Plays/Film

Paper Angels (1978)

Paper Angels premiered on September 12, 1980 at the Asian American Theater Company. In 1982, the New Federal Theatre in New York produced the play. That same year, Lim founded her own production company, Paper Angels Productions, and brought the play to the Chinese Cultural Center in San Francisco. A television adaptation of Paper Angels was later filmed and appeared on PBS’s AMERICAN PLAYHOUSE in July of 1985.

Original Cast of Paper Angels premiere at Asian American Theater Company (1980)

Under Investigation – American Playhouse television adaptation of Paper Angels (1985)

Copyright Law makes it illegal to use, without permission, the original work of an author for his/her/their lifetime plus 70 years. If you are interested in performing or using of Genny Lim’s works, please reach out via the website contact form to inquire about permissions.

Bibliography of Works by Genny Lim

Reference Source: Asian American Playwrights: A Bio-Bibliographical Critical Sourcebook, edited by Miles Xian Liu, Greenwood Press, Westport, Conn., 2002, pages 197-200.

• The Only Language. Excerpt from the screenplay The Only Language She Knows. Bamboo Ridge 30 (1986): 34–41.
• Pigeons. Bamboo Ridge 30 (1986): 57–79.
• Paper Angels and Bitter Cane: Two Plays. Honolulu: Kalamaku P, 1991.
• Bitter Cane. The Politics of Life: Four Plays by Asian American Women. Ed. Velina Hasu Houston. Philadelphia: Temple UP, 1993. 163–204. Rpt. in The Oxford Book of Women’s Writing in the United States. Ed. Linda Wagner-Martin and Cathy N. Davidson. New York: Oxford UP, 1995. 407–40.
• Paper Angels. Unbroken Thread: An Anthology of Plays by Asian American Women. Ed. Roberta Uno. Amherst: U of Massachusetts P, 1993. 11–152. Excerpts. Monologues for Actors of Color: Men. Ed. Roberta Uno. New York: Routledge, 2000. 95–96. Excerpts. Monologues for Actors of Color: Women. Ed. Roberta Uno. New York: Routledge, 2000. 127–28.
• La China Poblana. Excerpts. Yellow Light: The Flowering of Asian American Arts. Ed. Amy Ling. Philadelphia: Temple UP, 1999. 216–21.

Unpublished Manuscripts

• Daughter of Han. 1983.
• I Remember Clifford. 1983.
• The Pumpkin Girl. 1987.
• XX. 1987.
• Faceless. Multimedia, text by Genny Lim. 1989.
• Winter Place. 1989.
• The Magic Brush. 1990.
• SenseUs: The Rainbow Anthems. Poetry and music collaboration with Max Roach, Sonia Sanchez, Jon Jang, Jon Santos, and Victory Hernandez Cruz. 1990.
• Pins and Noodles. 1992.
• Songlines: The Spiritual Tributary of Paul Robeson and Mei Lanfang. Libretto by Genny Lim and music by Jon Jang and James Newton. 2000.

Select Stage Performances:

• Oct. 19, 2018 Word/Jazz, Litquake, Café du Nord, Curator and performer.
• April 9, 2018 Don’t Shoot! Requiem in Black, Poetry Jazz Collaboration, SF Jazz Center.
• Sept. 9-17, 2017 Within These Walls on Angel Island: Lenora Lee Dance. Poetry Text by Genny Lim.
• June 4, 2016 Freedom Now Suite, featuring poet Genny Lim with Anthony Brown & Asian American Orchestra, San Francisco International Arts Festival, Fort Mason.
• April 2016 Paper Angels by Genny Lim, Seattle Fringe Festival
• May 20-21,2016 Premiere of Black Geomancy & Liminal Space, San Francisco International Arts Festival, Poetry & Music Fort Mason.
• Aug.-Oct. 2015 1945: A Year of Infamy with Anthony Brown, Japantown Peace Plaza, Asian Art Museum, Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, Bird and Beckett, Herbst Theater, San Francisco Music Day.
• 2015-2016 Living History Performances: “I Want to Go to School,” Lim portrays Mamie Tape in Tape vs. SFUSD 1884 with Charlie Chin, Chinese Historical Society of America.
• Feb. 27 & Mar. 5, 2016 Paper Angels, Center House Theater, Seattle Fringe Festival Award.
• Aug. 7-16 2015 Paper Angels, Dukesbay Theater, Tacoma, WA.
• Aug. 20-31, 2015 Paper Angels, INScape, Seattle, WA.
• Aug. 8, 2010 Afro Solo Arts Festival, Buriel Clay Theatre, S.F.
• Sept. 15-17, 2010 Paper Angels, Portsmouth Square, SF Chinatown, SF Fringe Festival Award.
• Dec. 4-5, 2009: Where is Tibet? CounterPULSE, S.F.
• April 29-May 2, 2009 Paper Angels, University Settlement, New York City, Villager Award, AAPA James Wong Howe Award.
• Oct. 28-30, 2007 International Poetry Festival, KINO-TEATAR “PRVIMAJ” (KINO “BOSNA”), Sarajevo, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Casa della Poesia.
• July 25-31,2005 Festival Mundial de Poesia, World Poetry Festival, Caracas, Venezuela
• 1990 Sense Us, Festival 2000 Premiere Poetry and Music Collaboration with Max Roach, Sonia Sanchez, John Santos, Victor Hernandez Cruz, Jon Jang and Genny Lim, commissioned by SF Arts Commission, Davies Symphony Hall.

Select Video

• The Voice: Genny Lim (2002), feature documentary premiere of the poet by David Moragne, 13th Annual Black Filmworks, Oakland Filmmakers’ Hall of Fame.
• Chinatown: Neighborhoods: The Hidden Cities of San Francisco (1996) by Felicia Lowe, narrated by Charlie Chin, Poetry by Genny Lim, KQED-TV, PBS.
• The United States of Poetry, Winter Place (1995) by Genny Lim, featured in two part PBS documentary special, Washington Square Films.
• The Only Language She Knows (1987), Short feature monologue of mother-daughter generational conflict by Genny Lim, prod. by Steven Okazaki, Silk Screen Series, PBS.
• Paper Angels (1985), National video broadcast adaptation of Genny Lim’s play on American Playhouse, PBS.