New York — Cave Canem, a poetry center that has nurtured and championed African-American poets, has won an honorary National Book Award for contributions to the American literary community.

The National Book Foundation on Tuesday named Cave Canem the recipient of the Literarian Award, a prize won previously by Maya Angelou, Dave Eggers and Terry Gross, among others.

The Brooklyn-based organization was founded in 1996 by Toi Derricotte and Cornelius Eady. It offers support ranging from awards to workshops to an annual fellows’ retreat. Several National Book Award winners and nominees have been Cave Canem fellows, including Robin Coste Lewis and Terrance Hayes.