Pittsburgh, PA – The University of Pittsburgh Press is excited to announce several important updates to the Drue Heinz Literature Prize, one of the largest prizes for literary short fiction, now in its 45th year. Most significantly, beginning with the 2027 prize, the winning author will receive $25,000. This $10,000 increase from the current amount underscores our commitment to the work of writers in this important fiction category.  The Drue Heinz Literature Prize has also expanded the eligibility of publications considered to include a wider range of criteria. The Prize jury will now consider reputable digital and online-only publications in…

Pittsburgh, PA — Migwi Mwangi is the winner of the 2026 Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize. His collection, Desire Path, was selected by Terrance Hayes. The University of Pittsburgh Press will publish Desire Path as part of the acclaimed Pitt Poetry Series in September 2026. “Migwi is going to be a significant poet not only because of his poetic intelligence but also because of the background enriching the poems: a rich experience in the world, a rich curiosity, a rich sense of empathy, and a richness of humility,” offers Terrance Hayes, author of So To Speak. “Throughout Desire Path, the…

Pittsburgh, PA – Patricia Grace King, of Durham, England, is the winner of the 2026 Drue Heinz Literature Prize, one of the world’s most prestigious prizes for a collection of short fiction. King’s collection, Those Who Vanish, was selected by Quan Barry. Those Who Vanish will be published in September 2026. “The stories in Patricia Grace King’s ravishing Those Who Vanish chronicle the consequences of inhabiting spaces both physical and psychic where one doesn’t naturally belong,” offered Barry, author of The Unveiling. “In stories ranging from conflict-ravaged Guatemala to the American Midwest and beyond, King’s unrelenting exploration of our need…

The University of Pittsburgh Press celebrated the 45th winner of the Drue Heinz Literature Prize with a series of events around the country promoting Bill Gaythwaite and his collection, A Place in the World. On October 9th, Left Bank Books in St. Louis hosted a reading with Gaythwaite and Ramona Reeves, winner of the 2022 DHLP.  On October 22nd, Gaythwaite traveled to Minneapolis for a conversation with Mubanga Kalimamukwento (DHLP ’24) at Magers and Quinn.   The tour concluded in Pittsburgh with two events. On October 28th, City of Asylum hosted Gaythwaite, Caroline Kim, and Kelly Sather for a conversation about the…

Pittsburgh, PA –  A celebration of the life and work of Ed Ochester took place on September 12, 2025 at 7:30pm in the Connelly Ballroom, located in Alumni Hall on the University of Pittsburgh campus. The event was emceed by former Pitt Poetry Series co-editor Terrance Hayes and featured readings, remembrances, and a discussion with some of luminaries of American poetry and the Pitt Poetry Series under Ochester’s editorship: Quan Barry, Jan Beatty, Billy Collins, Denise Duhamel, Lynn Emanuel, Ross Gay, Paisley Rekdal, and Aaron Smith. See International Poetry Forum’s footage on their Instagram feed and ours, including these of…