Chrissy Stockton

Javon Johnson is an American spoken word artist, writer, and academic. He currently serves as the director of African American and African Diaspora Studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Johnson's scholarly work and creative output often focus on the intersection of race, gender, and sexuality within slam and spoken word poetry.

His background includes significant engagement with performance poetry circuits, including multiple appearances on national television shows like HBO's Def Poetry Jam and BET's Lyric Café. He was a member of the Da Poetry Lounge slam team, achieving championship wins, and later led the San Diego PoetrySLAM team to another national title. Johnson's academic career has seen him hold positions at the University of Southern California and San Francisco State University before his current role.

Johnson is the author of "Killing Poetry: Blackness and the Making of Slam and Spoken Word Communities," published in 2017, which delves into the dynamics of Black identity within these artistic spheres. He has also co-edited "End of Chiraq: A Literary Mixtape" and adapted his poem "Cuz He's Black" into a short film.

Javon Johnson's academic research and creative endeavors are deeply rooted in the examination of spoken word and slam poetry communities, particularly concerning Blackness. His book, "Killing Poetry: Blackness and the Making of Slam and Spoken Word Communities," published by Rutgers University Press, explores the formation of these communities and the role of Black identity within them. Johnson's academic positions, including his current directorship at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, reflect his dedication to studying African American and African Diaspora experiences. His scholarly interests lie in contrasting the democratic potential of poetry communities with the realities of struggle and privilege, analyzing these dynamics within the context of Los Angeles' vibrant slam scene.

Johnson has a notable career as a spoken word performer, with appearances on major television programs such as HBO's Def Poetry Jam, BET's Lyric Café, and TVOne's Verses & Flow. He was a key member of the Da Poetry Lounge slam team, contributing to their victories at the National Poetry Slam in 2003 and 2004. Further solidifying his competitive prowess, he was part of the San Diego PoetrySLAM team that won the National Poetry Slam championship in 2017. His work has been recognized for its performance-oriented nature, as noted by Henry Rollins, who described Johnson's poetry as "basically built for performance." He has also collaborated on projects like the Showtime documentary Crossover and adapted his poem "Cuz He's Black" into a short film.

“basically built for performance”