Bourse Cave Canem 2027 : Retraite Poétique pour Poètes Noirs – 29 octobre 2026

Contexte

The Cave Canem Foundation is inviting applications for the 2027 Cave Canem Fellowship, an exceptional opportunity designed to support and develop the work of Black poets. The fellowship provides selected poets with access to an intensive, fully funded literary retreat featuring poetry workshops, readings, professional development, and opportunities to build lasting connections within a vibrant community of writers.

The 2027 Cave Canem Retreat will take place from 6–13 June 2027 at the University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg in Pennsylvania, United States. Applications are open to eligible poets who meet the fellowship’s age and submission requirements. A Unique Opportunity for Black Poets

Cave Canem is dedicated to nurturing the artistic development of Black poets and creating a supportive environment where writers can deepen their practice, exchange ideas, and engage with established voices in contemporary poetry.

The annual retreat brings Fellows together with respected faculty members for an intensive period of study, writing, discussion, and performance. Participants represent a broad range of poetic traditions, making the fellowship particularly valuable for poets interested in exploring different literary approaches and expanding their creative practice.

Poetry represented within the Cave Canem community may include blues, confessional, experimental, dramatic, lyric, narrative, performance, political, and other poetic traditions.

Fully Funded Retreat With No Application Fee

One of the most attractive features of the Cave Canem Fellowship is that there is no application fee, thanks to support from institutional funders and individual donors.

The annual retreat is also free for selected Fellows, allowing participants to focus entirely on their artistic development without paying a retreat participation fee.

This makes the fellowship an especially significant opportunity for Black poets seeking an intensive literary experience combined with access to an established creative community.

Missions et responsabilités

• Invitation to the 2027 Annual Retreat
• Participation in intensive poetry workshops and readings
• Access to the Fellows & Faculty Fund
• Access to exclusive scholarships for selected writing residencies
• Archival training
• Opportunities to participate in public programming, including readings, panels, and multidisciplinary collaborations
• Subscription to a bimonthly Cave Canem resource featuring community news and exclusive opportunities
• Participation in a powerful community of peers, faculty members, and literary professionals

Profil recherché

• Applicants must meet the fellowship’s age requirement (at least 21 years old at the time of the 2027 Cave Canem Retreat on 6–13 June 2027).
• The fellowship is specifically intended to support the work of Black poets.
• Candidates must submit strong, distinctive work demonstrating a clear poetic voice, deliberate craft, and thoughtful engagement with language and form.
• Strict adherence to formatting rules, ensuring complete anonymity on the poetry attachment.

Conditions et avantages

• Retraite entièrement financée (aucun frais de participation).
• Aucun frais de dossier (no application fee).
• Accès à des ateliers de poésie intensifs, des lectures et un développement professionnel.
• Accès au fonds Fellows & Faculty Fund et à des bourses exclusives pour des résidences d’écriture.
• Formation aux archives et abonnements à des ressources bimensuelles.

Dossier de candidature

• A cover letter communicating the applicant’s relationship to poetry, artistic goals, and reasons for seeking participation in the Cave Canem community.
• A carefully prepared poetry writing sample submitted as a PDF containing six pages of poems.
• Poems must be written in English.
• The applicant’s name must not appear anywhere on the poetry attachment to preserve anonymity.
• Each poem must begin on a new page using page breaks.
• Each poem’s title must be formatted in bold.
• The document must include page numbers in the footer, using a format such as “Page 2 of 6”.
• The poetry document must use a legible 12-point serif font.
• Only one application per candidate is permitted.

Comment postuler

Candidates are required to submit their application through Submittable.

Date limite : Tuesday, 6 October 2026, at 11:59 PM Eastern Time.

Submissions received after the deadline will not be accepted. Applicants should allow sufficient time to prepare, review, and upload their materials before the deadline to avoid disqualification due to formatting errors.

Référence : 2027 Cave Canem Fellowship