The New School was a frequent host of Academy of American Poets events, co-sponsored by the university's MFA in Creative Writing Program and the university division, formerly known as the Adult Division, that focused on continuing education and public programming. This collection of mostly audio recordings documents Academy of American Poets readings, tributes, and awards ceremonies over a nearly 20-year span.

The New School's Writing Program began collaborating with Cave Canem, a nonprofit organization promoting poetry of the African Diaspora, in 2001. The collection primarily contains sound recordings of public programming from the first decade of the partnership.

The collection consists of a little over one decade of sound recordings of poetry readings and discussions, titled the Poetry Forum, sponsored by The New School's MFA in Creative Writing Program.