Javier Perez is a Salvadoran-American poet, scholar and activist. His work spans a myriad of social and personal issues such as race, Latino identity, masculinity, heritage, mass incarceration, and history. He has performed in a wide-range of locations, including Washington D.C, Philadelphia, Sao Paulo, Guatemala, Cape Town, and Durban, having shared the stages with the likes of Shihan, Elizabeth Acevedo, Noel Quinones and Emerson Alcalde (2014 Poetry World Cup runner-up). He co-ordinated the 2015 Cape Town-Washington D.C. Youth Poetry Exchange. He has since been a member of Lingua Franca, debuting with the group in their 2015 showcase of “Umzila ka Moya”. He co-founded and co-ordinates The CYPHER (Cape Youth Poetry Hub for Expression & Rhythm), Cape Town’s spoken-word programme for youth. He also holds a BA in Political Science and is currently pursuing an MA in Sociology at the University of Cape Town.