Cave Canem Poets to Hold Free Public Readings

Cave Canem, a nationwide fellowship that cultivates the artistic and professional growth of African American poets, is holding poetry readings in conjunction with its workshop and retreat, held annually on Pitt-Greensburg’s campus.

A free public reading will be held at 7:30 p.m. June 24 on Pittsburgh’s North Side. The readings will take place beneath a tent on Monterey Street, between Sampsonia Way and Jacksonia Street. Presenters include Cave Canem faculty members Colleen J. McElroy, Carl Phillips, and Claudia Rankine, as well as guest participant Sapphire, author of the best-selling novel Push, which was made into the highly acclaimed movie Precious.

The event is hosted by the City of Asylum/Pittsburgh, an organization that provides refuge to exiled foreign writers.

A reading also will be held on the Pitt-Greensburg campus, 150 Finoli Dr., at 7:30 p.m. June 21, featuring Cave Canem faculty members Toi Derricotte, Cornelius Eady, and Ed Roberson with Letras Latinas poet Brenda Cárdenas, a guest participant.

Readings featuring the 54 Cave Canem Fellows will be held at 7:30 p.m. June 22, 23, and 25, also on the Pitt-Greensburg campus.

The Cave Canem Foundation was established in 1996 by Derricotte, a Pitt professor of English and award-winning poet and author, and poet Cornelius Eady to encourage the growth of Black poetry across the country.

—By Shannon Scannell