D.L. Lang
D.L. Lang (born 1983, Bad Hersfeld, West Germany) is an American poet. She has published twelve[6] full-length books of poetry,[1][7] and served as the Poet Laureate of Vallejo, California.[8][9][1]
D.L. Lang | |
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![]() Vallejo Poet Laureate D.L. Lang | |
Born | |
Alma mater | University of Oklahoma[2] |
Occupation | Poet |
Title | Poet laureate of Vallejo, California |
Term | 2017-2019[3] |
Predecessor | Genea Brice[3] |
Successor | Jeremy Snyder[4] |
Writing career | |
Pen name | D.L. Lang [5] |
Genre | poetry |
Website | dianalangpoetry |
Early life
Diana Lucille Lang[2] (née Kettle)[10] was born in Bad Hersfeld, West Germany.[1] As a result of growing up in a military family[1] as a child Lang relocated frequently, residing in Herleshausen, West Germany,[11] Santa Fe, Texas,[11] Alexandria, Louisiana,[11] and Enid, Oklahoma.[10] Lang graduated from Enid High School in 2001,[10] received an Associate of Science in General Studies[12] at Northern Oklahoma College,[13] and obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Film Studies with a minor in Judaic Studies[12] from the University of Oklahoma.[2] After college she moved to California in 2005[12] and married Timothy Lang in 2006,[14][1] living in San Rafael, California prior to moving to Vallejo.[15][14]
Film and television
While in college Lang worked as a video editor at television station KXOK-LD,[2][16] as webmaster for University of Oklahoma student radio station the Wire,[17] and as a band promoter for Grey from Enid, Oklahoma.[14][16] She also created documentary films and music videos, including Liquid Wind, a kiteboarding film by director Charles Maupin that features an interview with Mike Morgan,[18] which was broadcast on Oklahoma PBS affiliate OETA,[19] and The Hebrew Project,[2] a Hebrew language film that featured University of Oklahoma professors Ori Kritz and Norman Stillman, which was broadcast on The Jewish Channel.[20]
Poetry
Lang began writing poetry as a child, first attempting to write song lyrics.[14] She cites The Beatles,[14] Pete Seeger, Allen Ginsberg, Jim Morrison, and Bob Dylan as influences.[1] In addition to writing about her life,[14] Lang writes on themes of Judaism,[21] social justice,[14] political protest,[22] feminism,[22] anti-capitalism,[21] anti-racism[21] and pacifism.[21][22] Lang began performing her poetry in 2015, [14] with Poetry by the Bay.[23] Her poems have been published in newspapers, journals, and anthologies.
Vallejo Poet Laureate

D.L. Lang was appointed Poet Laureate of Vallejo, California in September 2017 and served through December 2019.[24][25] As poet laureate Lang edited the poetry anthology Verses, Voices & Visions of Vallejo[14][26] and performed 141 times in 18 different cities.[27] Lang gave the invocation[28] at the 2019 Vallejo Women's March.[29] During her tenure she also performed her poetry at many local events, including Vallejo Unites Against Hatred,[30] Unity Day,[31] International Peace Day [32] and Why Poetry Matters.[33] Lang also gave a presentation on Emma Lazarus and Alicia Ostriker for AAUW Voices of Change.[34] Lang also judged seven contests[27] including the county Poetry Out Loud high school recitation competition,[35] Joel Fallon poetry scholarship,[12] Solano County Fair talent competition,[12] Vallejo poetry slam,[24] and county library teen writing competition.[36] She performed regularly on air on KZCT[12] and on stage at Poetry by the Bay.[37] Like her predecessor,[38] she led the Poetry in Notion poetry circle[37] and hosted annual events for National Poetry Month.[1] She attended poets laureate conferences in Tujunga and San Mateo.[39][40] Lang was preceded as Vallejo's poet laureate by Genea Brice,[3] and succeeded by Jeremy Snyder, host of Poetry by the Bay.[41]
