The "Black Mountain poets" were a group of American poets associated with the Black Mountain College in North Carolina during the mid-20th century. This group included notable figures like Charles Olson, Robert Creeley, and Lorine Niedecker. They emphasized experimental forms and the importance of the creative process, often focusing on the relationship between language and experience. Their work is characterized by a commitment to free verse and a rejection of traditional poetic structures. The Black Mountain poets sought to explore the physicality of language and the act of writing itself, influencing later movements such as Language poetry and postmodernism.