September 2019
The Book of Our Lives: A Workshop on Storytelling with Cecilia Gentili
The goal of this workshop with trans activist and storyteller Cecilia Gentili, is to empower participants to use narrative as a way to heal, move an audience and gain the confidence to share their experiences with others. Through community sharing, participants will dissect stories presented by Cecilia Gentili to learn and determine the best ways to develop their own personal stories to be presented to others.
Find out more »October 2019
Poets on Craft: Toi Derricotte and Terrance Hayes
In this intimate meeting-of-the-minds, hear two exceptional poets, Toi Derricotte and Terrance Hayes, read from and discuss their work with moderator, renowned poet and scholar Elizabeth Alexander. Derricotte is co-founder of Cave Canem Foundation and the author of six collections of poetry, most recently I: New and Selected Poems, of which Ross Gay says, "No writer I know of explores with more honestly the sorrows and wonders and joys and shames and tenderness of being alive." Cave Canem faculty and 2014 MacArthur Fellow, Hayes' most recent poetry collection, American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin, is described by Walton Muyumba as "The right poetry collection for right now."
Find out more »New Works: Geffrey Davis, Camonghne Felix and Ladan Osman
Come celebrate the recent publications of new work by three brilliant Cave Canem poets. Praised by Cave Canem faculty Chris Abani as "a quietly brilliant poet," Geffrey Davis' most recent poetry collection Night Angler is winner of the 2018 James Laughlin Award. Camonghne Felix is author of Build Yourself a Boat, a collection of which poet Morgan Parker says "heralds a thrillingly new form of storytelling.” Ladan Osman, who poet Danez Smith says is "one of the most alive minds in poetry today," is author of two full-length collections, most recently, Exiles of Eden.
Find out more »November 2019
Cave Canem Northwestern University Press Poetry Prize Reading: Tsitsi Jaji
Hear 2018 Cave Canem Northwestern University Press Poetry Prize-winner Tsitsi Jaji read from her second book of poems Mother Tongues, selected by Matthew Shenoda, who says that “With considered precision and a scholar’s lens, we dive deep into the cultural productions of a global Africa rife with brilliance and possibility.” Irene Mathieu, honorable mention for Grand Marronage, as well as contest judge and 2019 Cave Canem guest poet Matthew Shenoda, begin the evening with introductory readings. Free and open to the public. Refreshments to follow.
Find out more »Legacy Conversations: Marilyn Nelson and Gregory Pardlo
Join us for an unforgettable evening of poetry and conversation with Cave Canem Elder Marilyn Nelson and Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Gregory Pardlo as they explore the nuances of writing one's family history. An elected Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets and recipient of the 2019 Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize from the Poetry Foundation, Marilyn Nelson is the author of numerous poetry collections and books for children and young adults. Her most recent publications include the memoir How I Discovered Poetry and poetry collection, My Seneca Village . Gregory Pardlo is, most recently, author of Air Traffic memoir in essay, and the poetry collection, Digest, winner the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and a finalist for the Hurston Wright Legacy Award. Cave Canem fellow and scholar Chiyuma Elliot moderates.
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