Genny Lim, the seventh child of Chinese immigrants who were once detained at the Angel Island Immigration Detention Center, known for both her social activism and her writing, has been named San Francisco’s ninth Poet Laureate.
Mayor London Breed and City Librarian Michael Lambert announced the award on Friday.
Lim joins a lineup of iconic San Francisco residents including Lawrence Ferlinghetti of City Lights Books and Janice Mirikitani of Glide Memorial Church. She was appointed by Mayor Breed after being nominated by an eight-member Selection Committee comprised of past Poets Laureate, City officials, and members of the Bay Area poetry and literary community. She will succeed Tongo Eisen-Martin.
“She is a shining example of the richness of San Francisco’s heritage, and I know Genny will leave so many hearts and minds changed for the better,” Breed said. “I applaud her vision to bring people together through her poetry and work and look forward to watching Genny grow into this role that undoubtedly will help uplift our City.”
A graduate of San Francisco State and Columbia University, Lim was the SF Jazz Poet Laureate in 2017-2018. She was also recently honored by the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation for the Spirit of Angel Island award.
“It is truly a great honor to have been selected as the first Chinese American to serve as San Francisco Poet Laureate,” Lim said. “This is the city where people, such as my immigrant parents, come to dream, explore and reinvent themselves. My vision is to help reinvigorate the city through the healing vehicle of poetry. Poetry is a way to better understand the world.”
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