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About Tora Johnson Tora Johnson has a B. S. in Biology from University of Oregon and an M. Phil. in Human Ecology from College of the Atlantic. She also holds a U.S. Coast Guard captain’s license to operate vessels up to 100 gross tons. Since 1996, she has taught marine, environmental, and geographic information science at the college level. She teaches computer mapping and marine studies at University of Maine at Machias where she is director of the Geographic Information Systems Service Center. She has served on the adjunct faculty of College of the Atlantic, Massachusetts Maritime Academy and Cape Cod Community College. Before her son was born in 1996, Ms. Johnson made a career of teaching and crewing aboard several of the large sailing vessels that ply the coast of New England, as well as commercial fishing in Alaska. Ms. Johnson’s current human ecological research focuses on conflicts between fisheries and marine mammal policy. She specializes in marine and hydrological applications of geographic information systems and explores innovative media and methods for conveying geographic information. For the past few years she has collaborated with installation artist and sculptor Frances Whitehead on large-scale, place-based installation art projects. To see Johnson's online portfolio, click here.
Stephany Evans of Imprint Agency, Inc. in New York is Johnson’s literary agent. Johnson's husband, Chris Mullen, is a boatbuilder and commercial fisherman. They live in Maine with their eight year old son. Read press coverage about Tora Johnson and Entanglements here. Author photo by Donna Ruhlman. Photo of Ms. Johnson testifying at whale entanglement hearing by Aaron Porter. |
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Also
a writer and education consultant, Johnson was the marine reporter for
the Martha’s Vineyard Times from 1998 to 2000. In addition to columns
and feature articles for magazines and newspapers, she has published the Guide to Freshwater Animals without Backbones (with Arlene De
Strulle; The Catskill Center, 1997). In her multidisciplinary graduate
studies, Johnson focused mainly on writing nonfiction books, working closely
with novelist and poet, Dr. William Carpenter, and literary scholar, Dr.
Karen Waldron. To read about other current book projects, 