Slam poetry's biggest names are sharing a stage in West Las Vegas tonight, and tickets are still just $15. Sin City Speaks kicks off at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12, at West Las Vegas Theatre, blending poetry, comedy and live music into what organizers are billing as a communal celebration for the neighborhood.
The general admission tickets went on sale for $15 per seat, according to FOX5 Vegas, with doors opening at 6 p.m. for seating ahead of the main show. The City of Las Vegas confirmed the same ticketing terms in an official municipal announcement issued August 27, according to the City of Las Vegas, which described the evening's content and communal character.
Headlining the bill is Rudy Francisco, an internationally acclaimed poet whose work focuses on love, healing, masculinity and mental health, per the station's report. Francisco was named the 2010 Individual World Poetry Slam Champion and the 2017 National Poetry Slam Champion, and in March 2018 he became the first poet to perform a full-length spoken-word poem on NBC's The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, according to the Best Poems Encyclopedia. He has since published multiple collections through Button Poetry, including his 2017 debut *Helium* — a 2018 Goodreads Choice Awards finalist — and his collection *Excuse Me As I Kiss The Sky*, per Button Poetry.
A Scholar-Poet Shares the Stage
Joining Francisco is Javon Johnson, described by the article as an award-winning poet, scholar and performer whose work combines storytelling and performance around themes of Blackness, performance studies and spoken-word culture. Johnson serves as an Associate Professor and Director of African American and African Diaspora Studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and holds the title of three-time National Poetry Slam champion, according to UNLV. He joined the university after previously teaching at San Francisco State University.
Johnson's 2017 book, *Killing Poetry: Blackness and the Making of Slam and Spoken Word Communities*, examines slam and spoken-word communities.
Comedy and Music Round Out the Bill
Rounding out the lineup is host Shanna Christmas, a Las Vegas comedian whose 2025 special, *Highly Intelligent*, won Best Comedy Special at the Laugh After Dark Comedy Festival, according to her own website, Shanna Christmas. Christmas previously won the Devil Cup Festival in 2018 and has worked professionally as an occupational therapy assistant.
DJ Kelly J will provide music throughout the evening, the station reports.
A Historic Theater's New Chapter
West Las Vegas Theatre sits at 951 W. Lake Mead Blvd.
Sin City Speaks is scheduled for Saturday in Las Vegas. Tickets for Saturday's show can be purchased online, with doors opening at 6 p.m. and the main stage performance starting at 7 p.m.
