The Last Hoisan Poets – ANGEL ISLAND INSIGHT

The Last Hoisan Poets – poets Genny Lim, Flo Oy Wong and Nellie Wong trace their roots to China’s Hoisan villages, home of the Hoisan-wa (a.k.a. Toisanese/Taishanese) Chinese dialect. They conduct special poetry readings in English and Hoisan-wa, to pay homage to their mother language which is at risk of fading from collective memory.

Chinese-American poet Genny Lim smiles, holding a small bouquet of yellow and orange roses, as she stands in front of the shiny dark gray granite wall after The Last Hoisan Poets perform with Del Sol Quartet in Union Square, San Francisco.

Genny Lim, former San Francisco Jazz Poet Laureate and SF Arts Commissioner, is a second generation Chinese American of Hoisan ancestry. She is the lone surviving author of the ground-breaking book, Island: Poetry and History of Chinese Immigrants on Angel Island, edited with Him Mark Lai and Judy Yung. The book published in 1980 sparked national attention on the long-forgotten history of Chinese detained on Angel Island and received the American Book Award. Lim’s award-winning play, Paper Angels, set at the Angel Island immigration barracks, was the first Asian American play to air on PBS’s American Playhouse in 1985 and was produced throughout the U.S., Canada and China. She is author of five poetry collections, Winter Place, Child of War, Paper Gods and Rebels, KRA!, La Morte Del Tempo, and an anthology of Senior Asian American memoirs, Window: Glimpses of Our Storied Past. Lim has collaborated in poetry and music collaborations with past Jazz legends, such as Max Roach and Herbie Lewis and long-time collaborators, Jon Jang, John Santos, Francis Wong and now, the Del Sol String Quartet.

Chinese-American poet Flo Oy Wong holds a small bouquet of yellow and orange roses, as she stands in front of the shiny dark gray granite wall after The Last Hoisan Poets perform with Del Sol Quartet in Union Square, San Francisco.

At the age of 9, artist/poet/educator Flo Oy Wong, a De Anza College alumni, knew that she loved words. A few years later, say 79 years, she has become a poet who uses English and her parents’ native Chinese dialect to show and to tell her collected stories of family and community. A co-founder of the Asian American Women Artists Association, she has received three National Endowment for the Arts awards. In 2018, Flo celebrated her 80th birthday with the publication of her art & poetry book, Dreaming of Glistening Pomelos. Through her art and poetry, she supports those who use their individual and collective voices for social justice. She stands by individuals and organizations who put diversity, equity, and inclusion into practice. As an elder, she connects with younger people who inspire her.

Chinese-American poet Nellie Wong smiles, holding a small bouquet of yellow and orange roses, as she stands in front of the shiny dark gray granite wall after The Last Hoisan Poets perform with Del Sol Quartet in Union Square, San Francisco.

Oakland Chinatown-born, Nellie Wong has published four books: Dreams in Harrison Railroad Park, The Death of Long Steam Lady, Stolen Moments and Breakfast Lunch Dinner. Her poems and essays appear in numerous journals and anthologies. Two pieces are installed at public sites in San Francisco. She’s co-featured in the documentary film, “Mitsuye and Nellie Asian American Poets,” and among her recognitions, a building at Oakland High School is named after her. A poem of hers was nominated for the Pushcart Prize. She’s traveled to China in the First American Women Writers Tour with Alice Walker, Tillie Olsen and Paule Marshall, among others. She’s taught poetry writing at Mills College and in Women Studies at the University of Minnesota.