Dear Poets and Poetry Lovers,
Please join us on Friday, February 6 (7-9PM) for the next Del Ray Poetry Reading at St. Elmo’s Coffee Pub, 2300 Mt. Vernon Ave. We’re delighted to welcome back as our featured reader the current Alexandria Poet Laureate Cristi Donoso. She will be followed by an open mic where everyone is invited to read their poems. Our theme this month is “Love and…” We look forward to seeing you.
Regards,
Your hosts, Neal Learner and Wendi Kaplan
About Cristi Donoso
Cristi Donoso is the current Poet Laureate of Alexandria City. An Ecuadorian American poet, writer, editor, and translator, Donoso’s work has appeared in Pleiades, Waxwing, The Journal, The Cincinnati Review, The Threepenny Review, Best Small Fictions 2024, and more. She is a former 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.
Born in Quito and now residing in Alexandria, Donoso’s poetry often explores themes of migration, girlhood, grief, and motherhood. She is passionate about the role of art in both personal and public life and actively advocates for accessibility in literary, educational, and creative spaces.
Beyond her literary achievements, Donoso has spent 14 years as a pediatric speech-language pathologist. She holds a B.A. in French Language and Literature and a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Virginia, as well as a Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology from Gallaudet University. She later earned a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from American University. Much of her work can be found at cristidonoso.com.