Janice Mirikitani, a third-generation Japanese American poet whose often searing and uncompromising work has illuminated everything from the role of women to the pain of war-time internment camps, has a deep connection to both the written and spoken word, their spiritual powers and their role in our communities.

"For me, the role of poet is as a voice to connect with the community," says Mirikitani, who was recently named to succeed Beat-era icon Lawrence Ferlinghetti in the one-year San Francisco Poet Laureate post. "What's great about San Francisco is its diversity. It's the mecca for diversity and that's what turns me on about being the laureate."

Mirikitani is president of the Glide Foundation and executive director of the Janice Mirikitani-Glide Family Youth and Child Care Center, both of which are headquartered at Glide Memorial United Methodist Church in San Francisco.

A Woman's Face

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When We Meet

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