Cave Canem has opened applications for its 2027 Fellowship, an annual program supporting Black poets through an intensive retreat, poetry workshops, readings, and professional development. Applications are open until October 6, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ET, with no application fee. The 2027 retreat will take place from June 6 to 13 at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg.

Applicants must be at least 21 years old at the time of the retreat and submit a cover letter and a six-page poetry sample written in English. Fellows receive a free place at the annual retreat, access to the Fellows & Faculty Fund, scholarships for selected writing residencies, archival training, opportunities for public programming, and access to Cave Canem’s wider literary community. Founded in 1996 by poets Toi Derricotte and Cornelius Eady, Cave Canem has supported more than 600 poets and has become one of the leading institutions for Black poetry in the United States.

The fellowship’s alumni include acclaimed poets such as National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize winners, while its broader programs have supported writers across the African diaspora. Recent Fellows include Nigerian poets Saddiq Dzukogi, Tobi Kassim, and Zaynab Iliyasu Bobi, while Nigerian poet Ajibola Tolase won the 2024 Cave Canem Prize for his manuscript Koola Lobitos. Other notable Cave Canem poets include Natasha Trethewey, Tracy K. Smith, Major Jackson, and Kwame Dawes, underscoring the fellowship’s significance as a launching point for Black poets.

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