Vallejo Poet Laureate D.L. Lang

Vallejo Poet Laureate D.L. Lang 2017-2019

“A poet laureate is someone who encourages people to come together through poetry instead of resting on their laurels.” — D.L. Lang, Vallejo’s 2nd Poet Laureate

Building on the solid foundation of her predecessor, in addition to hosting the JFK Library’s Poetry in Notion and Poetry Month shows, D.L. Lang began sending regular monthly newsletters to promote opportunities for her fellow poets including county fairs, local open mics, and a partnership with OZCAT radio for live on the air readings. Her poet laureate project was the creation of Verses, Voices, and Visions of Vallejo which was released to a record-breaking audience at the JFK Library’s Joseph Room, and raised money for the Vallejo Peace Project.

While poet laureate Lang performed her poetry for the public at numerous poetry events across the San Francisco Bay Area including featuring at My Word Open Mic in Berkeley, Gears Turning in San Francisco, FishBowl Poetry in Monterey, Rosanna’s in Benicia, the Solano County Library Foundation’s Why Poetry Event in Fairfield, and the Marin Poetry Center’s Traveling show in Novato.

She also wrote and performed many occasional poems for local organizations, vigils, and rallies, including Solidarity with Charlottesville, Queer Words Vallejo, Families Belong Together, Women Building Vallejo Summit, Vallejo March for Peace & Justice, Participatory Budgeting, International Peace Day, Flyaway Festival, Vallejo United Against Hatred & Anti-Semitism, Unity Day, Vallejo SOUP, the McCune Symposium, Voices of the Season, the Vallejo Peace Project’s Speak Up For Peace, Jews of Vallejo and their Fabulous Friends’ Hanukkah & Hilarity, Resilient by Design, Coal Sheds Art Studios Books Unbound Show, and the Solano County Fair.

Lang judged for Poetry Out Loud, the Joel Fallon Scholarship, Solano County Library teen writing contest, the Vallejo Poetry Slam, and the 2019 Solano County Fair Talent Competition. Other highlights included giving the invocation at the Vallejo Women’s Summit in 2019, attending the historic Gathering of California’s Poets Laureate, interviewing on KPFA radio with Nina Serrano, and reading Jewish poetry at Congregation Beth Sholom in Napa. She was a part of the 2019 Poets Laureate on Social Justice Tour, performing at Book Passage, Revolution Books, Pegasus Books, Napa Bookmine, and others. She performed 141 times around California as poet laureate.

Both Genea Brice and D.L. Lang were honored as local women writers for Women’s History Month in 2023 by the Vallejo City Council. For her service as poet laureate Lang received a Certificate of Recognition from the California Arts Council and Certificate of Recognition from the California State Senate for Public Service in 2018.

D.L. Lang remains active in the poetry community, performing at political demonstrations, benefits for causes, literary events, local open mics, and on KZCT. Her official full biography and bibliography can be found online at http://www.dianalangpoetry.com Reach her at poetryebook@gmail.com

City Council Proclamations

Selected Press

• Freedman, Richard, “Feb 7 Arts and Entertainment: Poet Laureate enjoys first year” Vallejo Times Herald
• “D. L. Lang Headlines Third Thursday Poetry”  Mendocino Coast’s Lighthouse Peddler. 
• Raskin-Zrihen, Rachel  “Vallejo’s poet laureate joins social justice event”. Napa Valley Register. 

Bibliography

Lang is widely published as a contributor to over 80 anthologies worldwide. For a full list and links to purchase visit this site. For Lang’s full bibliography visit this site.

Below are publications available to read online:

• Alien Buddha Press –  Pride 2024  and Ceasefire Now
• Emerge Magazine – “Lightfoot Lives On” and “Displaced Lines” 
• Fevers of the Mind – Hard Rain Poetry Series Inspired by Bob Dylan  and “Outlaw Code” and Music inspired poetry
• Lake County Bloom
  • “Commonalities”
  • “These Wild Winds”
  • ”The Northwest” 
  • ”What Dreams Danced Here”
• The People’s Tribune – “Who?” and “We Must Pick Up the Pieces”
• California Arts Council –  “This City We Call Home”
• CPUSA – “To Fulfill the Workers’ Dream”
• Free Venice Beachhead – “American Dream”
• Frost Meadow Review, Pandemic Poetry – “A Thousand Per Day” 
• Ice Floe Press – “Labor Shortage”
• Jewish Journal of Los Angeles – “Prayer for the Shomrim”
• KALW 91.7 FM – “Columbia River Gorgeous”
• Poetry Expressed, Vol. 5 – “No Other Planet”
• Reform Judaism – “Turning: A Poem for Yom Kippur” 
• Vallejo Weekly – “Ars Poetica”

Benicia Herald

• “Sheltering in Places”
• “Worldly Windows”
• “Stay”
• “Train Whistle Polka”
• “Benicia Bound”
• “Love Poetry Capital Blockade”
• “How to Swim through a Tornado”
• “The Woodpecker’s Beat”
• “July 4th, 2020”
• “What Remains is Love”
• “Pandemic Mismanagement”
• “Fire, Water, Wind”
• “Eternal” , (x2)
• “I Pray for My People”
• “This Hanukkah”
• “Lightfoot Lives On”
• “MLK” 
• “In Wartime How Dare We Love“
• “Owasso“

“Poetry brings people together instead of dividing them. Poetry can be a source of joy, a source of education, a reason for us to pause. We have had a poet laureate for four years now. No, it won’t fix pot holes, or pick up trash, but it can give people hope in hard times, and give them a healthy outlet for personal expression.” — D.L. Lang

Return to current Poets Laureate biographies.

Click the links below to read biographies for the past poets laureate:

• Dr. Genea S. Brice – July 28, 2015-August 31st, 2017
• D.L. Lang – September 1st, 2017-December 31st, 2019
• Jeremy Snyder – January 1, 2020-December 31st, 2023