Tag Archives: Mike The PoeT Sonksen

Mike The PoeT in URP 5120

Shout out to Mike The PoeT for being our Week 13 guest speaker in URP 5120: Planning Ideas and Action. Mike taught us writing exercises as community engagement. These are ways to get ideas on the page without overthinking. Take a few minutes and just write. For example, we all did the 5-line quick write for these prompts:

  • My style is . . .
  • I believe in . . .
  • I value . . .

Here’s mine:

My style is Embedded Planning

My style is the street

My style is Montebello

My style is more chill today than before

My style is mine

I believe in community

I believe in solidarity

I believe in organizing

I believe in LA

I believe in grass roots

I value partnerships
I value work/life balance
I value friendships
I value education
I value coming together

Mike The PoeT Sonksen at Cal Poly Pomona Urban & Regional Planning

Guest speaker Mike the PoeT Sonksen at Cal Poly Pomona Urban & Regional Planning. Photo by Jonathan Pacheco Bell

On March 5, 2022, Mike the PoeT Sonksen was the guest speaker in my Advocacy Planning course at Cal Poly Pomona. He taught us about geographic literacy and the power of place. Mike opened with poems, transitioned into a vivid slide deck lecture, then led our class through two writing exercises connecting personal memory and action to planning praxis. He stayed to co-facilitate our week’s discussion of Latin@ Urbanism.

Mike bleeds LA. If you’re looking for your next guest speaker, tour guide, essayist or poet, Mike is the one.