Opening Reception for “Cave Canem: A Home for Black Poetry”

“Cave Canem: A Home for Black Poetry” explores the formation and impact of this groundbreaking poetry collective founded by poets Toi Derricotte and Cornelius Eady. Recognizing a need for spaces dedicated to the development of Black poetry, Derricotte and Eady created Cave Canem (from the Latin, “beware of the dog”) in 1996, an annual summer intensive workshop for Black poets at all stages of their writing lives.

In the years since, Cave Canem has evolved into a dynamic and enduring poetry community and a force in literary arts advocacy. Drawing on archival materials and poetry from the Cave Canem Records and from the literary papers of the two founding poets, “Cave Canem: A Home for Black Poetry” features manuscripts, correspondence, photographs, books, and poems to reveal the extraordinary ways Cave Canem and its poets have changed the face of American poetry.

Please join us on Thursday, November 12, 2026 for the opening celebration of “Cave Canem: A Home for Black Poetry,” as well as the exhibitions “Beauty Unadorned: “Fire!!” and the Harlem Renaisance,” and Satire, Sympathy, and Social Critique: William Hogarth’s Progress Prints.

Remarks begin at 4:30 p.m. This event is free and open to the public.