Alexandria Poet Laureate Cristi Donoso says that her future work will focus on the immigrant experience in the city.
Donoso has lived in Alexandria for more than a decade and has so far written four poems as poet laureate. Her work, which includes the city’s birthday poem that she read onstage to thousands last month, can be seen on the Office of the Arts website and her personal website.
“Especially for the kids, it’s helpful to see somebody like them and know that I care, that we as a community care about them having a life free from violence from the state that is trying to terrorize our immigrant communities,” Donoso told ALXnow. “I want them to know that I care, and I want to continue to push for and inspire our community to rally around each other during what is a really difficult time.”
In April, Donoso succeeded Poet Laureate Zeina Azzam and is in the first few months of her three-year term. She was born in Quito, Ecuador, and her work has been published in notable literary journals and anthologies, including Pleiades, Waxwing, The Journal, The Cincinnati Review, The Threepenny Review, and Best Small Fictions 2024, among others. She is also a PEN/Faulkner Writer in Residence and a past editor of Folio Literary Journal. Most recently, she was a finalist for both the 2024 Akron Poetry Prize and the 2024 Gatewood Prize.
Donoso is also a pediatric speech-language pathologist, and her practice is based in Alexandria. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in French and literature, as well as a Bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of Virginia, and a Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology from Gallaudet University. She also has a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from American University.
ALXnow: How do you like the position so far?
Donoso: It did feel a bit daunting, obviously, at the beginning. However, having the support of the previous poet laureate, Zeina Azzam, was huge for me, as she and her predecessor, KaNikki Jakarta, welcomed me and offered their support. I’m super grateful for that. I think that, honestly, makes the experience so much stronger and more exciting. I’ve been able to attend so many community events, and I’ve also had a chance to support students at ACPS by going to their poetry awards night in the spring. That’s one of the most fulfilling things — to see the kids, the students, really embracing poetry, embracing art, embracing what it can do for their community. It’s been a really positive experience so far, and I’m really just honored to do it.
ALXnow: How often are you creating work? What’s your process look like?
Donoso: Typically, somebody will reach out to me about an event and ask whether I can attend. Depending on the event, something like the city birthday, you know, I spend a lot of time thinking about what I call my marination phase, where I’m gathering information and really just starting to think about what makes the event meaningful to people, and what can we bring to it with poetry, either to commemorate, to honor, to inspire.
I think a lot of times it helps to think about what is the function of the poem in this situation, especially public poetry, because in the past, I was used to writing a lot of personal poetry. It’s personally expressive. This is different — where you’re expressing something that’s meaningful to an entire community and an entire city. So that, I think, is an additional responsibility that I want to take really seriously.
ALXnow: What have you learned about the city?
Donoso: I feel like I know so much about the character of our city as it is today, and I absolutely love that. That’s why I wanted to focus on the city birthday poem. I really focused on the way we are constantly creating Alexandria, because we have such a storied history, and that’s kind of what we’re known for externally. We’re creating something all the time, and we’re creating something based on those community values that we share. But in terms of what I’ve learned, definitely history, especially with Black history, there’s always more to uncover, because so much has been suppressed and hidden… I think hopefully by the end of my tenure, I will feel extremely versed in Alexandria’s history.
ALXnow: You’re also a speech therapist and work with children?
Donoso: I do, and it’s just the most fun thing, because they grow and change so quickly, and you just get to support families. That’s huge to me. I think in every new avenue of my life, I think it’s hard to be a parent when you have any additional challenges going on. So, I just absolutely love supporting kids and their families as a speech therapist, and I’m proud to have a business in Alexandria, too. That’s something I hope to continue to grow over time.
ALXnow: How old were you when your family emigrated to the U.S. from Ecuador?
Donoso: I was four. My mom is American-born, and that’s what allowed us to have the ability to move here as legal residents. I always think about the circumstances of us coming here, and all the things that went well, and all the people that welcomed us, and just all the things that made our life what it is today. There are people who are claiming asylum, and they’re coming from real hardship. In my case, we had a safe home, but a lot of people are coming from somewhere really, really difficult, and I really just want them to receive kind of the same love and welcome that I feel like we did at the time.
ALXnow: Many immigrants in Alexandria are struggling with immigration enforcement. Are you thinking about focusing any of your work on what’s happening to them?
Donoso: Absolutely. Even in my personal poetry, I’ve written quite a bit about my experience and how that relates to the experience of immigrants across the country and around the world. I have every intention to be where I can be supportive, how I can, both on a personal level and as the poet laureate. I’ve had one experience already, where a student at one event came up to me and she said, “I love that you said that you’re an immigrant, because I’m an immigrant too.” Especially for the kids, it’s helpful to see somebody like them and know that I care, that we as a community care about them having a life free from violence from the state that is trying to terrorize our immigrant communities. I want them to know that I care, and I want to continue to push for and inspire our community to rally around each other during what is a really difficult time. So yes, I absolutely hope that I will have the opportunity to share some work about that.
ALXnow: Unlike many jobs, your success depends on the strength of your pen.
Donoso: Yeah. I hope that people find something in my work to take with them. That is my goal, to be whatever help I can be to our community. But I think our responsibility as artists often doesn’t stop there. We also need to personally do what we can, either person-to-person or within organizations that are already doing the work of supporting our community. So, if there are other artists out there who are thinking about what I can do? I think our voice, our art, is huge. But also, what can we personally do? How can we really get out there and help? I’ll, I’m going to be, you know, holding myself to that.
