Boston Declares October 10 ‘Patti Smith Day’

Boston is quickly garnering a reputation for recognizing influential female figures in punk with official decrees.

This past spring, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh declared April 9 Riot Grrrl Day in honor of Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill, Le Tigre and the Julie Ruin fame (perhaps with some cajoling from his chief of policy and Hanna’s longtime friend Joyce Lineham). Now, Mayor Walsh has followed suit, naming Oct. 10 Patti Smith Day.

The distinction aligns with Smith’s appearance at Boston’s Back Bay Events Center today, when she will speak about and sign copies of her latest memoir M Train.

The new Boston proclamation cites Smith’s many pioneering accomplishments:

When Patti Smith emerged on the American art scene in the mid-1970s, she defined and inspired a new breed of artist through her mystical poems and urgent rock and roll. Ms. Smith captivated audiences yearning for intellectual and emotional challenges in popular art, choosing ambiguity and raw emotion over the traditional stereotypes of women in rock music.

Read the entire proclamation below (via Vanyaland):

Smith’s M Train just arrived earlier this week via Knopf. It follows 2010’s award-winning Just Kids.