"I started writing in about 1995 in New York, actually in Virginia. I graduated from George Mason University and all of a sudden I was struck with the desire to write. I used to write anywhere, write on the way to track practice, write on my way to class, but I didn't really perform. I moved back to New York for a couple years, I wrote, I didn't really know what was bothering me about the place I was living in. I was keeping a journal and then later on I realized it was poetry. I moved to California in '97 and I found, I guess a kind of home here at La Peña there were a number of events happening here."

"One event was "Ten Poets Plus a Mic", held by Toussaint Hakin, and I got a chance to come in and witness that and realized that my words had a place, you know, had a home, and had an audience. And so from there I started to do a few open mics, and I actually became a member of "Ten Poets Plus a Mic'. Then I started to run my own open mic series. It used to take place at Club du Sole Urban Renewal. So, I just kind of developed as an artist here in California, you know, California's home as far as me as a poet."

"La Peña was the first place that I really got to see poetry happen. It was actually done under a very theatrical setting, "Ten Poets Plus a Mic". It just made me up my game a little bit. Not necessarily game, but you know, performance. Like I said, La Peña is like home. I've been a part of a couple anniversary celebrations, I feel comfortable when I'm on the stage here ­ it's home. It's a part of me, as a poet, Sonia Whittle."

Photo by Franisco Villaflor