Credentials
Awards
Haiku Society of America’s 2024 Merit Book Awards for Best Haiku Anthology: Stanford M. Forrester and Johnette Downing. Bird Whistle: A Contemporary Anthology of Bird Haiku, Senryu, & Short Poems. Windsor, CT: bottle rockets press.
First Place in the 2024 Robert Spiess Memorial Haiku Award (for “Mercury retrograde”)
2023 Family Choice Award for Jumpin’ Jitters, It’s Halloween album
2023 Touchstone Awards for Individual Poems — Long List (for haiku “eggshells”)
2021-2024 Board Member, Canary Islanders Heritage Society of Louisiana
2020-2022 Governor, Recording Academy Memphis/New Orleans Chapter
2021 - Bonfires on the Levee represented the State of Louisiana at the National Book Festival in Washington, D.C.
2019 Silver Parents’ Choice Award for Swamp Romp album
2019 National Parenting Product Award for Swamp Romp album
School Library Journal’s Top Music of 2019 for Swamp Romp
2019 Fids and Kamily Award for Swamp Romp
2017 Louisiana Writer Award
59th Grammy Participant Certificate for songwriting on the Grammy Award winning album “Porcupine Meat” by Bobby Rush
2017 - Mumbo Jumbo, Stay Out of the Gumbo represented the Sate of Louisiana at the National Book Festival
2016 - Petit Pierre and the Floating Marsh represented the State of Louisiana at the National Book Festival
2013 ASCAP Plus Award
2013 Best of the Year Family Review Center Award
2013 Parents’ Choice Recommended Award
2013 Gold Family Review Center Award
2011 Parents’ Choice Silver Honors Award
2008 Parents’ Choice Award
Selected as one of the Women of the Year by New Orleans CityBusiness Magazine!
2007 National Parenting Publications Award
2007 Parents’ Choice Award
2007 iParenting Media Award
2007 Imagination Award for Imagination and Vision
SouthernArtistry Registry
2005 Parents’ Choice Award
2005 National Parenting Publications Award
2005 Family Review Center Award
2005 iParenting Media Award
2005 Family Choice Award
2003 Parent’s Guide To Children’s Media Award
2003 iParenting Media Award
2003 Honors National Parenting Publications Award
(The Second Line) Best of 2003 by Nick, Jr. Magazine
2002 Honors National Parenting Publications Award
2002 Recommended Parents’ Choice Award
2001 Recommended Parents’ Choice Award
2001 Parents’ Guide To Children’s Media Award
1999 Silver Parents’ Choice Award
Who’s Who of American Women
Louisiana Touring Directory
Louisiana Artist Roster
Forty Under Forty, Gambit Weekly Magazine, 2001
Thirty People To Watch In 2000, New Orleans Magazine
Haiku International Association Honorable Mention Award
Billboard Magazine 4th Annual Song Contest Honorable Mention Award for “Send for My Heart in the Mail,” 1991
Bachelor of Arts in Theatre, Southeastern Louisiana University, 1984
Books
Petit Pierre and His Wild Adventure written by Johnette Downing and illustrated by Heather Stanley, Pelican Publishing/Arcadia, October 2024
My Parrain is the Loup Garou written by Johnette Downing and illustrated by Heather Stanley, Pelican Publishing/Arcadia, October 2023
Singing Waters, A Selection of Haiku, Senryu, and Haibun, written by Johnette Downing. Published by buddha baby press, April 2022.
Five Little Possums, written and illustrated by Johnette Downing. Published by Pelican Publishing/Arcadia, October 2021
Bonfires on the Levee, A Louisiana Christmas Tradition, written and illustrated by Johnette Downing. Published by River Road Press (Pelican/Arcadia), October 2020
Spooky Second Line, written and illustrated by Johnette Downing. Published by Pelican Publishing Company/Arcadia, Fall 2019
The Spanish Tinge, Louisiana Music Pioneers of Canary Islands Descent, written by Johnette Downing with Scott Billington. Published in Spanish in the Canary Islands, Spain by Ediciones Idea, February 2019
Who Got the Baby in the King Cake?, written and illustrated by Johnette Downing. Published by River Road Press (Pelican/Arcadia), January 2019.
