The Poets Who Give Our Communities a Voice

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Poetry invites us to pause, listen, and discover beauty in our shared experiences. Across the DMV region, poet laureates bring words to life, weaving together personal memories, cultural heritage, and the stories that connect us.

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Teresa Cader is the Poet Laureate in Arlington County. She explores family history, immigration, memory, and resilience, drawing connections between individual lives and broader human experiences. 

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Cader's poetry suggests that immigration does not end when a person reaches a new country. The emotional effects of departure, separation, and loss can persist long afterward. In "At Risk,” the memory of her father's Polish village, Buczkowice, becomes a point of connection between family history and contemporary violence. A review of the collection from Sugar House describes a poem in which “news of a bombed city evokes the name of her father's village, demonstrating how the language of present-day conflict can reactivate inherited memories."

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The connection is significant: Displacement is not merely a historical event that happens to other people elsewhere. It is an experience that can echo across generations and across national boundaries. Cader's perspective therefore, encourages readers to approach immigrants not simply as newcomers, but as people carrying complex histories, relationships, losses, and hopes.

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In Alexandria, Maria Cristina Donoso brings a thoughtful perspective to migration, motherhood, grief, and girlhood, reflecting the richness of diverse identities. Her artistry reminds us that poetry is more than written language: It is a gentle bridge between generations, cultures, and neighbors.

Born in Quito, Ecuador Donoso’s poetry 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.

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In Washington, D.C., the Poet Laureate tradition likewise celebrates poetry’s ability to educate, inspire, and preserve cultural memory, although the District’s official position is currently vacant. There is a youth poet laureate that spotlights a modern approach towards verse. 

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The DMV Youth Poet Laureate (YPL) Program is a joint program of Urban Word NYC and Words Beats & Life Inc., with support from local government and partnering organizations. The program identifies young writers and leaders committed to civic and community engagement, artistic excellence, human relations, youth activism, diversity and education across the region. The 2026 Youth Poet Laureate is Kayla Nelson, a freshman at Coolidge Early College Academy and DC SCORES alumna. Her work often explores youth voice, community resilience, family legacy, and social issues like gun violence. At just 11 years old, she stepped onto the stage for the first time at the 2022 DC SCORES Middle School Poetry Slam to perform her original poem, “Political Decisions.” The poem explored what it feels like to be a young person with strong opinions about the world, and no one willing to listen. Through her words, Kayla challenged adults and leaders to take youth voices seriously and include young people in conversations that affect their lives.

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Embracing Arlington Arts is capturing conversations with poets from across the region. The special podcast series is underwritten by Marsha Semmel who sits on the Board for the highly respected institution the Planet Word Museum in Washington, DC.