The time has arrived for Benicia to have a new poet laureate. On Sunday, Tom Stanton assumed the position as Benicia’s top poetry official, and he takes the reins from Johanna Ely. In his new role, Stanton promises to bring some bold new ideas to the title.

Stanton is no stranger to Benicia’s artistic community. Many might have seen his work displayed in various Arts Benicia shows. Others might have seen him at Bookshop Benicia, owned by his wife Christine Mayall. Given his love of art and literature and the fact that he has served as backup poet laureate in some instances, the new title is an appropriate fit for Stanton. Still, Stanton has several ideas to move the position in a new direction, namely merging poetry with visual arts.

The combination “hasn’t happened effectively in an ongoing program since the early ‘90s,” according to Stanton. “It’s been sporadic.”

Stanton began writing poetry in 1967, as a result of going to several rock concerts featuring the likes of The Rolling Stones, The Byrds and Bob Dylan.

“They didn’t force me to write but certainly forced me what writing could be,” he said.

Stanton became particularly enamored after picking up a copy of The Doors’ self-titled first album at a guitar shop in Los Angeles.

“I brought that album home and put it on, thinking it would be unusual and kind of cool and wondered what it was,” he said. “I put that record on, and I couldn’t leave that record. I would stop it and put the needle gently down over a passage over and over.”

“(I thought) ‘Wow, this guy’s a poet,’” Stanton added. “It was only later that I discovered that Jim Morrison was indeed a poet.”

Another early influence of Stanton’s was Leonard Cohen.

“Leonard just sang what was on the page,” he said. “With very few exceptions, he did not change the script. He made music out a poem that was already there without making a lyric out of it.”

Stanton later served as a Merchant Marine and enrolled in college at the age of 23. It was at this point that he got into conceptual art and performance art.

“Performance art was coming right alongside conceptual art,” he said. “It appealed to me that you could use words in an art way, deliver your meaning without having the linearity of a story— not that that’s a problem, but it wasn’t necessary.”

As poet laureate, Stanton will continue to be a part of poetry-related activities in the city and provide updates to the Library Board of Trustees. He will also resume as chairman of the Benicia Love Poetry Contest for the time being, bring Benicia poets to perform at venues in San Francisco and Berkeley, and partner with The Rellik Tavern for events. One major goal of Stanton’s is to provide workshops related to art and poetry, all aimed at aspiring poets. He already has five lined up. The first workshop deals with visual poems.

“It’s making poems with visual elements,” he said, “working with letters, words and probably found objects.”

The second workshop is titled “Poetry for the Moment,” which teaches students how to think up poems on the spot. The third is called “Poetry from Form with Form.”

“This is for serious people who hunger for form and structure,” he said.

The fourth is titled “Poetry from Inspiration,” which would include narrative, memoirs, journals and more.

“You pretty much already know what you have to say,” Stanton said. “You’re just gonna work out how to get it said appropriate so that people can understand your message.”

The fifth workshop is called “Poetry: Speaking in Tongues,” which Stanton said has nothing to do with religion but rather about “the word in poetry.”

“It’s about what the word could be, what it might not be and what you want it to be,” he said. “It’s gonna really be about the sound of the word.”

All five workshops will have something the participants can bring home, discuss and share later on. The dates have yet to be announced.

Additionally, Stanton wants to bring author events back to Arts Benicia and make art and music part of the poetic fabric.

“I would like to see all forms of poetry thrive together,” he said. “It should be fun, and it should be a bit different.”

Stanton’s term will run through 2020. He will be sworn in at the July 17 council meeting. The community is invited to the Benicia First Tuesday Poetry Group’s next meeting at 6:45 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 7 in the Dona Benicia Room of the Benicia Public Library, located at 150 East L St.

Benicia’s poets laureate

1. Joel Fallon (2006-2008)

2. Robert Shelby (2008-2010)

3. Ronna Leon (2010-2012)

4. Lois Requist (2012-2014)

5. Don Peery (2014-2016)

6. Johanna Ely (2016-2018)

7. Tom Stanton (2018-2020)