Our knowledge of books, cultural events and publishing services is what sets us apart from other ho-hum booksellers. Whether you are looking for a used book, ebook seller, handmade gifts, literary events or a publishing house to print and market your writing, Lawn Gnome Publishing are the small but inexhaustible resource you need.
Lawn Gnome Publishing was founded in 2004 in order for performance poet Aaron Hopkins-Johnson to print and distribute his books while on tour.
Johnson was the 2001 International Poetry Interpretation champion. From 2002 to 2005, he studied communication theory and English at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, participated and coached award-winning speech and debate team.
In 2004, he founded Boardwalk Open Mic and published “Irony Stinks,” then “Watering the Poetry” chapbook in 2005. He also participated in his first the National Poetry Slam, held in Albuquerque, N.M., alongside Graham, Logan Phillips and Meghan Jones.
He was the 2006 Southwest Shootout Regional Slam director and represented Flagstaff at the Individual World Poetry Slam.
After moving to Phoenix in 2008, he formed the musical act “Spoken Circus” alongside Megyn Neff and Marykate Glenn, won the Phoenix Grand Slam and represented Phoenix at IWPS.
He published “Chainsawsmoking” in 2009 and was the KABAM! Book Festival featured author in Kingman. Alongside Ed Mabrey, Myrlin Hepworth and The Klute on the Phoenix National Poetry Slam Team, Johnson’s team semi-finals at the 2009 National Poetry Slam in Minneapolis.
In 2010, he returned to the KABAM! Book Festival as a featured author and joined the First Friday Night Live writing staff and promotion crew as well as founding the Pink Slip Poetry Slam in downtown Phoenix.
KABAM! Book Festival brought him back as a featured author a third time in 2011 and he created Encyclopedia Show: Arizona.
In 2011, his chapbook “Roach Killer for Her” was translated into Spanish and he became director of First Friday Night Live at The Firehouse in Phoenix. He also founded Lawn Gnome Publishing.
In 2012, the City of Phoenix Public Art Grant Recipient for “Dumpsterdiving Haiku”.
Today, Aaron Hopkins-Johnson hosts the Phoenix Poetry Slam, teaches slam poetry to high school students, and is a digital marketing specialist for the Phoenix New Times.
Aaron has performed in theaters, bars, poetry slams, high schools, universities, art galleries, comic book stores, street corners, book stores, living rooms, and in 48 states, in just the past fifteen years.
After years of learning the business from author to publisher to stockroom manager of a bookstore, to owning and operating a physical used bookstore for 5 years, Lawn Gnome Publishing still exists today with the same mission that has kept us in business since day one: to put books in hands.