Isaac Cates, Director

Established in 1974, the C.W. Post Poetry Center of Long Island University is the longest-running literary center at any university in the metropolitan New York area. Every year the Poetry Center sponsors a series of poetry readings and other events, as well as a contest that was begun by the English Department in the 1960s. The gala event of the academic year is the annual Poetry Awards Night, held in April. Guest poets for this event have included such internationally acclaimed poets as Robert Bly, Richard Eberhart, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, David Ignatow, Galway Kinnell, Kenneth Koch, Maxine Kumin, Denise Levertov, W. S. Merwin, Joyce Carol Oates, Linda Pastan, Mary Jo Salter, Steven Spender, William Stafford, Jean Valentine, and Richard Wilbur. The Poetry Center also hosts an annual Poetry Appreciation Day reading, at which members of the C.W. Post faculty read a few poems they genuinely enjoy.

The Poetry Center has a principle of bringing young and interesting poets to campus from a variety of approaches or schools of poetry. In recent years, visitors to campus have included Chad Davidson, Craig Arnold, Cate Marvin, Joanna Fuhrman, Christopher Cessac, Greg Williamson, and Sean Singer. Poetry Center events in 2007-2008 will include readings by Andrew Hudgins, Meghan O'Rourke, Rachel Hadas, Charles Martin, and Maurice Manning.

For our 2007-2008 events click here

To contact the Poetry Center click here