It's How You Catch the Light: Collected Works Hardcover – December 14, 2025

THIS BOOK IS CHARLOTTE JOHNSTON'S ONE-WOMAN SHOW; A TRUE EXAMPLE OF HER DEFT HANDLING OF THE NATURAL SYNERGISM FOUND BETWEEN WRITING AND PHOTOGRAPHY.The latest edition of Charlotte Johnston's It's How You Catch the Light includes new poetry and photography, an updated design by McKenzie Lynn Tozan, and an Afterword by Heidi Johnston Ling. Most importantly, all proceeds from It's How You Catch the Light will be donated to the Alzheimer's Association for essential disease research. PRAISE FOR IT'S HOW YOU CATCH THE LIGHT:“[Charlotte reaches] down to the depths of [her] being and [sees] beauty and details in a way of no other. [Her] observations of nature and much around [her] are captured on film along with just the right poetic language.”- Dr. Carole Janisch, Professor Emerita of Education, Texas Tech University“Charlotte Johnston has been paying close attention to her surroundings for a long time. In It’s How You Catch the Light, she pays homage to her love of nature and the comfort she finds in it… In words and images, she shows us how to pay attention to our own lives.”- Norita Dittberner-Jax, author of Stopping for Breath and Crossing the Waters, winner of the Midwest Book Award in Poetry, 2018“This is a delightful collection of poetry and prose with a sprinkling of photographs. Charlotte Johnston has compiled writing which take the reader back in time and through a wide expanse of observations and emotions. Many of the poems tell of long departed relatives. ‘The Hyphen In-Between’ highlights what Charlotte does not know about her great-grandmother. The story is a universal one most of us can relate to. No pictures, no letters ‘to stand witness to who she was and how she lived.’ Fortunately Charlotte’s progeny will have this collection of personal recollections to stand witness for her.”“Another thread woven throughout the book is Charlotte’s knowledge, love, and experiences in Door County, Wisconsin. Not always the typical tourist attractions catch her attention. Her verse can carry the reader to more hidden locations or to see details you previously glossed over. ‘Secrets of a Boreal Forest’ is set in The Ridges Sanctuary near Baileys Harbor, and through Charlotte’s eyes the reader sees clearly mushrooms, butterflies, chickadees, crows, wood roses, and other forest fauna and flora. Charlotte challenges herself in ‘Uncharted Waters’ to ‘do things I’ve never done’ and to ‘take risks out in deep water.’ But the final lines of this poem takes her ‘home again/to what I left behind.’ This is a relevant message for all of us, especially now.”“Charlotte ties all together nicely and sometimes in surprising segues. A journey of words worthy to be taken for the history, geography, and personal commentary awaits the reader.” - Nancy Rafal, Poet Laureate 2019-2021, Door County, WisconsinABOUT THE AUTHOR: Charlotte Johnston grew up on a farm in the Verona area and is an established writer and photographer in Wisconsin. She taught English in the Verona schools and later developed the Wisconsin Writers course and participated in workshops at The Clearing and Björklunden in Door County. Her photography has been featured in multiple art shows, including the Hardy Gallery Juried Annual Photography Exhibit and her “In the Clove of Seasons” exhibit at The Sugar River Gallery in 2002. Her poetry has been featured in various unique places, including the Wisconsin Poets’ Calendar and Soundings – Door County in Poetry. Charlotte and her husband Richard divide their time between Madison and Björkebower, their cottage in a birch woods in Ephraim, Wisconsin.For more: Find "Charlotte Johnston Poetry" on Facebook and Instagram! Contact: CharlotteJohnstonPoetry@gmail.com Read more