About.

Sonia Summer is a lyrical poet and storyteller rooted in the legacies of resilience and revolution. Born to Jamaican immigrant parents and raised on the border of Queens and Long Island, New York, Sonia’s upbringing immersed her in the vibrant culture of spoken word and slam poetry. Performing at open mics and poetry competitions across New York City, she earned recognition as a semi-finalist in both the Knicks Poetry Slam and UrbanWord NYC Poetry Slam in 2010. These experiences laid the foundation for her bold and dynamic voice.

Sonia holds a Masters of Education with a concentration in Trauma and Resilience in Educational Settings from Concordia University-Nebraska. She also holds a double B.A. in English and Integrated Marketing Communication from Duquesne University, where she graduated in just three years. While at Duquesne, she served as president of the campus TV station and created Articulate, a live-to-film spoken word segment that celebrated creative expression.

For over a decade, Sonia has been an educator in Title 1 schools, mentoring and advising students to embrace creativity as a tool for self-expression and empowerment. Beginning her career as a Television Production educator in Prince George’s County, Maryland, she now teaches high school English in Houston, Texas, where she continues to inspire her students to find their voices.

Her debut poetry collection, Sunflower Seeds, offers unflinching reflections on social injustice, womanhood, and survival. A fearless reclamation of voice and identity, her poems traverse cultural and personal histories, calling readers to plant their own seeds of resilience.