The conference was founded in 1995 by West Chester professor Michael Peich and poet Dana Gioia, who stepped down as co-director of the conference in 2003 in order to become chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts.
The conference was founded in 1995 by West Chester professor Michael Peich and poet Dana Gioia with 85 poets and scholars in attendance. In 2003, Gioia stepped down as co-director of the conference in order to become chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts.