On Episode 19, Pete talks with Mike “The Poet” Sonksen, a brilliant writer, educator, spoken-word performer and Los Angeles raconteur. Mike has an encyclopedic knowledge of LA's history and its present, and his subject matter and genuine love for all of LA show through in his rhythmic and soulful poetry and prose.

An exciting event is coming up this Friday, October 2, at 6pm, on Nervous Ghost Live on YouTube. "Voices of California" is a virtual open mic held in support of the  Tia Chucha's Centro Cultural in Sylmar, and it features Mike The Poet, Luis Rodriguez, Myriam Gurba, Tongo Eisen-Martin, Allan Aquino, Helena Maria Viramontes, and Karla Brundage, among others. The event is cosponsored by the dynamic members of Nervous Ghost Press and The Chills at Will Podcast.

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The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and this song is used through ArchesAudio.com.

Writers Mentioned, Allusions, and Texts Referenced (with links) During the Episode:

Quetzal

Reyner_Banham

Audrey Lorde: “Poetry is Not a Luxury” 

Rebecca Solnit

6:56- Mike talks about his connection to hip-hop group The Visionaries, featuring 2Mex, Key-Kool & Rhettmatic (The Beat Junkies), among others, and their influence on his life and his writing

13:40-Horace Tapscott and the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra and Steve Isoardi and Kamou Daoud

32:00-Mikes shares a cool story about “magical performance” from Saul Williams and BESSKEPP

33:00-Mike Davis is discussed as a source of inspiration 

33:50-Mike lauds Lynell George and her outsized influence on his work

34:20-Mike talks about Dolores Hayden’s The Power of Place and its influence on his writing and world view

36:45-Brian Taylor and how he introduced Mike to Biddy Mason and her incredible story

40:20-Mike describes the “magic” of Huell Howser

42:06-Mike describes the origin of ‘Mike the Poet”

43:43-Mike reads, freestyling the dulcet words of “I am Alive in Los Angeles!”

47:00-Chick Hearn and Vin Scully and their influence on Mike

48:12-The Unfortunate History of Chavez Ravine

48:30-The sinister “Santa Ana Winds” and Raymond Chandler’s famous quote

50:00-Chuck D and his rap style and cadence influenced by Marv Albert

51:50-Mike cites examples of short texts he reads with his college classes, as a way to lead them to other interesting texts; Chapter 1: “COLUMBUS, THE INDIANS, AND HUMAN PROGRESS” from A People’s History of the United States and Luis Rodriguez’s piece in LAtitudes: An Angeleno's Atlas

53:12-Mike shouts out the excellent poet/DJ F. Douglas Brown and talented artist Umar Rashid

54:11-Mike talks about Peter Elbow, a big proponent of freewriting, and Julia Cameron’s “Morning Pages,” and how they inform Mike’s writing and teaching

58:15-Author Sandro Meallet’s quote, “Writing is Thinking” provider fodder for Pete and Mike to discuss its implications in the classroom

59:16-Mike discusses his future works, including a manuscript of poems, and a book of essays about Nina Revoyr, Wanda Coleman, and Naomi Hirahara, among others

1:01:44-Mike discusses his piece in Writing for Life from Nervous Ghost Press and its inspiration from Judy Baca’s mural-the poem is “WHOSE STORY DO WE TELL?”

1:02:42- Mike provides information on his writing and performance and where to buy his book, Letters to My City!

1:05:25-Pete gives information about this Friday, October 2, and “Voices of California” virtual open mic to be held at Tia Chucha’s Centro Cultural (donate to this great bookstore and community center here!), livestreamed at Nervous Ghost Live-featuring, among others, Myriam Gurba, Tongo Eisen-Martin, Allan Aquino, Helena Maria Viramontes, Karla Brundage, Mike The Poet!