Kwame Dawes and Lorna Dawes know there is a wealth of poetry from African authors out there. Thousands of poems, they say, sit in universities and libraries across the world, waiting to be catalogued, translated, digitized and promoted.

The pair of Brown University researchers is committed to sharing this wealth of poetry with the world, and they’ll work to do so with support from a $2 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Professor Kwame Dawes has been elected as member of the prestigious American Academy of Arts & Sciences in spring 2025. Professor Dawes joined the Literary Arts department at Brown in January of this year.

Kwame Dawes, Professor of Literary Arts at Brown and newly-named Poet Laureate of Jamaica, talks about poetry with Artscape reporter, Luis Hernandez.

Robert Coover, TB Stowell Adjunct Professor, is remembered for is writing, his teaching and his advocacy on behalf of new forms of literature in print and digital frameworks.

Jennifer Levin and John Eisendrath have designed their spring 2026 Advanced Screenwriting workshop to reflect the dynamics of a writers' room. And the workshop members have good things to report.

Kwame Dawes, professor of Literary Arts, has been recognized for his literary contributions by being named as Poet Laureate of Jamaica.