Mademoiselle Grands Doigts - A Cajun New Year's Eve Tale, written by Johnette Downing and illustrated by Heather Stanley. Published by Pelican Publishing Company, February 2018.
Mumbo Jumbo, Stay Out of the Gumbo, written by Johnette Downing and illustrated by Jennifer Lindsley. Published by Pelican Publishing, 2017.
Petit Pierre and the Floating Marsh written by Johnette Downing and illustrated by Heather Stanley. Published by Pelican Publishing Company, 2016.
Today is Monday in Louisiana (Board Book Version) written by Johnette Downing and illustrated by Deborah Ousley Kadair Thomas. Published by Pelican Publishing Company, 2016.
Down in Mississippi, written by Johnette Downing and illustrated by Katherine Zecca. Published by Pelican Publishing Company, 2016.
Ten Gators in the Bed, board book written and illustrated by Johnette Downing. Published by River Road Press, 2015.
Bugs on the Rug, board book written and illustrated by Johnette Downing. Published by River Road Press, 2015.
Louisiana, the Jewel of the Deep South, written by Johnette Downing and illustrated by Julia Marshall. Published by Pelican Publishing Company, 2015.
The Fifolet, written by Johnette Downing and illustrated by Jennifer Lindsley. Published by Pelican Publishing Company, January 2015.
Macarooned on a Dessert Island, written by Johnette Downing and illustrated by Christina Wald. Published by Pelican Publishing Company, 2014.
How to Dress a Po’Boy, written and illustrated by Johnette Downing, Published by Pelican Publishing Company, 2013.
Why the Possum Has a Large Grin, written by Johnette Downing and illustrated by Christina Wald, Published by Pelican Publishing Company, 2012.
Today is Monday in Kentucky, written by Johnette Downing and illustrated by Deborah Ousley Kadair, Published by Pelican Publishing Company, 2012.
Why the Oyster Has the Pearl, written by Johnette Downing and illustrated by Bethanne Hill, Published by Pelican Publishing Company, 2011.
Amazon Alphabet, written and illustrated by Johnette Downing, Published by Pelican Publishing Company, 2011.
Today is Monday In New York, written by Johnette Downing and Illustrated by Deborah Ousley Kadair, Published by Pelican Publishing Company, 2011.
There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Bugs, written and illustrated by Johnette Downing. Published by Pelican Publishing Company, 2010.
Today is Monday in Texas, written by Johnette Downing and illustrated by Deborah Ousley Kadair. Published by Pelican Publishing Company, 2010.
Why The Crawfish Lives in the Mud, written and illustrated by Johnette Downing. Published by Pelican Publishing Company, 2009.
Chef Creole, by Johnette Downing and illustrated by Deborah Ousley Kadair. Published by Pelican Publishing Company, LA, 2008
My Aunt Came Back from Louisiane, written and illustrated by Johnette Downing. Published by Pelican Publishing Company, LA, 2008
Down in Louisiana, by Johnette Downing and illustrated by Deborah Ousley Kadair. Published by Pelican Publishing Company, LA, 2007
Today is Monday in Louisiana, by Johnette Downing and illustrated by Deborah Ousley Kadair. Published by Pelican Publishing, LA, 2006
Katrina-ku –Storm Poems, by New Orleans Haiku Society and illustrated by Angelica Chiara Gallo, Contributing poet – Johnette Downing. Published by Magnolia2 Press, MS, 2006
A Squirrel Jumped Out of the Tree, written and illustrated by Johnette Downing, published by Colonial Press, AL, 1990 (Out of print)
For Recordings, see the Discography section.