Beginning as an all-volunteer effort in 1996, Cave Canem has moved swiftly to become a non-profit organization with a fulltime director and an active Board, funded through individual donations and foundation and government grants. Our program has expanded from a summer retreat to include regional workshops, a first book prize, annual anthologies, and readings and events in major cities around the United States. We are a national community of emerging and established poets, a family of black writers who create, publish, perform, teach, and study poetry, and support each others’ work.

HISTORY

In 1996 poets Toi Derricotte and Cornelius Eady began a weeklong summer workshop/retreat designed to counter the under-representation and isolation of African American poets in writers' workshops and literary programs. From the beginning, Cave Canem has offered a safe haven for black poets – whether schooled in MFA programs or poetry slams – to come together to work on their craft and engage others in critical debate.

PROGRAMS

Summer Workshop/ Retreat
The weeklong workshop schedule packs a rich mix of work and play into seven short days. Fellows study with a committed faculty of renowned black poets who represent different generations and poetic traditions. At the core of the Cave Canem experience are the afternoon workshops, where groups of eight to ten poets meet with a faculty member for writing exercises and critique of poems. Readings every evening feature faculty, fellows, and guest poets. Lively discussions about poetry often go on well into the night.

Regional Workshops
Cave Canem offers workshops in New York City and the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. Regional workshops allow writers who may not be able to attend the annual retreat a chance to work with accomplished African American poets and teachers.

Cave Canem Prize
Established in 1999, our first book prize supports the work of talented African-American poets whose manuscripts have not been previously published by a commercial or university press.

Public Readings
At our readings you might hear haiku, the blues, sonnets, and poems from the avante garde. Held in various cities, often in conjunction with other events, readings showcase the wide range of Cave Canem's voices.

Publications
Cave Canem publishes an annual anthology of poems by fellows and faculty who participate in the workshop/retreats. Our 2000 anthology commemorates the fifth anniversary of Cave Canem, with contributions from over 90 poets from all years.

ABOUT THE NAME

When Toi Derricotte shared her dream of a retreat for African American poets with Cornelius Eady and his wife Sarah Micklem, they agreed to work together to make it a reality. In Pompeii, Italy, they found a fitting symbol for the safe space they hoped to create: the mosaic of a dog guarding the entry to the House of the Tragic Poet, with the inscription CAVE CANEM (Beware of the Dog).

Copyright © 1997-2001 by Cave Canem Foundation, Inc.

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