Toby Johnson

Biography

Edwin Clark (Toby) Johnson, Ph.D., is a writer, editor and former psychotherapist now in semi-retirement. During the 1970s, he lived in Northern California and was on staff for many of Joseph Campbell’s appearances during that time and corresponded with Campbell for over a decade. He is author of four spiritual autobiographies, two books on gay spirituality, and four novels. His 1990 novel Secret Matter received a Lambda Literary Award in the Science Fiction category and the 2000 book Gay Spirituality, a Lammy in Spirituality/Religion. His most recent books are Finding Your Own True Myth: What I Learned from Joseph Campbell and Finding God in the Sexual Underworld.

Toby Johnson and Kip Dollar, partners since 1984, ran Liberty Books, the gay and lesbian community bookstore in Austin, TX, 1988-1994, and managed two B&B operations together.

From 1996-2003, Johnson edited White Crane: A Journal of Gay Men’s Spirituality. He worked as a literary editor and book designer with Lethe Press, 2005-2015. He’s on the Steering Committee of Austin’s LGBT Coalition on Aging.

In 2018, Toby and Kip were legally married on their 34th anniversary.

Johnson’s website is tobyjohnson.com

The Photo posted is from 1980, when the first edition of The Myth of the Great Secret was published. This was on the back of the book. The photo was taken by Toby's dear friend Leslie Peterson.

Where to find Toby Johnson online

Where to buy in print

Books

Finding God in the Sexual Underworld: The Journey Expanded
Price: $4.99 USD. Words: 84,100. Language: American English. Published: November 18, 2020 . Categories: Nonfiction » LGBTQ+ » Essays, Nonfiction » LGBTQ+ » Politics & society
Originally published as In Search of God in the Sexual Underworld: A Mystical Journey, this book recounted Johnson's discoveries and adventures in the hustler study, told from his perspective as a scholar of myth and religion and a seeker on a spiritual path. Now re-released as Finding God in the Sexual Underworld: The Journey Expanded, this second edition adds more details of the author's life.
Gay Perspective: Things Our [Homo]sexuality Tells Us About the Nature of God and the Universe
Price: $4.99 USD. Words: 80,500. Language: American English. Published: September 2, 2018 . Categories: Nonfiction » LGBTQ+ » Politics & society, Nonfiction » Sex & Relationships  » Sex & religion
Following up his Lambda Literary Award-winning Gay Spirituality, Toby Johnson further explicates his visionary stance that gay people's nature as outsiders gives them a uniquely powerful perspective on the nature of God and religion. By living outside gender norms, gay men are more open to seeing across boundaries of gender and gain access to a less dualistic outlook on the nature of life.
Two Spirits:  A Story of Life With the Navajo
Price: $4.99 USD. Words: 125,390. Language: English. Published: September 2, 2018 . Categories: Fiction » LGBTQ+ » Gay, Fiction » Historical » Western & American frontier
Walter L. Williams & Toby Johnson have collaborated on a work of historical fiction striking in its evocation of Navajo philosophy and spirituality. Set in the Civil War era of the 1860s, this novel tells the story of a young Virginian who finds himself captivated by a Navajo Two-Spirit male. This is a novel full of suspense, plot twists, and endearing romance with a wonderful message.
The Fourth Quill
Price: $4.99 USD. Words: 100,900. Language: American English. Published: September 2, 2018 . Categories: Fiction » LGBTQ+ » Gay, Fiction » Visionary & metaphysical
In a medical-thriller set in the 1980s in an alternative history, peppered with clues, coincidences, misperceptions, and a strange old house, an AIDS counselor who's been teaching his group Buddhist and New Age healing principles of relaxation and acceptance, is forced to depend on his spiritual wisdom to confront an unexpected and almost unbelievable conspiracy to spread the AIDS virus.
Getting Life in Perspective: A Fantastical Romance
Price: $4.99 USD. Words: 106,280. Language: American English. Published: September 2, 2018 . Categories: Fiction » LGBTQ+ » Gay, Fiction » Romance » Fantasy
Sweet, sexy, wise and thoroughly entertaining, this mytho-historical novel, with a novel-within-the-novel featuring two lovable apparitions from the late 1800s America, interweaves a heart-warming story of youthful romance and adventure with an ageless life-affirming and gay-positive spiritual message ...along with just a touch of the Twilight Zone.
Gay Spirituality: Gay Identity and the Transformation of Human Consciousness
Price: $4.99 USD. Words: 86,240. Language: English. Published: September 2, 2018 . Categories: Nonfiction » LGBTQ+ » Politics & society, Nonfiction » Religion & Spirituality » Body, mind, & spirit » Spirituality / general
GAY SPIRITUALITY: Gay Identity and the Transformation of Consciousness offers a sensible, modern and enlightened understanding of spiritual consciousness for gay men who are so often faced with misunderstanding and conflict dealing with traditional religion. Acclaimed author Toby Johnson presents a bold perspective: being the outsider and consciousness scout allows cutting edge spiritual insight.
Secret Matter
Price: $4.99 USD. Words: 95,850. Language: American English. Published: September 2, 2018 . Categories: Fiction » LGBTQ+ » Gay, Fiction » Science fiction » Adventure
Winner of a 1990 Lambda Literary Award for Gay Men's Science Fiction and bestselling novel, Secret Matter returns in a revised edition for the 21st century. Kevin Anderson accepts an internship rebuilding San Francisco after an immense earthquake. Then the Visitors arrive; a race of human-like aliens touch down in several cities around the globe, including SF, and nothing will ever be the same.
Finding Your Own True Myth: What I Learned from Joseph Campbell: The Myth of the Great Secret III
Price: $4.99 USD. Words: 101,060. Language: English. Published: December 17, 2017 . Categories: Nonfiction » Biography » Religious biography, Nonfiction » Self-improvement » Personal Growth / General
Toby Johnson’s spiritual/philosophical autobiography, Finding Your Own True Myth—The Myth of the Great Secret III, is both a loving memorial to Joseph Campbell and an original extension of his work. Johnson, later a psychotherapist, religions scholar, novelist, and gay spirituality writer, offers insight into the vital role that myth—and insight into myth—play in the modern world.