Mississippi Expat: Dennis Jay Johnson

"I don’t think there is much that could get me to go back. I feel like I spent too much time there and that whatever I do next needs to be going forward and not in the other direction."

What does it mean to call Mississippi home? Why do people choose to leave or live in this weird, wonderful, and sometimes infuriating place? Today we hear from photographer, gamer, and current Chicagoan, Dennis Jay Johnson.

Featured contributor, Dennis Jay Johnson, in Chicago. Photo by Lu Elite.

Where are you from?

Meridian, Mississippi.

When did you move to Chicago and why did you move there?

I moved to the suburbs of Chicago in the summer of 2013 after finishing college to be closer to my immediate family.  

The author with his uncle (left), father (middle) and mother in Shuqualak, Mississippi. (Note: Shuqualack is pronounced “sugar lock.”)

What does “home” mean to you? How does Mississippi fit into that definition?

Being from a military family that saw many moves, home, to me, was always my parents and brother.

While I don’t visit as often as I would like, Mississippi represents a beginning. I learned to read music, drive a car, and later attended college there. In this “origin story,” which happened in no small part thanks to my family, I find myself incapable of separating Mississippi from home.

What do you miss most about Mississippi?

I definitely miss Mississippi gas station chicken the most. 

How have you cultivated community in Chicago? Do you still feel rooted to Mississippi?

I’ve done a terrible job cultivating community in Chicago. This is by design, as I have grown less and less in search of a place to belong. Luckily, I am not completely alone. My partner and I’ve been going strong since a couple of years after my move away from home, and I have daily contact with my best friends from Mississippi.