Magnitude and Bond: A Field Study on Black Literary Arts Organizations

About the event: In 2025, Cave Canem engaged in a study that explores the organizational needs, strategies, and models that enable Black literary organizations to thrive despite adverse socioeconomic conditions. The learning gained from the operations, programming, strategic planning, and leadership of such organizations will be discussed in its historical and cultural context by Cave Canem Executive Director and Magnitude and Bond Co-Principal Investigator, Lisa Willis. This presentation will benefit anyone seeking best practices from successful arts organizations with more than 140 years of collective experience.

Presenter: Lisa Willis
Lisa Willis is the Executive Director of Cave Canem, a nonprofit founded in 1996 by Toi Derricotte and Cornelius Eady to foster the artistic and professional growth of Black poets. With over 20 years of experience in arts management, she has worked in both the nonprofit and commercial sectors for numerous organizations and artistic projects, including founding the literary collective Getting Word: Black Literature for Black Liberation, serving as the co-principal for Magnitude and Bond: A Field Study on Black Literary Arts Organizations (2025), and leading the upcoming multidisciplinary research project, “deep like the rivers…”: A Report on Black Poets, to be released in April 2027.

Thursday, November 19, 2026, 12:00 PM Eastern Time

Registration: Zoom link will be provided after registration. Trouble registering, please reach out to manager@artsadministration.org

This event is FREE for AAAE Members and $10 for non-members.

Funded by The Wallace Foundation.