HARRISONBURG, Va. (ROCKTOWN NOW) – James Madison University’s Furious Flower Poetry Conference is set to return this week.
The fourth decennial edition of the poetry conference is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 18 and will run through Saturday, Sept. 21. The landmark conference will also include a banquet Sept. 18 that will honor several poets with lifetime achievement awards, including:
  • Cornelius Eady
  • Nikky Finney
  • Lorna Goodison
  • E. Ethelbert Miller
  • Harryette Mullen
  • Niyi Osundare
  • Tim Seibles
  • Patricia Smith
This year’s conference will include readings and presentations from 50 poets and scholars at various locations across JMU’s campus.
“We are in a moment when Black poets, Black poetry, and Black literary institutions are flourishing,” Lauren K. Alleyne, executive director of the Furious Flower Poetry Center, said in a news release. “All art has power, and poetry is art in words; words have the power to change the world. We are so excited to celebrate the worlds of Black poetry together!”

The first Furious Flower Poetry Conference was a historic gathering in 1994. It was convened by former JMU English professor and Furious Flower Poetry Center founder Dr. Joanne V. Gabbin to celebrate poet Gwendolyn Brooks. The event was the largest of its kind, drawing more than 30 acclaimed Black poets and over 1,000 audience members. Two more conferences were held in 2004 and 2014.

In 2005, the Furious Flower Poetry Center was chartered at JMU, establishing the nation’s first academic center dedicated to Black poetry. Since then, it has facilitated local, regional and national programming, committed to nurturing, promoting and passing on the legacy of Black poets. The conference remains its flagship event, and Furious Flower IV is set to be the largest yet, with over 700 expected attendees.

 More information and the full schedule for the 2024 Furious Flower Poetry Conference can be found here.