Greetings from all of us at Poets House!

We’re excited to announce that beginning this fall, Poets House is undertaking a year-long listening process designed to gather feedback from the poetry community. The findings of this process will help reposition Poets House to better serve our community, moving toward a more sustainable future that integrates DEIA principles into every aspect of our organization. The results of the campaign will also inform an upcoming nationwide search for the new Executive Director of Poets House.

Longtime Executive Director Lee Briccetti, who spent more than thirty years building the organization with passion and dedication, announced her resignation last year. She has passed the reins to Cornelius Eady: renowned poet, Hodges Chair at the University of Tennessee/Knoxville, and co-founder of Cave Canem. We’re delighted to be joined by Eady, who will act as Interim Director until the completion of our search for a full-time Executive Director.

Since announcing the library’s temporary closure last fall, our board and leadership have been hard at work re-envisioning the future of the organization. During that time we’ve heard from many of you who have missed visiting our library and the welcome you’ve found over the years at 10 River Terrace; we’ve deeply appreciated all your words of support and your patience during this process.

In August, Poets House suffered a major flood which caused extensive damage to the building but miraculously left the books and collections unharmed. Though repairs will take some time, we do anticipate the library’s reopening to the public in 2022. With physical rebuilding now underway, Poets House has begun its organizational restructuring as well.

More information on the listening process, board developments, library space, and plans for reopening will be forthcoming later this fall. We look forward to sharing more details soon about our ongoing work toward renewal and reconnection.