The 27th Annual Petaluma Poetry Walk – Sunday, September 15, 2024, 11am – 8pm
The Petaluma Poetry Walk is an annual poetry festival founded in September 1996 by the late poet Geri Digiorno. It features over two dozen poets reading their works at eight venues. The event has grown over the years, attracting notable poets and a diverse audience and includes readings in both English and Spanish.
During this day-long “movable feast,” participants walk to different locations to enjoy a variety of poetic performances. It has become a tradition in Petaluma, reflecting the city’s rich cultural and
literary heritage.
3pm THE POETS LAUREATE
LEE HERRICK, California Poet Laureate & GENNY LIM, Former San Francisco Jazz Poet Laureate
Copperfield Books, 140 Kentucky Street, Petaluma
With Event Presenter IRIS JAMAHL DUNKLE
Lee Herrick was born in Daejeon, Korea and adopted as an infant. He lives with his family in Fresno, California and served as Fresno Poet Laureate from 2015-2017. He teaches at Fresno City College and in the low-residency MFA program at University of Nevada Reno at Lake Tahoe. He is the 10th California Poet Laureate, and the first Asian American to serve in the role. leeherrick.com
Genny Lim is the recipient of PEN Oakland Reginald Lockett and Berkeley Poetry Lifetime Achievement Awards. A former SFJazz Poet Laureate, her play, Paper Angels, has been produced internationally. She is co-author of Island: Poetry and History of Chinese Immigrants on Angel Island, winner of the American Book Award and several poetry collections, including Child of War, Paper Gods & Rebels and KRA!
Iris Jamahl Dunkle‘s poetry and nonfiction critically engage with the Western myth of progress by exploring the profound impact of agriculture and overpopulation on the North American West, both historically and in contemporary times. Embracing an ecofeminist perspective, her writing challenges the predominantly male-centric narrative of the American West’s recorded history, delving into the often-overlooked lives of women. irisjamahldunkle.com
Petaluma Poetry Walk 2024
The Petaluma Poetry Walk has hosted many notable poets during the years, including Diane DiPrima—a female voice in the Beat poetry movement, Poets Laureate from California, Sonoma County and beyond, award-winning poets of all ages, and emerging poets.
For the full schedule of events, please visit the website at petalumapoetrywalk.org