Jodi’s latest book:
Back Roads, Dead Cats & What’s for Dinner
ROUTE 66 CENTENNIAL EDITION COMING SOON
“Mine is a family of storytellers, cooks and travelers.”
Travel back in time with Jodi Marie Johnson and seven generations of her colorful Arizona and New Mexico family along the old Santa Fe railway and legendary Route 66. From the coal mines of Gallup to the pine forests of Flagstaff, from a Croatian homestead high in the Zuni Mountains to the grand halls of the Phoenix Union Station — these are the stories of the people, the land, and the kitchens that shaped a family and a century.
Meet Great-Grampa Harry, conductor on the legendary Super Chief. Ride in the “back, back” of old Beulah the station wagon. Help bury the wrong cat. Run the fat off Earl’s pigs. Learn to cook pot roast in the engine compartment of an old pickup.
Generations of remarkable men and women fill these pages — their stories, adventures and prize-winning recipes gathered here alongside the family history that gave them life — whose grandsons now carry on the traditions.
Celebrate your own family’s history, food and journeys with engaging and informative activities included in the Second Edition.
Jodi Johnson:
Author, Storyteller, Traveller, Cook, and Teacher
Jodi Marie Johnson’s family has lived in Arizona for seven generations. She lives and writes from a western spirit. Jodi grew up exploring the deserts, mountains, canyons and creeks of her beloved Arizona.
She has traveled around the world exploring native cultures, foods and wild places, yet she returns always to the light-drenched Southwest she calls home.
Jodi actively volunteers in underserved communities and supports conservation of the natural ecosystems of the West. She teaches ancestral healing classes, provides trauma resolution therapies, and writes from her native Arizona. Jodi’s stories have appeared in local and regional publications'.
She brings her love of old places and things, cooking and sharing with her family and friends to her storytelling.
“What is writing but an expression of my own life?” — Zane Grey
What people are saying…
“In a modern world that seems so often to be cold and flavorless, ‘Back Roads, Dead Cats and What’s for Dinner’ is a plentiful serving of scrumptious warmth.”
–Mary Sojourner, author of Going through Ghosts, Bonelight and NPR commentator
“... a tapestry of Arizona days we all long for. Her stories are woven with a blend of spirit, at once pioneering and precocious, that transcends local history and folklore.”
–Charles Seiverd, Publisher, The Noise, Arts and News Magazine
