Pelumi Olatinpo's journey, a remarkable tale of resilience and determination, began at fourteen when he and his family escaped Nigeria's military dictatorship. Their quest for a better life led them to Italy, and later, during a fateful trip to Canada, Pelumi and his 12-year-old sister hatched a daring plan to start anew in America. Under the cover of night, they embarked on a 15-minute speedboat journey across the Niagara River, crossing the Canadian border into the United States. As undocumented immigrants, they arrived on the shores of Buffalo, New York.
 
President Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and President Joe Biden's recent executive action were life-altering for Pelumi and his sister. These policies granted them employment authorization documents, social security numbers, and a clear path to citizenship. In 2022, Pelumi proudly became a United States citizen and is now the county executive-appointed commissioner on the Montgomery County (Maryland) Intra-Agency Commission on Homelessness.
 
In his new poetry book, POETA: Sonetas and Sonnets, Pelumi introduces a unique form of sonnets: Sonetas. These condensed sonnets, a testament to his creativity and resilience, serve as a powerful medium for expressing his experiences of oppression, violence, immigration, racism, and hatred, all through the lens of his arduous journey to US citizenship.