The 2027 Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize is open for submissions. The Starrett prize is awarded for a first full-length book of poems and carries a cash award of $5,000 and publication by the University of Pittsburgh Press as part of the Pitt Poetry Series. The judge for the 2027 prize is Tiana Clark, author of the poetry collections Scorched Earth (which was named a finalist for the 2025 National Book Awards) and I Can’t Talk About the Trees Without the Blood, (which won the 2017 Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize). Past winners include Migwi Mwangi (Desire Path), Bobby Elliott…

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…

Pittsburgh, PA – The Pitt Poetry Series at the University of Pittsburgh Press is pleased to announce the finalists for the 2026 Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize:  Afua Ansong, Mother’s First Word Was Light  Robert Laidler, Glass Letter  Max Lasky, Against Adieu  Migwi Mwangi, Desire Path  Jessica Nordell, Your Singing Is How We Will Find You    The winner, selected by Terrance Hayes, will be announced on January 28, 2026.   Established in 1981, the Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize is administered by the University of Pittsburgh Press. Named in honor of Agnes Lynch Starrett, the Press’s first director, the prize is awarded for a first full-length book of poems.  Past winners…