Johns is a member of the Sucker Creek First Nation in northern Alberta.
Johns wrote Bad Cree in part as a response to this, advice which Johns disagreed with due to the importance of dreams in Cree culture.
[4] It was expanded from her earlier short story of the same name, which won the Journey Prize in 2020.
[7] Bad Cree was selected for the 2024 edition of Canada Reads, where it was defended by Dallas Soonias.
[8][9] Johns divides her time between Edmonton and Vancouver and has a cat named Alfredo.