Cave Canem Presents: Legacy: The Work of Jay Wright

In the spirit of Cave Canem’s history of honoring pre-eminent poets and scholars who have played historic roles in Black poetry, we are proud to present this rare opportunity to experience the work of Jay Wright.

Critically acclaimed as one of the most rigorous poets the country has ever produced, Jay Wright has been quietly and diligently crafting an intellectually expansive poetics for more than 50 years. Join us in celebrating the achievements of his verse and drama! The program will commence with a one-act play reading, poetry readings by Jay Wright, and conclude with a book signing.

Jay Wright was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1934. Wright is the author of sixteen books of poetry and he has written more than forty plays—many to be found in Selected Plays of Jay Wright (Kenning Editions). A Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, his honors include a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Hodder Fellowship, a Lannan Literary Award, a MacArthur Fellowship and the Bollingen Prize for Poetry. A collection of new and startlingly original essays, entitled Soul and Substance: A Poet’s Examination Papers, was published by Princeton University Press.