2020-present
In 2020 she was a featured act at the Solano County Virtual Fair,[42] and judged the library's teen poetry competition.[43] In 2021 she performed virtually for Poetry Flash[44] and Point Arena Third Thursday Poetry.[12] She also performed with Brice and Snyder at Alibi Bookshop,[45] and for the Jewish Democrats of Solano County.[46] In 2022 she performed for the AAUW,[47] Solano County Library,[48] San Francisco Public Library,[49] a beat poetry festival at the Empress Theatre,[50][51] the abortion rights group RiseUp4AbortionRights,[52] the Beat Museum[53] and LaborFest with the Revolutionary Poets Brigade,[54] judged the Solano library's teen poetry competition,[55] and appeared on the Rooted in Poetry podcast.[56] She continues to perform poetry live on air at KZCT radio.[57] In 2023 she performed at the Cordelia Library for Poetry Month, [58] Vallejo Poetry Festival,[59] and a labor protest against Elon Musk.[60][61] In 2023 she was one of ten winners of the Curbside Haiku contest in Tulsa, Oklahoma.[62]
Works
Poetry collections
- Tea and Sprockets 2011. ISBN 9781467900379
- Abundant Sparks and Personal Archeology 2013. ISBN 9781511726665
- Look, Ma! No Hands! 2015. ISBN 9781511726504
- Poet Loiterer 2016. ISBN 9781518713248
- Id Biscuits 2016. ISBN 9781530453054
- Barefoot in the Sanctuary 2016. ISBN 9781536820263
- Armor Against the Dawn 2016. ISBN 9781540704993
- Dragonfly Tomorrows and Dog-eared Yesterdays 2017. ISBN 9781548437725
- Resting on my Laurels 2018. ISBN 9781983939778
- The Cafe of Dreams 2018. ISBN 9781727159806
- Midnight Strike 2019. ISBN 9781072096016 [6]
- This Festival of Dreams 2020. ISBN 9798642242759
- Heaven is Portable 2022. ISBN 9798516440311
Spoken Word Albums
- Happy Accidents 2015.[6]
Editor
- Verses, Voices & Visions of Vallejo 2019. ISBN 9781724462633
Contributor
- A Poet's Siddur: Friday Evening Liturgy Through the Eyes of Poets Ain't Got No Press. 2017. ISBN 9780982058480
- Light & Shadow Benicia Literary Arts. 2018. ISBN 9780970373762
- Marin Poetry Center Anthology, Vol. 21 Marin Poetry Center. 2018. ISBN 9780988969421
- Verses, Voices & Visions of Vallejo 2019. ISBN 9781724462633
- Colossus: Home: An Anthology of Lives in and out of Place Colossus Press. 2020. ISBN 9781735252643
- Introspective BloodRedStar Publications. 2020. ISBN 9798687549165
- The Alien Buddha Wears a Black Bandanna Alien Buddha Press. 2020. ISBN 9798693006782
- Black Lives Matter: Poems for a New World Civic Leicester. 2020. ISBN 9781916459359
- Happy Fukkadays 2 U from the Alien Buddha Alien Buddha Press. 2020. ISBN 9798696227269
- Poems of Political Protest City Limits Publishing. 2020. ISBN 9781954403000
- Musings During a Time of Pandemic: A World Anthology of Poems on COVID-19 Kistrech Theatre International. 2020. ISBN 9789966955951
- Poetry: The Best of 2020 Inner Child Press. 2020. ISBN 9781952081378
- From the Soil: A Hometown Anthology Exeter Publishing. 2020. ISBN 9798583850617
- Birth Lifespan Vol. 1 Pure Slush Books. 2021. ISBN 9781922427205
- Red Skies: A Creators Response to 2020 Splintered Disorder Press. 2021. ISBN 9798702942049
