IN HONOR OF GENNY LIM

WHEREAS, Genny Lim was born a second-generation Chinese-Chukchi American in 1946 in San Francisco where she grew up to become an award-winning poet, playwright, journalist, editor, performer, and activist, bringing needed attention to Asian history, cultural expression, and social justice issues; and

WHEREAS, Genny Lim is the author of five poetry collections—Winter Place, Child of War, Paper Gods and Rebels, KRA!, and La Morte Del Tempo and of two anthologies of Senior Asian American memoirs-From Both Shores and Window: Glimpses of Our Storied Past, and her work is included in numerous other anthologies; and

WHEREAS, Genny Lim co-edited and co-translated for the ground-breaking book Island: Poetry and History of Chinese Immigrants on Angel Island (1980) with Him Mark Lai and Judy Yung and sparked national attention to the long­ forgotten history and poems inscribed on the detention barrack walls by Chinese immigrants, poems that represent the first literature and protest poems by Chinese Americans; the book received the American Book Award; and Genny Lim is the author of the award-winning play Paper Angels, a historic drama set on Angel Island, the first Asian play to air on PBS's American Playhouse in 1985, and has been produced throughout the U.S., Canada, and China, and the author of the play Bitter Cane, and founder of the experimental theater company Paper Angel Productions, now known as Theater XX; and

WHEREAS, Genny Lim is the author of the award-winning play Paper Angels, a historic drama set on Angel Island, the first Asian play to air on PBS's American Playhouse in 1985, and has been produced throughout the U.S., Canada, and China, and the author of the play Bitter Cane, and founder of the experimental theater company Paper Angel Productions, now known as Theater XX; and

WHEREAS, Genny Lim has integrated her poetry vocals with contemporary jazz in live performance and served as the San Francisco Jazz Poet Laureate (2017-2019) and her poetry vocals have been featured on three records/CDs: Devotee with music by Francis Wong, Immigrant Suite with music by Jon Jang Sextet, and Arkaeology with music by Herbie Lewis and Francis Wong; and

WHEREAS, Genny Lim has performed extensively in the Bay Area—Watershed Ecology and Poetry Festival, Lit Quake, SF Jazz Center, San Francisco International Arts Center, Japan Peace Plaza, Asian Art Museum, Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, CounterPULSE, Bird and Beckett, Herbst Theater as well as nationally in New York and Seattle and in international poetry festivals in Italy, Caracas, Venezuela and Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina; and

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED: On January 23, 2022, the 19th Annual Berkeley Poetry Festival honors Genny Lim with its Lifetime Achievement Award for the truly valuable creative and community work that she has accomplished.

Jesse Arreguin, Mayor