The Raymond Danowski Poetry Library
The Raymond Danowski Poetry Library consists of an astonishing 85,000 volumes of rare and first editions of modern and contemporary poetry and is one of the largest and most significant collections of verse in the world. It includes over 50,000 literary journals, several thousand broadsides, recordings, counterculture newspapers, unique manuscripts, ephemera, and other items that provide the full context of poetry as a vantage point on the 20th century and beyond.
Acquired in 2004, the collection was initially assembled by collector Raymond Danowski, whose ambition was to collect every English language poetry title published in the 20th century. It is thought to have been the largest collection in private hands before it arrived at Emory. The collection is also a living library, regularly added to by new acquisitions, readings, publishing efforts, digital projects, and exhibitions that help establish its place as the poetry library of record for the 20th century.
2025 Poet Kevin Young
Since fall 2005, the Raymond Danowski Poetry Library’s curator has directed a reading series that has already boasted some of the best poets from America and abroad. Celebrating its 25th-year anniversary in 2025, the reading series is one of the longest-running and most prominent initiatives of its kind on campus.
Broadsides
Discover the limited-edition broadsides commissioned to commemorate the reading series available for purchase.
The Raymond Danowski Poetry Library is an 85,000-volume collection of rare and first editions of modern and contemporary poetry. Assembled by collector Raymond Danowski over 30 years, the collection is thought to have been the largest library in private hands until its arrival at Emory in 2004.
