Beat Poetry

“Y’know, it’s possible you’ve always been writing poems, you just never took the time to put them on paper,” Santa Fe’s seventh Poet Laureate Tommy Archuleta reflects on his early writing—and those words from his mentor, the poet Dana Levin.

Before the publication of his first full-length poetry collection, (The Center for Literary Publishing, 2023) Archuleta was more widely known as a punk rock drummer of deserved repute. Of his emergence as a poet, Archuleta explains, “Drumming is one of the ways I hear the beats of a line of poetry before I get the words. So, I’ll get the accented and unaccented syllables, much like a snare drum roll might sound like that.”

During childhood, Archuleta would accompany his maternal grandfather to the old Bank of Santa Fe on the Plaza, where he would collect free memo books that included a printed poem.

“I would fill those out by freewriting, not caring about grammar or cohesion. I knew about the magic of words,” Archuleta tells SFR. “My father had bought me a Collier’s Encyclopedia set, and you know, if I wasn’t throwing rocks at cars, I was going through those books. I was just enamored by those books and language.”

That juxtaposition of throwing rocks and the restorative magic of language, plus his “cathartic” experience as a student at the former College of Santa Fe in its last year circa 2009, led him—somewhat poetically—to his current role as a counselor for the New Mexico Corrections Department, where his focus is on substance abuse. It was natural that Archuleta’s proposed projects in his application for the city’s laureateship would involve bringing poetry both into and out of prisons.

“I wanted to pay attention to the underserved. I’ve already started doing a poetry workshop with my guys,” he explains. “There are three levels of security at the prison here in Santa Fe, and I work with the lowest level; these are men that are getting ready to come out into society—the end goal is to create a collection of poems written by them, and we’re looking to work with the Witter Bynner Foundation and the city to produce a nice volume.”

The profits would go to a nonprofit of the authors’ choice, Archuleta notes, adding that for next year’s collection, he and the inmates are looking at working with the women of the Esperanza Shelter for Battered Families.

“I’m looking at this from my lens of mental health,” he continues, “the role of poetry and its healing properties when assigned to healing from trauma.”

In his own practice, Archuleta is interested in the history and development of what he calls a “trauma literature,” and his own work in Susto and elsewhere is informed by personal experience of loss and the processes of grief.

“Susto was essentially born from the grief of my mother’s passing. That book illustrates the dislocation and how harsh are the complexities of what we call ‘complex trauma’ and ‘complex grief,’” he says. “Susto is a culture-based disorder affecting a lot of Latinx communities and countries, where it’s believed that the soul separates from the body as the result of trauma or a series of traumas.”

He was deep into the drafting of his manuscript and in search of a title when he landed on the term.

“When I ran across that description and that malady, I knew that not only had I found the title for the book, but I found an explanation for what was going on with me,” Archuleta says.

Since the publication of Susto last year, Archuleta has heard from readers for whom the poems have “affirmed their own grieving process and helped them understand what’s going on with them.” His work at the prison has also shown him that loss takes many forms. There are complex losses beneath the surface loss of freedom.

“Poetry is giving [the inmates] purpose,” Archuleta notes.

But what convinced him to apply for the laureateship?

“I know five of the six former laureates, and of the five, Valerie Martinez—one of my professors at the College of Santa Fe—was the second poet laureate, and other than Val, there was no actual Santa Fe-born laureate,” he recalls. “So, I thought, y’know, I think it might be about time.”

And what of the ceremonial responsibilities that pertain to the laureateship?

“It’s in the job description that you show up at events, christenings of buildings, ribbon cuttings, and do a poem. The biggest thing that’s coming up is the Santa Fe International Book Festival, and my role will be revealed!” Archuleta says with a smile.

As for official civic events, Archilueta says, “I still have to meet [Mayor Alan] Webber,” adding that he anticipates they’ll meet to plan a writing workshop for the community.

Mr. Mayor, if you are reading, there is much to do. Be sure to take time to discover our new poet laureate.

Tommy Archuleta Reading with Kathryne Lim: 4 pm Saturday, April 20. Geronimo’s Books, 3018 Cielo Court, Ste. D, (505) 467-8315

An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified the University Press of Colorado as the publisher of Susto. SFR regrets the error.