Black Poetry Day Celebration

Get ready for an amazing, in-person Poetry Reading where words come alive. Led by the first African American Poet Laureate of Suffolk County to celebrate the birthday and legacy of Jupiter Hammon and acknowledge the voices of poets who contributed to Celebrating Jupiter: An Anthology of Poems by Black Poets on Long Island. This poetry reading is all about expression and connection. Don't miss out on an inspiring afternoon filled with passion, rhythm, and creativity! A FREE event where all are welcome!

The Caribbean American Poetry Association (CAPA) invites you to join Suffolk County Poet Laureate Chip Williford at a poetry reading to celebrate Black Poetry Day on Saturday, October 17, 2026 from 1-4 p.m. at the Huntington Public Library, 338 Main Street, Huntington, NY 11743. The event kicks off the launch of Celebrating Jupiter: An Anthology of Poems by Black Poets on Long Island, which will be published soon.

Black poetry Day commemorates the birthday of Jupiter Hammon, October 17, 1711 who was enslaved by the Lloyd family in Lloyd Harbor, Suffolk County, Long Island. Hammon became the first published Black poet in the United States with his 1761 poem “An Evening Thought.”

Learn mroe about this event at https://myhpl.libnet.info/event/17474806