Meet Verlena L. Johnson

​Verlena L. Johnson was born in Chicago, IL. She received her MA in African-American Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with an emphasis on Art History; and her MFA in Sculpture from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). She has exhibited her artwork in Chicago, New York City, Los Angeles, Oakland, and elsewhere. Constance Can is her second children's book. The first, The Adventures of Kai and the Magical Machines, was published in 2018.  She lives in Encino, California with her son, Kai, and her dog, Leo.