Javon Johnson Explained

Javon Johnson
Birth Place:Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation:Poet, writer, professor
Assistant Professor and Director of African American and African Diaspora Studies
Education:California State University, Los Angeles
Alma Mater:Northwestern University
Thesis Title:My Words Dance: Doing Race, Gender, and Sexuality in Slam and Spoken Word Poetry Communities in Los Angeles and Chicago
Thesis Year:2010
Discipline:Performance studies
Workplaces:
Main Interests:Slam poetry
Notable Works:Killing Poetry: Blackness and the Making of Slam and Spoken Word Communities

Javon Johnson is an American spoken word poet, writer, and professor. He is the director of African American and African Diaspora Studies in the Department of Interdisciplinary, Gender, and Ethnic Studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and the author of Killing Poetry: Blackness and the Making of Slam and Spoken Word Communities.[1] [2] [3]

Early life and education

Johnson was born and raised in Los Angeles. Born September 15, 1968. In high school he read the work of Amiri Baraka and Langston Hughes, which inspired him to write poetry.[4] While in college at California State University, Los Angeles, Johnson won first place in Drama Interpretation at the 2002 American Forensic Association National Individual Events Tournament.[5] He earned his Ph.D. in Performance Studies from Northwestern University with a dissertation on "race, gender, and sexuality in slam and spoken word poetry communities".[6]

Career

Johnson has appeared on HBO's Def Poetry Jam, BET's Lyric Café, TVOne's Verses & Flow, The Arsenio Hall Show, and The Steve Harvey Show.[7] [8] He also co-wrote the Showtime documentary Crossover.[9] He was on the Da Poetry Lounge slam team that performed in the National Poetry Slam in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012, and 2013, winning the NPS championship in 2003 and 2004.[10] [11] At a 2012 performance at Literary Death Match in Los Angeles, Henry Rollins criticized Johnson's poetry as "basically built for performance".[12] That same year Johnson performed at the Stockton Plea for Peace Center with four fellow poets under the name "Blackson 5".[13] He also contributed essays on race and popular media to the Huffington Post's blog platform. In 2015 Johnson performed at the Fourth of July celebration at Grand Park in Los Angeles.[14] As a member of San Diego PoetrySLAM in 2017, Johnson again took first place at the National Poetry Slam.[15]

After completing his Ph.D. Johnson worked as a USC Visions and Voices postdoctoral fellow in the Department of American Studies and Ethnicity at the University of Southern California.[16] Johnson then spent four years as an assistant professor of communication studies at San Francisco State University before becoming the director of African American and African Diaspora Studies in the Department of Interdisciplinary, Gender, and Ethnic Studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.[17] His academic research examines poetry communities in Los Angeles, contrasting their democratic possibilities against the experience of struggle and privilege.[18] In 2017 Rutgers University Press published his book Killing Poetry: Blackness and the Making of Slam and Spoken Word Communities, and in 2018 he co-edited the poetry collection End of Chiraq: A Literary Mixtape, which was published by Northwestern University Press. He adapted his poem "Cuz He's Black" into the short film "Voicemails to Myself Vol. 1", released in 2022.[19]

Bibliography

Selected performances

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Scholarly Interview with Javon Johnson, Ph.D. - University of Nevada, Las Vegas . 2023-02-20 . MastersinCommunications.com . en-US.
  2. Web site: 2017-11-09 . Javon Johnson, Ph.D. . 2023-02-20 . University of Nevada, Las Vegas . en.
  3. Web site: 2019-02-27 . BAR Book Forum: Javon Johnson's "Killing Poetry" . 2023-02-20 . Black Agenda Report . en.
  4. News: Javon Johnson sparks discussion through poetry. The Villanovan. Sheridan. Matthew. October 28, 2014.
  5. News: CSULA student is crowned National Forensic Champion. Los Angeles Sentinel. May 30, 2002. A12.
  6. Web site: Recent Dissertations. Northwestern School of Communication. Northwestern University. August 30, 2018.
  7. Writing Poetry from a Place of Love. COLOR Magazine. Adorno. Jailene. February 2, 2017. August 30, 2018.
  8. Web site: Javon Johnson HuffPost. www.huffingtonpost.com. en. 2018-08-22.
  9. News: Vets vs. newbies at poetry's grand slam in Modesto. The Modesto Bee. Rowland. Marijke. December 10, 2014. August 30, 2018.
  10. Web site: Javon Johnson PSi Scores [beta]]. scores.poetryslam.com. en. 2018-08-22.
  11. Web site: Poetry Slam Inc. poetryslam.com. en-US. 2018-08-22.
  12. Web site: Literary Death Match: Henry Rollins not big on spoken word. Los Angeles Times. Kellogg. Carolyn. July 12, 2012. August 29, 2018.
  13. News: Slam poets hope to reach local at-risk youths. The Record. Sauro. Tony. October 18, 2012. August 29, 2018.
  14. News: Downtown L.A. decked in red, white and blue. Los Angeles Times. Shepherd. Katie. July 4, 2015. August 29, 2018.
  15. News: Best of San Diego 2017 (People): Chrissy Croft. San Diego CityBeat. Bradford. Ryan. November 15, 2017. August 30, 2018.
  16. News: Slam poet takes the stage at Bovard. Daily Trojan. Payal. Mukerji. August 17, 2012. August 29, 2018.
  17. Web site: New Face: Javon Johnson. UNLV News Center. University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Hollingsworth. Karen S.. May 29, 2018. August 29, 2018.
  18. The Collaborative Performance of Open Mic Poetry and the Art of Making Do. Hassert. Joseph Alan. May 1, 2014. PhD. Southern Illinois University Carbondale. 909914386. August 29, 2018. 36, 127, 162.
  19. News: Poetry in motion: UNLV assistant professor creates powerful short film. Las Vegas Review-Journal. Bracelin. Jason. February 25, 2022. September 22, 2022.
  20. Johnson. Javon. 2010-10-01. Manning Up: Race, Gender, and Sexuality in Los Angeles' Slam and Spoken Word Poetry Communities. Text and Performance Quarterly. 30. 4. 396–419. 10.1080/10462937.2010.511252. 192233974.
  21. Web site: 2018-05-18 . Reclaiming the City: A Review of "The End of Chiraq" Newcity Lit . 2023-02-20 . en-US.
  22. News: Cuz He's Black. 2014-11-25. Poets & Writers. 2018-08-22. en.
  23. News: "Cuz He's Black" by Javon Johnson. Anthony. Blacksher. Spit Journal. 2014-09-07. 2018-08-22. en-US.
  24. News: (Video) Javon Johnson Last Conversation Between Malcolm X and His Daughter. 2015-08-06. The Poet's List. 2018-08-22. en-US.
  25. Web site: On Being a Black Student, Being in Debt, and a Failing Education System. Dixon. Danielle. 2017-02-21. Soul Reflectionz. 2018-08-22. en-US.
  26. Web site: Javon Johnson on Being Black and Happy. Dixon. Danielle. 2017-01-10. Soul Reflectionz. 2018-08-22. en-US.

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