Wax Poetic
If you find solace and connection in the written word, Arlington poet laureate emerita Katherine Young has pulled together a trove of local works for National Poetry Month: A poem per day for the month of April. You can also peruse this special bilingual edition of the Arlington Literary Journal, published by Arlington-based Gival Press and edited by Luis Alberto Ambroggio. If you like your verse spoken and live, Busboys and Poets is hosting poetry slams on Instagram every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8-10 p.m. Also, on May 3 at 11 a.m., Eastern Market’s annual Literary Hill Bookfest goes virtual, bringing together dozens of authors of nonfiction, memoirs, poetry, fiction, and children’s literature with the readers who love them. The two-hour live program will include a panel called Words to Live By: How Literature Can Sustain Us During a Crisis, plus an online poetry slam, and a half hour of activities for children to keep them engaged in reading and writing. Featured authors include Abby Maslin, Louis Bayard, E. Ethelbert Miller, Katy Kelly, Eva Pell and E.J. Wenstrom.
Join a Book Club
Dying to talk about your latest good read? You can interact with other bibliophiles while maintaining social distance by signing up for a virtual book club. In March, Bards Alley launched one for David Baldacci’s One Good Deed that will wrap up on April 27—it’s not too late to join if you’re currently reading, or have already read it!—and plans to launch another in May, though details are to be determined. One More Page Books is facilitating multiple book clubs via Zoom, asking those interested to fill out this form so they can be connected to the host of their club of interest. (Bonus: book club books are an extra 20% off.) You’ll also find a bevvy of book discussion groups, writing groups, live story times for kids and a whole lot more on the Mary Riley Styles Public Library website.
Get a Backstage Pass
Though we might not get to see them on stage, we can still see and hear what some of our favorite Signature Theatre performers have to say—or sing—each week through the theater company’s Signature Strong – Live! program. On Facebook live every Tuesday at 8 p.m., Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer introduces a special Signature guest and invites audience members to ask questions in the comments section. This could be your chance to learn about what really goes on behind the scenes. If you can’t make the live chat, past episodes are saved on the theater’s Facebook page. George Mason University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts is also offering virtual talks with visiting filmmakers and playwrights through its Mason Arts at Home program, along with online music lessons, stage readings and more.