You've reached the homepage of Maura Johnston.
I'm a writer and editor who teaches at Boston College. I live in Boston with my cat, Nuno.
I've written about music and culture for more than 25 years, with pieces published in The Boston Globe, Entertainment Weekly, Time, and Rolling Stone, as well as a bunch of now-defunct outlets that only live on the Wayback Machine.
I'm an adjunct instructor in the journalism department at Boston College, where I teach two classes: Writing About Popular Music and Journalism and New Media.
I was a founding editor of the music blog Idolator and served as the music editor at The Village Voice.
I went to undergrad at Northwestern University, where I haphazardly designed a major in "the internet" (or, as it was called back then, "virtual communication").
I was born in Syosset, New York, and grew up in nearby Hicksville. Other famous Hicksville natives include Billy Joel, Lorraine Bracco, The Lemon Twigs, and the Long Island Medium.
I'm still working on getting up a more comprehensive archive of past clips, but for now, Google News has some of my recent work.
My DJ history stretches from Chicago to Princeton to Boston, with a couple of one-off stops in towns like Clemson, South Carolina. I DJ every Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET on uncertainfm, run by the excellent TJ Connelly. I am also on the board for WZBC, Boston College's haven for music lovers and other passionate types, although I haven't DJed there in a minute. You can find my playlists at Spinitron.
I can DJ your party or event. Get in touch.
I make a lot of Spotify playlists. Check them out here.
I've been an extra in four music videos.
The last place I traveled was Portland, Oregon, for the final XOXO Festival.
I'm a reformed picky eater who still has weird issues with certain food textures.
I've been online in some fashion since 1990, but maura.com, the domain, turned 28 in the summer of 2024.