The President, the Poet and the Performers

Poet, Elizabeth Alexander is to read at the inauguration ceremony of President Obama, who was seen recently with a copy of Walcott's Collected Poems.

P.S. Just for those who can't resist a catchy tune: There's no one as Irish as Barack Obama. The Corrigan Brothers (aka Hardy Drew and the Nancy Boys) starred on the Late Late Show on Irish TV on 7 November 2008. Irish American Democrats have invited the band to play at the inauguration party on 19 January 2009. The Guardian ran a feature on Obama's Irish lineage back in 2007.

• Trees for the President (Terry Allen)