Video: Toi Derricotte Reads at Cave Canem 2011

Toi Derricotte‘s work has been described by Sharon Olds as “One of the most beautiful and necessary voices in American poetry today.” Derricotte is the author of four books of poetry and is known for The Black Notebooks (1997), a literary memoir which won the 1998 Anisfield-Wolf Book Award for Non-Fiction and was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year.
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In 1996, Derricotte and poet Cornelius Eady founded Cave Canem as a retreat for black poets. It is now a renowned and influential institution with an annual writing retreat, two book prizes with well-known presses, and a national reading series.
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On June 23, Cave Canem, in partnership with City of Asylum/Pittsburgh, presented a free reading on Pittsburgh’s Monterey Street featuring Toi Derricotte, along with Cornelius Eady, Natasha Trethewey, and special guest Amiri Baraka.
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Read Sampsonia Way’s interview with Toi Derricotte.
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Read Sampsonia Way’s interview with Amiri Baraka.