- 2020: Our Voices Barnes & Noble Press. 2021. ISBN 9781666236354
- Insurrection Gnashing Teeth Publishing. 2021. ISBN 9781734049558
- The Alien Buddha Skips the Party Alien Buddha Press. 2021. ISBN 9798577062279
- Globalisation: A Poetry Collection Making Magic Happen Press. 2021. ISBN 9780645096613
- Pandemic Evolution: Days 1-100 Sheila-Na-Gig Editions. 2021. ISBN 9781735400235
- The Alien Buddha Gets A Real Job Alien Buddha Press. 2021. ISBN 9798702028163
- The Last Time the Alien Buddha Got Sooo High Alien Buddha Press. 2021. ISBN 9798726871189
- Poems from the Heron Clan Vol. VIII Katherine James Books. 2021. ISBN 9781733929936
- Adfectus Exeter Publishing. 2021. ISBN 9798515034177
- Good Cop/Bad Cop Flowersong Press. 2021. ISBN 9781953447784
- Anthology House, Vol. 2 ASEI Arts. 2021. ISBN 9780998842189
- The Rastaman: Conversations with Bob Marley Alien Buddha Press. 2021. ISBN 9798727953129
- When this is all over... Creative Ink Publishing. 2021. ISBN 9798518906778
- The Alien Buddha Goes Pop Alien Buddha Press. 2021. ISBN 9798511774343
- Together Behind Four Walls Goldcrest Books. 2021. ISBN 9781913719340
- Protest 2021 Moonstone Arts Center. 2021. ISBN 9781954499423
- I Can’t Breathe: A Poetic Anthology of Social Justice Kistrech Theatre International. 2021. ISBN 9789914988505
- IFLAC Peace Anthology: Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery International Forum for the Literature and Culture of Peace. 2021. ISBN 9798775435080
- Reimagine America: An anthology for the future Vagabond Books. 2022. ISBN 9781936293445
- International Women’s Day 2022 Moonstone Arts Center. 2022. ISBN 9781954499683
- Resist with every Inch and Breath Lonely Cryptid Media. 2022. ISBN 9781005648480
- Psalms of the Alien Buddha, Vol. 2 Alien Buddha Press. 2022. ISBN 9798822053663
- May Day 2022 Moonstone Arts Center. 2022. ISBN 9781954499836
- Poetry is Dead: An Inclusive Anthology of Deadhead Poetry Hercules Publishing. 2022. ISBN 9798218003593
- Yearning to Breathe Free: A Community Journal of 2020 Benicia Literary Arts. 2022. ISBN 9781735499925
- Storm Warning: Poets for the Planet Building Socialism Revolutionary Poets Brigade. 2022. ISBN 9780938392163
- The Protest Diaries B Cubed Press. 2022. ISBN 9781949476262
- Hiroshima Day Moonstone Arts Center. 2022. ISBN 9781959038092
- When There are Nine Moon Tide Press. 2022. ISBN 9781957799032
- Colossus: Freedom Colossus Press. 2022. ISBN 9781735252650
- Remembering Jack Kerouac on his 100th Birthday New Generation Beat Publications. 2022. ISBN 9781957654010
- Banned Books Week Moonstone Arts Center. 2022. ISBN 9781959038115
- The Alien Buddha’s Microdoses Alien Buddha Press. 2022. ISBN 9798844476075
- Nooks & Crannies Benicia Literary Arts. 2022. ISBN 9781735499918
- 26th Annual Poetry Ink Anthology Moonstone Press. 2022. ISBN 9751954499904 Parameter error in {{ISBN}}: invalid prefix
- American Graveyard: Calls to End Gun Violence Read or Green Books. 2023. ISBN 9798986140674
- The Alien Buddha Gets Rejected, Vol. 2 Alien Buddha Press. 2023. ISBN 9798370718717
- Greening the Earth Penguin India. 2023. ISBN 9780670096268
Poetry Publications
- Lang, D.L., "Prayer for Shomerim," Jewish Journal of Los Angeles, February 18, 2015[63]
- Lang, D.L., “Sheltering in Places,” Benicia Herald, September 23, 2016[64]
- Lang, D.L., “Worldly Windows,” Benicia Herald, November 4, 2016 [65]
- Lang, D.L., “Stay,” Benicia Herald, December 3, 2016 [66]
- Lang, D.L., “Train Whistle Polka,” Benicia Herald, December 15, 2017 [67]
