Poets Underground Inc. was founded by Sunny Rey Azzarito & Anthony Azzarito to transform lived pain into purpose. Sunny, born into homelessness, spent 15 years working in social services, witnessing how trauma, poverty, and silence isolate people from their own stories. Anthony served 10 years in the U.S. Army, where he experienced firsthand the mental health challenges facing veterans. After returning home, he began using poetry as a tool to process trauma and connect with others navigating PTSD and reintegration.

Together, they created Poets Underground as a bridge between art, healing, and opportunity—building programs that bring trauma-informed creative writing, performance, and publishing to schools, jails, shelters, refugee centers, and mental health facilities.

Their mission grew from one truth: creativity can heal what systems overlook. Through Poetry Heals, We Write We Heal, and The Great Poetic Baggage Exchange, they help participants reclaim voice, self-worth, and agency—and teach them entrepreneurship skills to self-publish and sustain their art beyond the program.

Poets Underground began as two people’s recovery story—and evolved into a growing movement proving that poetry can rebuild lives, communities, and futures.