Nine residents will describe Benicia’s history in verse and prose Sunday in a Benicia Literary Arts public event at The Rellik Tavern.

Then it will be the public’s turn to share stories, said Lois Requist, who has organized the readings.

Requist hand-picked the participants, starting with Don Peery, Benicia’s current poet laureate.

Two previous laureates, Joel Fallon and Requist herself, also will give readings. “We can’t do it without Joel Fallon,” she said, citing how much he has written about this city, as well as his personality. “He’s a real character.”

Herald contributor Peter Bray, who is both a handyman and a performer, is another participant. “He loves to write,” Requist said. “He’s a natural.” Another Herald columnist, Carolyn Plath, is a humorist and dream expert. “She does enjoy reading, so I asked her,” Requist said.

Other participants are Donnell Rubay, an attorney and writer, as well as occasional Herald contributor, who has become an expert on early Benicia and is writing a manuscript about Stephen Vincent Benet who lived with his family in the Commanding Officer’s Quarters; Frances Jackson, a poet and writer known both for her readings and her love of horses; Tom Stanton, a long-time resident who is both an artist and a poet; and Mary Susan Gast, another long-time resident who is a poet and a former minister.

After these nine read, the microphone will be open to anyone who has signed up to contribute, Requist said.

She said she chose Benicia history as a theme because it is popular with both writers and listeners. But she has another reason, too.

“We’re hoping to publish another edition of the ‘Carquinez Review,’” she said. The next volume would have stories of Benicia’s history, and “this might bring attention to it from a few more people, and it’s always a major subject of ours.”

She said she is happy the Rellik will be the event’s venue. “They are just so generous,” she said. “They’re so willing to have us. They really try to work with all the artist groups in town. It’s a good place to be.”

Requist said she has developed a friendship with one of the establishment’s partners, Tom Hamilton. “We see each other and say, ‘It’s time for another poetry reading.’”

Not everyone who stops by the Rellik during a reading has planned to attend the event, she said, yet each time the readings have become a pleasant surprise.

“We always get people who didn’t come in to hear us. They came in for a drink,” she said. But at the end of the readings, the writers are told, “I really enjoyed that.”

The readings will start at 4 p.m. Sunday at The Rellik Tavern, 726 First St. The event is organized by Benicia Literary Arts to promote writing, reading and telling stories of and by the Benicia community.

Admission is free and there is no cover charge at the full bar, Requist said. “But it’s nice if you buy a drink. They also have good non-alcoholic beverages, too.”

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