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…

The Pitt Poetry Series at the University of Pittsburgh Press continues its tradition of publishing the finest contemporary poetry by announcing the forthcoming publication of the following collections: Steeplechase by Angela Ball: In a voice that is humorous, bewildered, disillusioned, hopeful, Steeplechase explores multiple landscapes, countries known and unknown, cities and inhabitants both aspirational and lost. On sale 2/10/2026   Antediluvian by Kameryn Alexa Carter: “Engaging with themes of the ecstatic, desire, mental illness, and spirituality, Antediluvian’s speaker calls on an intertextual constellation of artists as they attempt to wade through agoraphobia, parse out their relationship with God, and navigate…

Pittsburgh, PA – The University of Pittsburgh Press is thrilled to announce that Terrance Hayes, winner of the National Book Award and one of the leading voices in American poetry, will serve as judge of the 2026 Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize. Submissions are now open for the first full-length book prize, with the winner receiving publication in the Pitt Poetry Series and a cash award of $5,000. Hayes, who has served as co-editor of the Pitt Poetry Series with Nancy Krygowski and Jeffrey McDaniel for four years, has also decided that the time is right to step back from…