The Watering Hole was created as a Facebook Group by fellows of the Cave Canem South Workshops. We draw much of our inspiration from those three-day workshops, which were hosted by Dr. Kwame Dawes, editor of Prairie Schooner. The sessions were led by Nikky Finney, a National Book Award winner; Patricia Smith, who was inducted into the International Literary Hall of Fame for Writers of African Descent, and Frank X Walker, co-founder of the Affrilachian Poets.

TWH unapologetically invests in pursuing the craft of poetry, learning about southern poets of color and poets who write about the South, providing affordable classes and retreats, swinging open the door for diverse forms of poetry, and pushing the bounds of a contemporary writing community.

In essence, TWH is a safe space for writers of color without regard for origin, age, gender, sexuality, varied abilities, or religion. In addition, we are equally a home for both written and spoken word artists–anyone who wants to grow in the craft.

We are TWH Tribe–a communion of poets reaching for a goal together, who accept, support, and encourage each other, who open safe spaces for trust, honesty, and risk, who love, love, love each other freely and forgive each other without hesitation, who uplift and hold accountable, who bring peace and stand in solidarity, who celebrate and mourn together, who adhere to the belief that when one of us wins, we all win, family beyond blood.

We promote teamwork as an essential part of the writing practice and encourage community building, in place of business networking. To that end we provide a spam-free, solicitation-free online arena for conversations that are strictly about the writing process, craft, or industry. Our mission is to provide online and face-to-face spaces for active poets to build relationships and create community with each other. To join us, visit our Facebook Group Page and just say hi!  In this forum, we talk craft, share poems, advice, personal stories, and so on in an interpersonal context. You can also follow us on Twitter.