Cave Canem is a nonprofit organization committed to cultivating the artistic and professional growth of Black poets. Founded by artists for artists, Cave Canem fosters community across the diaspora to enrich the field by facilitating a nurturing space in which to learn, experiment, create, and present. Cave Canem develops audiences for Black voices that have worked and are working in the craft of poetry. Cave Canem envisions a world in which Black poets are empowered to: Write authentically in a diversity of forms to tell their unique truths; flourish in fellowship with other Black poets, creating bonds that transcend form, geography, class, age, and other differences; have their works shared with and recognized by audiences; and have access to justly paid work.

Founded by Toi Derricotte and Cornelius Eady in 1996 and currently led by Executive Director Lisa Willis, Cave Canem offers a suite of core programs that consists of the Cave Canem Fellowship, regional workshops, prizes, readings, and other presentations that highlight the poetry of our Fellows and that of the African diaspora. Programs are open to the general public, offering Black poets exposure to new audiences and new audiences exposure to Black poetry. Cave Canem’s programs and publications enlarge the American literary canon; democratize archives; and expand the notion of what is possible and valuable in a poem for students, aspiring poets, and readers.

Jerome Foundation supports Cave Canem’s Regional Workshops and Regional Workshop Readings programs. Since 1999, nearly 1,000 emerging poets have participated in Cave Canem’s community-based workshops, rare opportunities to work with accomplished poets for free or low-cost fees. Limited to an enrollment of 15, these ten-session workshops offer rigorous instruction, writing craft, careful critique, and an introduction to the work of several poets. With support from the Poetry Foundation, Cave Canem’s Regional Workshops are now available to participants outside of New York City, including in Minneapolis, MN. Regional Workshops are offered to adult (18 or older) Black poets of any experience level who are residents of the workshop city or immediate surrounding area. Regional workshops are in-person, tuition-free, and free to apply.