Cave Canem » Cave Canem Fellows & Faculty Fund

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Cave Canem Fellows & Faculty Fund

Cave Canem established the Fellows & Faculty Fund in 2020, originally to help support members of our community during a time of global hardship. As Cave Canem continues its mission to foster community across the diaspora, these grants will serve as a resource for Fellows to nurture their poetic pursuits and help them create (and implement) programs that make access to Black Poetry more equitable. The fund offers two types of grants to Fellows and Faculty:

Fellows & Faculty Fund – Individual Support

$500 – to use at the discretion of the recipient (usually for urgent/unexpected expenses or as supplemental support of artistic practice and development). Grantees receiving funds in any given year are eligible to apply again the following year, with preference given to first-time applicants.

Fellows and Faculty may apply via Submittable on a rolling basis.

Individuals who wish to donate to the fund may do so here.

Process

Complete, sign, and date a W9 form.
Complete the online Submittable form, including 1-3 sentences on what the emergency grant will be used for. (This information will be used solely to improve how Cave Canem serves our Fellowship, Faculty, and Black poets in general.)
Grants are automatically disbursed via Zelle or Paypal. The names of applicants will not be published, and all submitted information will be kept confidential.

Fellows & Faculty Fund Project Grants

$5000 – to underwrite creative ventures by Fellows that are region-specific. New projects or those in the early stages of development (e.g., poetry readings; panel discussions relating to poetry; spoken word performances; print/digital poetry publications; or interdisciplinary poetry) that are accessible to the public and have a deep, lasting, and positive impact on underserved regions of the United States, with a particular emphasis on Black communities.

Applications open on January 15, 2023.

Process

Complete the online Submittable application by February 15, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. EST.

Questions or concerns may be directed to Director of Programs Dante Micheaux: [email protected].

“By the time I leave a CC Retreat, I can feel that the internal imperative to Write! has shifted from an obsessive, isolating quality to one of deep communal rites and responsibilities – what healthier transition exists for an artist?

Geffrey Davis

2015-11-26T15:51:22-04:00

Geffrey Davis

“By the time I leave a CC Retreat, I can feel that the internal imperative to Write! has shifted from an obsessive, isolating quality to one of deep communal rites and responsibilities – what healthier transition exists for an artist?

https://cavecanempoets.org/testimonials/geffrey-davis/

“There is nothing like being seen by the eyes of those who, without explanation, understand why you do what you do when you do it. There is nothing like not having to decode or apologize for the sweet pleasure of a word or phrase that will not let loose of your ear.”

Nikky Finney, The Ringing Ear: Black Poets Lean South

2015-11-26T15:29:19-04:00

Nikky Finney, The Ringing Ear: Black Poets Lean South

“There is nothing like being seen by the eyes of those who, without explanation, understand why you do what you do when you do it. There is nothing like not having to decode or apologize for the sweet pleasure of a word or phrase that will not let loose of your ear.”

https://cavecanempoets.org/testimonials/nikky-finney-the-ringing-ear-black-poets-lean-south/

“While I can't even begin to measure Cave Canem's value to me personally (community, friendship, rigor), we all can see the radical movement it’s occasioned in American poetry. To be plain: it's changed—and is changing—the face(s) of our literary landscape. How often in our lives will we be able to participate in something as important and beautiful? It's a joy to support this."

Ross Gay, Fellow

2015-11-26T15:44:48-04:00

Ross Gay, Fellow

“While I can't even begin to measure Cave Canem's value to me personally (community, friendship, rigor), we all can see the radical movement it’s occasioned in American poetry. To be plain: it's changed—and is changing—the face(s) of our literary landscape. How often in our lives will we be able to participate in something as important and beautiful? It's a joy to support this."

https://cavecanempoets.org/testimonials/285/

“Cave Canem is a kind of heaven, yes. It’s not just that we are speaking to each other there as black people; it’s that we’ve lived the lives of black poets. We’ve faced the fears, the hurts, and we’re still poets. To undertake and stay with this task, usually so unrewarded, creates a kind of strength and compassion that is enormous.”

Toi Derricotte

2015-11-26T15:31:58-04:00

Toi Derricotte

“Cave Canem is a kind of heaven, yes. It’s not just that we are speaking to each other there as black people; it’s that we’ve lived the lives of black poets. We’ve faced the fears, the hurts, and we’re still poets. To undertake and stay with this task, usually so unrewarded, creates a kind of strength and compassion that is enormous.”

https://cavecanempoets.org/testimonials/toi-derricotte/

“Back in 2000 when I was first accepted at Cave Canem, I was working part-time at a bookstore making less than $7 an hour. The scholarship I received was the only reason I was able to attend, and it changed my writing life by introducing me to mentors like Toi Derricotte and Nikky Finney and eventually connecting me to the editor who published my first book. Please consider changing another poet's life by supporting Cave Canem financially.”

Traci Dant, Fellow

2015-11-26T15:44:16-04:00

Traci Dant, Fellow

“Back in 2000 when I was first accepted at Cave Canem, I was working part-time at a bookstore making less than $7 an hour. The scholarship I received was the only reason I was able to attend, and it changed my writing life by introducing me to mentors like Toi Derricotte and Nikky Finney and eventually connecting me to the editor who published my first book. Please consider changing another poet's life by supporting Cave Canem financially.”

https://cavecanempoets.org/testimonials/284/