Joel Fallon
Joel Fallon (June 16, 1931 - August 11, 2016)[1] was the first Poet laureate of Benicia, California. He is the namesake of the Joel Fallon poetry scholarship[2] awarded annually since 2015[3] to high school students in Benicia, California. He was a founding member of the Benicia First Tuesday Poets, which meets at the Benicia Library monthly since 2003,[4] and also helped begin the Benicia Love Poetry Contest[2] and the annual Poets’ Picnic.[2] He was named Benicia’s first poet laureate in 2005.[4] He helped Genea Brice[4] advocate for a poet laureate program in neighboring Vallejo, California. He also served as a vice president of Arts Benicia.[1] Fallon began writing poetry while serving overseas in the United States Army.[4] He was influenced by Robert Frost, Emily Dickinson, and Charles Bukowski.[3] His successors include Robert Shelby, Ronna Leon, Lois Requist, Don Peery, Johanna Ely, and Tom Stanton.[5]
Joel Fallon | |
---|---|
Born | June 16, 1931 |
Died | August 11, 2016 85) | (aged
Occupation | Poet laureate of Benicia, California |
Residence | Benicia, California |
Works
Collections
- Peery, Don, ed. The Book of Joel (Benicia Literary Arts, 2019)[6]
Albums
- Fallon Reads Fallon (2010)[3]
References
- "Joel Fallon Obituary". Legacy.com. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
- Sestanovich, Nick (20 April 2018). "Poetry event to raise money for Joel Fallon Scholarship". Benicia Herald. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
- Sestanovich, Nick (14 August 2016). "Joel Fallon, Benicia's first poet laureate, dies". Benicia Herald. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
- Widjojo, Irma (26 April 2016). "Voices: First Benicia poet laureate shares love of the art". Vallejo Times-Herald. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
- "Poet Laureate | Benicia Public Library". benicialibrary.org. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
- "A Capitol celebration of Joel Fallon, Benicia's first Poet Laureate with launch of The Book of Joel". Benicia Herald. May 16, 2019. Retrieved 12 October 2019.