'Another Type of Groove' Brings Poet Javon Johnson to Cal Poly

SAN LUIS OBISPO - The Cal Poly MultiCultural Center's "Another Type of Groove: Spoken Word Poetry" will present spoken-word poet Javon Johnson at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 3, at Chumash Auditorium.

Born and raised in South Central Los Angeles, Javon "The Golden Child" Johnson made second homes out of libraries, book stores, and any place that harbored knowledge. In 2003, he was part of the Los Angeles team that won the National Poetry Slam Tournament. He joined the Hollywood Slam Team in 2004 and won the 2004 National Championship, making him only the second person in Slam National's history to ever achieve back-to-back national titles.

Through his poems, Johnson seeks to deconstruct systemic oppression and inequality, to enhance what he calls "a poetic politic of emancipation." He hopes his work will touch others in the same way so many writers have influenced him.

Johnson is working on a doctoral degree in performance studies at Northwestern University, where he works on the politics of diversity, identity and community negotiation in the highly politicized slam and spoken word poetry communities. He also recently co-wrote poetic narration for a documentary titled "Crossover" (from the directors of "Mrs. Evers' Boys" and "On Hallowed Ground"), which will air on Showtime.

All MultiCultural Center events are free and open to the public.

The MultiCultural Center cultivates a campuswide community that represents and celebrates the diversity of Cal Poly's student body. For more information, contact Josue Urrutia or Saba Abuhay at (805) 756-1405 or mcc@calpoly.edu or visit the MultiCultural Center Website at http://multicultural.calpoly.edu.

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