1985

The seeds of Furious Flower are planted as future Executive Director Joanne V. Gabbin, PhD begins her tenure at James Madison University in the English department.

1994

September 29-October 1: The first Furious Flower Poetry Conference is held at James Madison University, featuring more than 30 critically acclaimed Black poets and scholars.

1996

Cave Canem is founded by Furious Flower-affiliated poets Toi Derricotte and Cornelius Eady, the first of several literary organizations inspired by Furious Flower.

1999

July 29: The Furious Flowering of African American Poetry anthology is edited by Joanne V. Gabbin and published by University of Virginia Press, marking the center's first publication.

2004

February 13: Furious Flower: African American Poetry from the Black Arts Movement to the Present is published by University of Virginia Press.

July: The first Furious Flower Children's Creativity Camp is held, bringing the Black literary tradition and joy of creativity to dozens of children ages 7-13.

September 22-25: The second decennial Furious Flower Poetry Conference is held at James Madison University, dedicated to Amiri Baraka and Sonia Sanchez.

2007

January 11: Maya Angelou, Target Stores, Inc., and the Poetry Foundation partner with Furious Flower to create an online collection of Black literature accessible to students and to host several events nationwide in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.

2009

January 5: Furious Flower publishes Mourning Katrina: A Poetic Response to Tragedy with Mariner Media.

June: Poet and visionary Lucille Clifton is honored in the first biennial Legacy Seminar for educators.

August 11: Furious Flower publishes Shaping Memories: Reflections of African American Women Writers with the University Press of Mississippi.

2011

June: The second biennial Legacy Seminar honors poet and scholar Sonia Sanchez with a week of workshops and gatherings in celebration of her life and work.

2012

March 22-24: Students from more than a dozen colleges and universities gather at JMU for the second Collegiate Summit, featuring Crystal Good, Frank X Walker, Kelly Norman Ellis, Kwame Alexander, Nikky Finney, and Nikki Giovanni.

September 30: The University of Kansas announces a partnership with Furious Flower to begin work on KU's own center for the teaching and appreciation of Black poetry.

2014

September 24-27: The third decennial Furious Flower Poetry Conference is held at James Madison University. The conference was dedicated to Rita Dove and recognized Toi Derricotte, Michael Harper, Yusef Komunyakaa, Marilyn Nelson, Ishmael Reed, and Quincy Troupe with Lifetime Achievement Awards.

2017

June: Furious Flower celebrates the life and work of poet Yusef Komunyakaa with a week-long Legacy Seminar in his honor.

2018

March 22-24: Tyehimba Jess, 2017 Pulitzer Prize winner; Brenda Marie Osbey, former Poet Laureate of Louisiana; and Anastacia Reneé, former Civic Poet of Seattle are featured speakers at the biennial Collegiate Summit titled "Poetry Without Boundaries."

2019

June 16-22: Poet, scholar, and cultural icon Nikki Giovanni is honored with a weeklong collegiate seminar about her life, work, and legacy.

September 28-30: Furious Flower celebrates 25 years of excellence in Washington, D.C. with a benefit gala, panel series, and star-studded poetry reading featuring 25 poets for 25 years.

2021

June 21-25: Poet and publisher Haki Madhubuti is honored with a week-long Furious Flower Legacy Seminar for educators.

September: Furious Flower welcomes its inaugural Carmen R. Gillespie Fellow, Jordanne Alexander.