurance of the human spirit.

Quill says: A lyrical, deeply affecting collection, Cora and Martha and Other Stories marks Thomas Penn Johnson as a powerful voice in literary fiction. These stories ache with beauty and honesty—readers will remember them long after reading.

For more information about Cora and Martha and Other Stories, please visit the publisher's website at: atmospherepress.com/books/cora-and-martha-and-other-stories-by-thomas-penn-johnson/