Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sunny & Anthony Azzarito. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Sunny & Anthony , thanks for joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

From Underground to Unstoppable: The Origin of Poets Underground

In 2019, Sunny found herself at a crossroads. After more than a decade in social work, she was suddenly unemployed—a single mother of two, staring down an empty schedule for the first time in years. Art had always been in her blood, but life had pushed it to the back burner. That was about to change.

A friend tipped her off about a hidden speakeasy opening in downtown San Diego’s East Village. They were looking for a poet to christen their launch week. No hesitation. Sunny walked into the space and instantly knew—this was it. The Acid Vault wasn’t just a venue; it was an experience, an immersive art installation where walls, floors, and ceilings melted into a psychedelic dreamscape. She met the artist behind it, and within minutes, the two were conspiring. A poetry open mic—every week, right here, underground. It had to happen. And just like that, Poets Underground was born.

One week later, at the second-ever Poets Underground show, Anthony walked in. A soldier still serving his final years in the Army, he wasn’t just another guest—he was a poet, a thinker, someone who felt the words as deeply as she did. They connected. They fell in love. And together, they built something bigger than either of them had imagined.

Fast forward five years, and what started as an underground open mic in an acid-drenched art vault has evolved into a full-fledged movement. Today, Poets Underground is more than a gathering—it’s a publishing house, an event production company, and a nonprofit dedicated to merging poetry and mental health. And at the heart of it all, Sunny and Anthony—partners in life, in art, in revolution—raising five kids, running full speed toward a future where poetry isn’t just heard; it heals.

This is the Poets Underground story. And we’re just getting started.

Sunny & Anthony , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Poets Underground: Where Words Ignite Change

Poets Underground isn’t just an organization—it’s a movement. A rebellion. A love letter to every misfit, dreamer, and truth-teller who has ever felt the fire of language burning inside them.

It all started with a mic in a hidden art vault beneath San Diego’s streets. What began as an underground poetry night quickly became something bigger—a revolution in storytelling, healing, and self-expression. Today, Poets Underground is a powerhouse at the intersection of art, mental health, and community. We run a publishing house, produce high-impact events, and develop transformative creative programs, all built on the belief that poetry can heal, connect, and empower.

We don’t just put poets on a stage—we create platforms for voices that need to be heard. We work with schools, nonprofits, and community groups to bring poetry workshops, mental health initiatives, and creative therapy programs to those who need them most. We publish raw, unfiltered work from emerging and established poets alike, proving that poetry isn’t just an art—it’s a force.

What sets us apart? We live this. This isn’t just a business. It’s personal. It’s our story. It’s the story of every artist who has been overlooked, every young person searching for an outlet, every survivor finding their voice in the wreckage. We don’t believe in waiting for permission. We carve out space. We disrupt. We build.

We’re most proud of the impact we’ve had—the people who have told us our spaces saved their lives, the students who have discovered their power through poetry, the way our work continues to evolve while staying true to its roots.

At Poets Underground, we don’t just write poetry. We live it. And if you’re here, reading this, you’re part of it too.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Building a Movement, Not Just a Following

We didn’t just build a social media presence—we built a community. From the very beginning, Poets Underground was designed to be more than an open mic. We wanted it to feel like a movement, a space where people didn’t just show up, but where they belonged.

We knew that to get people in the door, we had to start strong. So, for our first three months, we intentionally booked headliners with big names in San Diego’s poetry scene. Their presence brought credibility, their audiences followed, and just like that, the energy started spreading.

But what really set us apart—and what kept people coming back—was how we treated every single poet who touched the mic. We weren’t just a stage. We were a mirror. Every time someone shared, we gave intentional feedback, spending as long as their poem to reflect back what we heard, what we felt, and why their voice mattered. That small act created a shift. It made people feel seen. Safe. Heard. And once people experience that, they don’t just come back—they bring others with them.

Visually, we made sure Poets Underground looked as good as it felt. We designed bold, eye-catching flyers that headliners were excited to share. We flooded our feed with high-quality photos of performers, knowing that people love to see themselves in the art they’re part of.

The Acid Vault itself became our secret weapon. It was an Instagram dream—psychedelic, immersive, begging to be photographed. People showed up just for the aesthetic, but they stayed for the experience. Local influencers flocked in for content, helping spread the word far beyond our immediate circles.

We kept the audience engaged beyond the mic, too. Every week, we dropped a writing prompt and told people if they tagged us, we’d share their poem. That single move turned casual attendees into contributors, making them feel like an integral part of the movement.

And then, we grew.

When we branched out and introduced the Poetry Heals component, everything expanded. We opened ourselves up—not just to poets, but to the broader community. Our diverse audience wasn’t just made up of artists. It included teachers, business owners, healers, activists—people who saw what we were doing and knew exactly where it was needed. A friend of a friend had a connection to a shelter. Someone else had ties to a juvenile detention center. Another worked at a jail. Doors started opening, not because we knocked, but because the community invited us in.

That’s how Poetry Heals took off—not as a business strategy, but as a collective movement, built on integrity and word of mouth. We didn’t chase opportunities; we created impact, and the opportunities found us.

Through all of this, we didn’t just build a following—we cultivated an interactive, loyal, and deeply engaged community. Poets Underground became a place where people didn’t just come to watch; they came to participate. And that’s the real secret to social media growth—make people feel like they’re part of something bigger than themselves.

So if you’re just starting out, here’s the advice: Create a space where people feel seen. Make them part of the story. Engage with them, amplify them, celebrate them. Give them something real, something they can carry beyond the screen. Do that, and they won’t just follow—you’ll build something unstoppable.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Turning Isolation into Innovation: Poets Underground’s Pandemic Pivot

Resilience isn’t just about surviving the storm—it’s about creating something powerful because of it.

Less than a year after Poets Underground took off, the world shut down. In 2020, the pandemic hit, and suddenly, everything we had built—our underground open mic, our thriving in-person community—was gone overnight. No venues. No crowds. No way to gather. But we weren’t about to let that stop us.

Instead of fading out, we pivoted. We took Poets Underground online, hosting our weekly open mics on Instagram Live, keeping our poets connected even in isolation. Week after week, we held space for people to speak, to process, to share. While the world felt disconnected, we built a virtual stage where poetry still thrived.

But we didn’t stop there. In the stillness of lockdown, an idea took root—one that would change the course of Poets Underground forever. We realized that poetry wasn’t just about performance; it was about permanence. What if, instead of only speaking our words, we printed them? What if we could create something lasting?

And so, during one of the most uncertain times in modern history, we launched our first-ever community anthology: Fk Isolation, a raw, unfiltered tribute to the COVID-19 experience. We gathered the voices of over 40 local poets, documenting their pain, their resilience, their stories. But we didn’t just publish a book—we empowered our community.

Every contributing poet had the opportunity to purchase books at cost and resell them for a profit. At a time when artists were struggling, when the workforce was collapsing, when uncertainty was the only constant, we turned poetry into a lifeline. This wasn’t just a book—it was a business launch, not just for us, but for every poet involved.

That moment—born out of necessity, fueled by creativity—is what led to the birth of Poets Underground Press. The publishing arm that started as an emergency response to a crisis is now a full-fledged powerhouse, giving poets the opportunity to own their work, distribute it, and build sustainable income through their art.

Resilience isn’t just about adapting—it’s about creating in the face of chaos. When the world told us to wait, we built something permanent. And in doing so, we didn’t just survive the unknown—we thrived in it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://poetsundergroundpress.com
• Instagram: poets_underground_

Image Credits

Second photo was taken by JeanCarlo Mendez