L.A. Letters is a weekly column that celebrates bright moments in literary Los Angeles, alternating each week between written and spoken word.
"L.A. Authors" is a poem I wrote to honor as many L.A. Authors as I could. Initially inspired by Mike Davis, Norman Klein, Lionel Rolfe and Joan Didion, the poem eventually grew to include references to films like Blade Runner, the Laurel Canyon singer-songwriter era, the Doors and early '90s Hip Hop.
Previously on L.A. Letters:
Top photo: The Last Bookstore by Flickr user reidab used under a Creative Commons license.
Story Continues Below
Support KCET
About the Author
Third-generation Angeleno Mike "The Poet" Sonksen is a poet, journalist, historian, tour guide, and teacher.
MORE 
Support for the Departures is provided through these funders as well as local community partners and viewers like you.
-
Beats and Rhymes: The 562
The poem is my ode to not only Long Beach but the entire Southeastern ...
-
Shifting Lanes: The Demise of the Southern California Autotopia
To understand the City of Angels, Joan Didion once wrote, one needed t...
-
Metro's Summer Public Art Tour Connects Rail, Artists, and Communities
The summer tour will be held on the first Thursdays of July, August, a...
-
A Los Angeles Primer: Little Ethiopia
An object of fascination for the writers of "When Harry Met Sally" to ...
