Cornelius Eady is having, quite deservedly, a great year – and at Poetry by the Sea, we’re happy and proud to be part of it.
In addition to the many other honors Eady has gotten, last year he received the Academy of American Poets’ Wallace Stevens Award, which recognizes lifetime achievement in Poetry. And just this year – 2026 – he was elected Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets.
On top of all of that, Eady was asked by the incoming mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani, to compose and deliver a poem at the mayoral inaugural. You can watch Eady reading that poem, entitled “Proof,” in this YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lSrb8nylOs
The insistent, exhilarating repetend in “Proof” – “You have to imagine it” – reminds us all of hope and possibility. When Sarah McCall asked Eady, in an interview for Barely South Review, about the dominant idea that defines his work, Eady said, “Being a human being. Human experience. That’s all it is.”
At this year’s Keynote event (Wednesday, May 20) Eady will be reading/performing with the Cornelius Eady Trio, which includes the guitarist Charlie Rauh and the violinist Concetta Abbate. Poetry and music. The human experience. Imagine it!
To register for this year’s Conference (May 19-22 at the Mercy Center): https://poetrybytheseaconference.org/registration/
Non-Conference goers can register separately to attend the Keynote event for $15, payable in advance or at the door: https://poetrybytheseaconference.org/2026-poetry-by-the-sea-keynote-speaker-cornelius-eady/