Torchbearer

When Elaine Katzenberger became the publisher and executive director of City Lights Booksellers and Publishers in 2007, she stepped into one of the most storied positions in American literature. Founded in 1953 by Lawrence Ferlinghetti, City Lights—as a bookstore and, starting in 1955, a publisher—helped define the counterculture. Ferlinghetti had a discerning eye for talent: in 1956, he brought out Allen Ginsberg’s debut collection, Howl and Other Poems. While it is known for its association with the Beats and the