Johns was part of the new poetry movement in America and editor of "New Masses". Johns was acclaimed for his poetry and published two volumes, "Asphalt" and "Wild Plum" in the 1920s"." He wrote a very successful play, "A Charming Conscience", which provided him with enough money to travel in Europe extensively. Johns returned to the United States in 1929 and moved to Carmel, California, where he married his third wife. In Carmel, Johns became involved with union organizing and also wrote for Communist newspapers.