Good Monday morning, Alexandria!
☀️ Today’s weather: The weather will be mostly sunny with temperatures reaching a high near 57 degrees, accompanied by a west wind at 8 to 11 mph, gusting up to 21 mph. For Monday night, expect mostly clear skies and a low temperature around 38 degrees. The southwest wind, about 5 mph, will become calm in the evening.
🚨 You need to know
One of Alexandria’s most prestigious artistic titles is Poet Laureate and now the city is looking to bestow it.
The Office of the Arts is searching for an Alexandrian to “promote an appreciation of poetry as an art form, promote creative writing and reading of literature, and promote literacy through poetry.”
The individual will hold the post for three years and receive a modest annual honorarium.
According to the release:
Eight Poet Laureates have served in the role which publicly confirms the value of literary art and enhance the quality of life in Alexandria. The Poet Laureate serves as an official resource available to commemorate for present enjoyment, as well as posterity, the City’s history and historic events, installations, groundbreakings, and public dedications, as well as many of the City’s annual celebrations, parades, and cultural events.
The Poet Laureate brings poetic art to the City’s libraries and schools and serves as a bridge to the City’s diverse communities who might not otherwise be exposed to this cultural experience. In difficult times, the Poet Laureate offers appropriate words of reflection, inspiration, and healing.
Individuals can nominate themselves or be nominated by someone else. Nominees must distinguish themselves in the field of poetry through the body of work created; be a resident of the City for a minimum of one year and maintain residency through the three-year term of service; must accept the Poet Laureate post as a ceremonial role, which includes presentations of work appropriate for all audiences; and be 21 years of age or older.
The current poet laureate is Zeina Azzam, a Palestinian American poet who spoke at the United Nations and frequently advocated for Alexandria to take a more active role in supporting Palestinians suffering in the Israel-Hamas war.
📈 Friday’s most read
The following are the most-read ALXnow articles for Dec 27, 2024.
- Notes: Greenheart Juice Shop opening in Old Town in 2025 (921 views)
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📅 Upcoming events
Here is what’s going on today in Alexandria, from our event calendar.
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