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…

Hispanic Heritage Month is a month-long celebration of Hispanic and Latino history and culture. University of Pittsburgh Press is pleased to showcase poetry and nonfiction by Latinx authors and about the Latinx experience. From City of a Hundred Fires by Richard Blanco, first published in 1997, to Querida by Nathan Xavier Osorio, winner of the 2024 Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize, Latinx voices are a staple of the Pitt Poetry Series. Our Latinx and Latin American Profiles series regularly publishes work showcasing contemporary Latinx and Latin American literary, visual, and performing artists. Books like Welcome to Oxnard and Imaginative Possibilities exemplify our commitment…

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…

Obligations to the Wounded by Mubanga Kalimamukwento has won the 2025 CLMP’s Firecracker Award for Fiction.  Obligations to the Wounded, winner of the 2024 Drue Heinz Literature Prize, was published by the University of Pittsburgh Press in October, 2024. From the Judges: “Seldom does fiction so expertly capture the complications of queerness, family, dislocation, and culture. Obligations to the Wounded is a triumphant collection of unforgettable tales whose characters are as varied in identity as they are in experienced circumstances. With wit and cunning, the protagonists navigate the ever-present systems of oppression that encircle them and their relationships. Mubanga Kalimamukwento has written…

Submissions for the 2026 Drue Heinz Literature Prize are now open! Details and submission guidelines can be found here. The deadline for submission is June 30th. The Drue Heinz Literature Prize recognizes and supports writers of short fiction and makes their work available to readers around the world. • Manuscripts are judged anonymously by nationally known writers. Past judges have included Angie Cruz, Alexander Chee, Deesha Philyaw, Min Jin Lee, Margaret Atwood, Russel, Rick Moody, and Joan Didion. • Winners receive a cash prize of $15,000, publication by the University of Pittsburgh Press, and support in the nation-wide promotion of…