Earle, Steve

Steve Earle is an American singer-songwriter, author, actor, and political activist. He still believes it is possible to create songs that could be “literature that you consume while driving in your car.”

Tea, Michelle

Michelle Tea is a writer who founded RADAR Productions, a literary nonprofit that runs the RADAR Reading Series at the Public Library, the international Sister Spit performance tours, and the annual RADAR LAB writers’ retreat in Akumal, Mexico.

Yamazaki, Paul

Paul Yamazaki has been on the staff of City Lights Booksellers & Publishers since 1970.

Tiny a.k.a. Lisa Gray-Garcia

Tiny a.k.a. Lisa Gray-Garcia is a poverty scholar, revolutionary journalist, poet, teacher, author of Criminal of Poverty: Growing up Homeless in America, co-founder of POOR Magazine/PoorNewsNetwork, Taino/Boricua mama of Tiburcio, and daughter of Dee.

Smith, Patti

Patti Smith has been called “The Godmother of Punk”; she is also a poet, author, and visual artist. In her seminal 1975 album, Horses, she integrated Beat-like poetry with three-chord music. In 2007 she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Shelby, Marcus

Marcus Shelby is currently artistic director and leader of The Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra, The Marcus Shelby Septet, and The Marcus Shelby Trio. Marcus has won innumerable awards, grants, and private commissions, including the 1991 Charles Mingus Scholarship.

Scheer, Robert

Truthdig editor-in-chief Robert Scheer has won awards for his journalism in Ramparts, the Los Angeles Times, Playboy, and more. He has written eight books, most recently The Pornography of Power: How Defense Hawks Hijacked 9/11 and Weakened America.

Ryder, Winona

Winona Ryder is a Golden Globe–winning and Oscar-nominated actress who grew up in the North Bay in the bosom of the Ferlinghetti and City Lights family. Her many movies include The Age of Innocence, Little Women, and Reality Bites.

Reed, Ishmael

Ishmael Reed is an author of poetry, novels, plays, essays, and songs. His 10th novel, entitled Blood Sugar, will be published in the spring. His most recent award was “Blues Song Writer of the Year,” from the West Coast Blues Hall of Fame.

McClure, Michael

Michael McClure sees that Lawrence Ferlinghetti is a great mammal spirit. McClure walked into City Lights in 1954. He read at the Six Gallery in 1955. UC Press will publish his Of Indigo and Saffron: Selected Poems, in January.

major, devorah

devorah major is a poet, novelist, and internationally touring performer, and served as San Francisco’s Poet Laureate from 2002 to 2006. Her books include Street Smarts, Where River Meets Ocean, An Open Weave, and Brown Glass Windows.

Lisick, Beth

Beth Lisick is the author of four books, including Everyone Into the Pool, the co-founder of the Porchlight storytelling series, and an occasional stage and screen performer. She is working on her first novel.

Kaye, Lenny

Lenny Kaye is a guitarist, composer, producer, and author, best known as a member of the Patti Smith Group. He played lead guitar on all of Smith’s albums, produced albums for Suzanne Vega and Kristin Hersh, and co-authored Waylon Jennings’ memoir.

Katzenberger, Elaine

Elaine Katzenberger is the executive director of City Lights Booksellers and Publishers; program director for the City Lights Foundation; editor of books of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry; and advisor to the National Endowment for the Arts.

Kass, James

James Kass is the founder and executive director of Youth Speaks, Inc. He is also creator and co-executive producer of the HBO series Brave New Voices and artistic director of the PBS series Poetic License.

Joseph, Marc Bamuthi

Marc Bamuthi Joseph is an arts activist, a poet, a playwright, a dancer, a teacher, and artistic director of The Living Word Project. He was featured performer on HBO’s Russell Simmons' Def Poetry and was a national Poetry Slam winner.

Horowitz, Michael

Michael Horowitz co-founded the Ludlow Library, situated in North Beach, during the 1970s. He has edited works by Aldous Huxley and Timothy Leary, and appeared in The Darwin Awards with Winona Ryder and Lawrence Ferlinghetti.

Hodge, Chinaka

Chinaka Hodge is an Oakland-born poet and playwright. The East Bay Express named her Best Poet of 2008 and she was the inaugural recipient of the 826 Valencia Young Author’s Scholarship. Her 2006 book, For Girls With Hips, is in its third publication.

Hirschmann, Jack

Jack Hirschman is a fellow poet, translator, and painter, no doubt influenced by the example of the Old Boy, of whom he has been a friend for half a hundred years.

Herrera, Juan Felipe

Juan Felipe Herrera is the author of 187 Reasons Mexicanos Can't Cross the Border (City Lights) and is a National Book Critics Circle winner and 2010 Guggenheim Fellow. He performs with Margarita Robles and works on the Free Antonio Balta Campaign.