- Lang, D.L., “Benicia Bound,” Benicia Herald, January 5, 2018 [68]
- Lang, D.L., “Love Poetry Capital Blockade,” Benicia Herald, February 23, 2018 [69]
- Lang, D.L., “How to Swim through a Tornado,” Benicia Herald, June 15, 2018 [70]
- Lang, D.L., “The Woodpecker’s Beat,” Benicia Herald, September 7, 2018 [71]
- Lang, D.L., "Turning: A Poem for Yom Kippur," Reformjudaism.org, September 17, 2018[72]
- Lang, D.L., "49 Lights," Vallejo Times Herald, pg. A9, March 19, 2019
- Lang, D.L., "No Other Planet," Poetry Expressed Vol. 5, Spring 2020[73]
- Lang, D.L., "One Thousand Per Day," Frost Meadow Review, April 1, 2020[74]
- Lang, D.L., “What Remains is Love,” Benicia Herald, pg A9, April 24, 2020
- Lang, D.L., “July 4th, 2020,” Benicia Herald, pg A3, July 26, 2020
- Lang, D.L., “Pandemic Mismanagement,” Benicia Herald, pg A3, September 30, 2020
- Lang, D.L., “Commonalities,” The Lake County Bloom, September 16, 2021[75]
- Lang, D.L., “These Wild Winds,” The Lake County Bloom, September 23, 2021[76]
- Lang, D.L., “American Dream,” The Free Venice Beachhead, Vol. 470, January 2022[77]
- Lang, D.L., “Columbia River Gorgeous,” KALW Bay Poets, August 24, 2022[78]
- Lang, D.L., "Labor Shortage," Work & the Anthropocene, September 5, 2022[79]
- Lang, D.L., ”What Dreams Danced Here?” The Lake County Bloom, October 20, 2022[80]
- Lang, D.L., ”The Northwest” The Lake County Bloom, October 20, 2022[80]
- Lang, D.L., “Fire, Water, Wind,” Benicia Herald, January 8, 2023, page A5
- Lang, D.L., "Eternal," Benicia Herald, April 9, 2023
Articles & Essays
- Lang, Diana L., "Enid's Ties to Railroad History," Enid News & Eagle, October 16, 2019[81]
- "A Collective Experience to Learn" Global Pandemic Crisis: A Series of Literary Essays on Quarantine Transcendent Zero Press. 2020. ISBN 9781946460257
References
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- "Worldly Windows". Benicia Herald online. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
- "Stay". Benicia Herald online. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
- "Train Whistle Polka". Benicia Herald online. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
- "Benicia Bound". Benicia Herald online. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
- "Love Poetry Capital Blockade". Benicia Herald online. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
- "How to Swim Through a Tornado". Benicia Herald online. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
- "The Woodpecker's Beat". Benicia Herald online. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
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- "Commonalities". The Lake County Bloom. September 16, 2021. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
- Lang, D.L. (September 23, 2021). "These Wild Winds". The Lake County Bloom. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
- Lang, D.L. (January 2022). "American Dream" (PDF). The Free Venice Beachhead. 470: 11. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
- "Columbia River Gorgeous". KALW. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
- "Labor Shortage by D.L. Lang". Ice Floe Press. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
- Lang, D.L. (October 20, 2022). "Two Poems by DL Lang". The Lake County Bloom. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
- Lang, Diana L. (October 16, 2019). "Enid's ties to railroad history". Enid News & Eagle. Retrieved October 26, 2019.