Javon Johnson

Merging race and gender theory with comedy, lyricism, and rhyme schemes, Javon has become a very awarded spoken word/slam poet. Javon began writing in 2001, winning slam nationals in 2003 (team Los Angeles), in 2004 (team Hollywood), in 2005 he placed 3rd (one of a handful of poets to make finals three years in a row), and returning to slam after a brief hiatus, Javon placed 5th in 2011, 4th in 2012, and 2nd in 2013 (team Hollywood). Javon has appeared on HBO’s Def Poetry Jam, BET’s Lyric Café, TVOnes Verses & Flow, and co-wrote a documentary titled Crossover, which aired on Showtime, in collaboration with the NBA and Nike. Currently on a national tour with Fiveology, a collective of spoken word poets, Javon is simultaneously a featured blogger for the Huffington Post, and currently serves on the Board of Say Word, an organization that mentors teenagers and promotes creative self-expression through spoken word poetry in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Times said, “From subject matter, to wordplay to delivery, he is working it out! It's hard not to have good times while watching him have a good time on stage.” Having served as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Southern California in the Department of American Studies and Ethnicity, as well as being the Program Manager of History at California African American Museum, Javon is now an Assistant Professor of Performance and Communication Studies at San Francisco State University. Javon received his Ph.D. from Northwestern University in Performance Studies.