D.L. Lang

Diana L. Lang (née Kettle)[1][6][12] was born in Bad Hersfeld, Germany[2][3] on June 26, 1983[2] to William and Petra Kettle.[12][2] As a result of growing up in a military family as a child Lang lived in Texas, Louisiana, and Enid, Oklahoma.[12] Lang became a pacifist, leaning left politically, at age 12.[13] Lang graduated from Enid High School in 2001,[1][12] studied at Northern Oklahoma College,[14] and obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Film Studies from the University of Oklahoma.[1] After college she moved to California and married Timothy Lang in 2006,[13][3] living in San Rafael, California prior to moving to Vallejo.[15][13]

While in college Lang worked as a video editor at television station KXOK-LD,[16] as webmaster for University of Oklahoma student radio station the Wire,[17] and as a band promoter for Grey from Enid, Oklahoma.[13][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]

Lang began writing poetry as a child, first attempting to write song lyrics.[13] She cites The Beatles,[13] Pete Seeger, Allen Ginsberg, Jim Morrison, and Bob Dylan as influences.[3] In addition to writing about her life,[13] Lang writes on themes of Judaism,[21] social justice,[13] political protest,[22] feminism,[22] anti-capitalism,[21] anti-racism[21] and pacifism.[21][22] Her poems have been published in the Benicia Herald,[23] The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles,[24] A Poet's Siddur: Friday Evening Liturgy Through the Eyes of Poets,[25] the Benicia First Tuesday Poets anthology Light & Shadow,[26] the Marin Poetry Center Anthology, Vol 21,[13] Colossus: Home,[27] and on ReformJudaism.org.[28]

D.L. Lang began performing her poetry in 2015.[13] She was appointed Poet Laureate of Vallejo, California in September 2017 and served through December 2019.[29][30] There she edited the poetry anthology Verses, Voices & Visions of Vallejo.[13] As poet laureate Lang performed 141 times in 18 different cities.[31] Lang gave the invocation[32] at the 2019 Vallejo Women's March.[33] During her tenure she also performed her poetry at many local events, including Vallejo Unites Against Hatred,[34] Unity Day,[35] International Peace Day [36] and Why Poetry Matters.[37] Lang also gave a presentation on Emma Lazarus and Alicia Ostriker for AAUW Voices of Change.[38] Lang also judged seven contests [31] including the county Poetry Out Loud high school recitation competition [39] and county library teen writing competition.[40] She performed regularly at Poetry by the Bay,[41] and like her predecessor,[42] she led the Poetry in Notion poetry circle,[41] and hosted annual events for National Poetry Month.[3] Lang was preceded as Vallejo's poet laureate by Genea Brice,[4] and succeeded by Jeremy Snyder, host of Poetry by the Bay.[43] In 2020 she was a featured act at the Solano County Virtual Fair.[44]

• 3rd place in Poems of Political Protest contest, City Limits Publishing (2020)[45]

• Genea Brice
• Jeremy Snyder
• List of municipal poets laureate in California