We are thrilled to share that Parneshia Jones—author of the collection of poems Vessel, published in 2015 by Milkweed Editions—has been appointed the next president of Cave Canem's board of directors. Cave Canem was founded by Toi Derricotte and Cornelius Eady in 1996 to remedy the under-representation and isolation of African American poets in the literary landscape. The nonprofit's extensive programming and publications have greatly impacted the American literary landscape, and include three book prizes delivered in partnership with five prestigious presses, fellowships, community-based workshops for emerging and established poets, and a vast range of events, seminars, and lectures.

From the Milkweed Archive at the Upper Midwest Literary Archives, here are the first three invitations to the Book Lovers Ball from 2000, 2001, and 2002. Just one more week until Milkweed’s 2017 Book Lovers Ball!

When Milkweed Editions invited my thoughts on cover design for Virgin, I sent them a Pinterest page with visual influences: Victorian pharmaceutical advertisements, turn of the century women’s magazine covers, art nouveau color palettes, autochromes, and vintage illustrations of flora and fauna (mostly cacti)—all motifs of highly polarized femininity that I was trying to capture and reconsider.

We are thrilled to announce the publication of two very special books today: Alex Lemon's Feverland: A Memoir in Shards and William Brewer's National Poetry Series-winning collection of poems I Know Your Kind. Both share a common impulse to meet pain and stigma with beauty and art.