Join us for a special Grand Performances Friday night showcase of poetry & spoken word. Hear honest, humorous & raw takes on LA life and our mosaic of unique neighborhoods and subcultures, hosted by Mike The PoeT with special guests.
Scheudule:
6:00pm – DJ Post No Bills (Frank Romero-Crockett)
6:30pm – Welcome Announcements
7:00pm – LA Stories, hosted by Mike the PoeT
9:00pm – Closing Remarks
Please RSVP at Eventbrite.
For Location, Parking & FAQ, click here
Mike Sonksen aka Mike the PoeT is a 3rd-generation Southern Californian. Poet, professor, journalist, historian & tour-guide, his book Letters to My City was published by Writ Large Press. He’s been giving Los Angeles city tours for 25 years. He’s written for Poets & Writers, Metropolis, KCET, Alta, Wax Poetics, PBS, LA Taco, LA Review of Books, LAist, Boom and the Academy of American Poets. His poetry’s been featured on Public Radio Stations KCRW, KPCC & KPFK & Spectrum News. Sonksen is the Coordinator of the First Year Experience Program at Woodbury University and he’s been awarded by the Los Angeles Press Club.
DJ Post No Bills (Frank Romero-Crockett) will be spinning music to get the night going. Art installations by Obed Silva will bring color, texture and shape, activating the space.
Featured poets include:
Allan Aquino
XochitL-Julisa Bermejo
Lee Boek
F. Douglas Brown
Rocio Carlos
Chiwan Choi
Cory Cofer
Adolfo Guzman-Lopez
Dez Hope
Traci Kato-Kiriyama
Dante Mitchell
Luivette Resto
Esther Tseng
Vickie Vertiz
Pam Ward
Nancy Lynee Woo
Poetry Nights at Grand Performances
On the final Fridays of June, July, and August, Grand Performances will host three poetry nights focused on Pride Poetry with West Hollywood Poet Laureate Brian Sonia-Wallace, LA Neighborhoods with 3rd generation LA Native Mike the PoeT, and Black Voices with award-winning author, poet, and educator Shonda Buchanan. These nights will begin at 6pm at the amphitheater next to the stage at California Plaza and will feature music and various local poets each night until 9pm.
Featuring influential voices from all over Los Angeles, Grand Performances will host three nights curated by influential award winning LA-based poets and educators, reflecting the diverse cultures that make up the beautiful city we live in. With nights focused on Pride Month, LA neighborhoods, and black and indigenous voices, the experience will focus on singular voices in an intimate setting that will honor the resilience, strength, and beauty of these communities in order to create an opportunity for love, understanding, and acceptance.
Check out the entire series:
Friday, June 23rd - Pride Poetry Night, hosted by Brian Sonia-Wallace
Friday, July 28th - LA Stories, hosted by Mike the Poet
Friday, August 25th - Black Voices, hosted by Shonda Buchanon
This show is made possible in part by Ahmad Tea
This performance is made possible in part by a grant from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Department of Arts and Culture and funded in part by a grant from The California Wellness Foundation and City of LA Department of Cultural Affairs.
