When Lawrence Ferlinghetti died in February, for some it felt like the poet and City Lights Booksellers & Publishers co-founder took a piece of San Francisco with him. Like the store, Ferlinghetti was a literary landmark, his presence in North Beach and around the city as much a given as the fog or cable car bells. While his death at age 101 was perhaps not surprising, the loss came with a kind of shock that this living institution would no longer be here. 

In his century of life, Ferlinghetti was many things: San Francisco’s first poet laureate, a book merchant, an activist, a visual artist and a neighbor. Memories shared by the community with The Chronicle and on social media reflect those multitudes. Here are a few tributes celebrating Ferlinghetti’s place in the city and his lasting impact on our culture.