The Matter of the Mask: A Reading with Derrick Weston Brown & Select Poets

Join us for an intimate reading with poet, author, educator, and Fellow Derrick Weston Brown featuring poets from our Washington, D.C. Regional Workshop, The Matter of the Mask, as they share new work in the transformative power of persona poetry. Exploring the use of persona poetry in the guise of established poetic forms such as haiku, cento, sonnets, and more, these talented poets come together for a final workshop reading.

Access Notes:

• Virtual live-stream available
• ASL interpreter provided (in person and live stream)
• Closed captioning available for live stream

About

Derrick Weston Brown ('02) holds an MFA in Creative Writing from American University and is a graduate of the Cave Canem and VONA summer workshops. He has received fellowships and scholarships to attend The Community of Writers and The Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. He was the recipient of an individual artist grant from the Maryland State Arts Council and was awarded the E. Lynn Harris Impact Award from the Hurston/Wright Foundation in 2023.

His work has been published in such publications as Racebaitr, Colorlines, and The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. His work has been widely anthologized in such collections as The Future of Black: Afrofuturism; Black Comics and Superhero Poetry; A Face to Meet the Faces: An Anthology of Contemporary Persona Poetry; and Dear Yusef: Essays, Letters and Poems for and About One Mr. Yusef Komunyakaa. His first poetry collection Wisdom Teeth was released in 2011 via PM Press. His second collection of poetry, On All Fronts, was released with two other poetry chapbooks in a series via Upper Rubber Boot Press in 2019. He is a full-time Creative Writing faculty member in the Cinematic Arts and Media Production (C.A.M.P.) department at The Duke Ellington School of the Arts.

Cave Canem Regional Workshops

Cave Canem’s workshops are rare opportunities for poets of all experience levels to work with and learn directly from accomplished poets in Cave Canem’s network. Limited to small enrollment groups, these multiple-session workshops offer rigorous instruction, careful critique, and an introduction to the work of influential poets. Workshops are tuition-free and free to apply. Learn more.

Funding & Partners

This program is made possible with the support of the Poetry Foundation.

Host or Publisher Cave Canem Foundation, Inc.