09/10/2025
Conocimentos Press is delighted to announce that we have published Sojourners to Joke Sings: Tales of Chinatown & Beyond! This transgenerational, genre-blending family memoir is recounted through the voice of Ron Lee and his mother, L K Lennie Lee, as historical recovery, and cultural witness. The lives of their Chinese American ancestors and descendants unfold across centuries, centering on San Francisco’s Chinatown from the 1800s to the 1970s. From tales of coffin stowaways and sh*****ng villages to the 1939 World’s Fair and years serving as a fiery public school counselor, the narrative threads together personal, political, and cultural elements.
Rooted in the vivid recollections of L K Lennie Lee and expanded by her son, Ron Lee, and descendants, this book blends oral history, myth, and archival research to reclaim erased narratives and honor the lives of ‘Joke Sings’- those who survived and forged belonging across oceans and generations. Get your copy the Conocimentos Press — Link in the bio!
