If you are in Pittsburgh, don’t miss the chance to hear and meet these fabulous University of Pittsburgh Press and Pitt Poetry Series authors:   Toi Derricotte September 23, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. Coffee Tree Roasters 5524 Walnut Street Pittsburgh, PA 15232 Pitt poet Toi Derricotte (The Undertaker’s Daughter) will be discussed by members of the Pitt Poetry Exchange on September 23 at the Coffee Tree Roasters in Shadyside. It’s free and open to the public; call 412-621-6880 for more info. Local poet Michael Wurster will lead the discussion.   Lynn Emanuel September 30th, 2015 at 6:30 p.m. The University Store 4000…

Richard Blanco, the inaugural poet for President Obama, has written a special poem, Matters of the Sea / Cosas del Mar, and will read it during the ceremonial reopening of the United States Embassy in Havana, Cuba on August 14, 2015. The Embassy had been closed since 1961. Watch the MSNBC interview with Blanco discussing this historic event. University of Pittsburgh Press is pleased to announce the forthcoming publication of Matters of the Sea / Cosas del Mar, a bilingual chapbook that beautifully reproduces poet Blanco’s stirring poem. The expected publication date is September 30, 2015. “Matters of the Sea is one of the most…

July 2015 was a historic month for renewing diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba. The U.S. Department of State will officially reopen its embassy in Havana, Cuba on August 14, 2015. The importance of these events can be seen in this statement from Scott Morgenstern, Director of the University of Pittsburgh Center for Latin American Studies: “Signified by the July, 2015 reopening of their respective embassies, the Cold War between the United States and Cuba has begun to ease, only 25 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall. The regularizing of relations will have profound affects on…

Two years after the publication of their book Allegheny City: A History of Pittsburgh’s North Side, co-authors Dan Rooney and Carol Peterson still hit the road from time to time for book signings. On July 15, the pair spoke with an enthusiastic crowd at the Allegheny City Historic Gallery on East Ohio Street in the North Side. Thanks to Willy James for the photos! From left to right, Bill Gandy, host of the event and PR man for ACHG; Dan Rooney; Carol Peterson.   Audience members get their copies of Allegheny City signed by the co-authors.

Hemingway’s Café at 3911 Forbes Ave. in Oakland, in the heart of Pitt’s main campus, hosts a Summer Poetry Series. Founded by area poet Jimmy Cvetic in the 1970s, Pittsburgh Magazine dubbed it “a grand tradition of Pittsburgh literary culture.” The series brings together local and nationally known authors every Tuesday night at 8 p.m., from May through July. The events are free, and there is an open mic after the featured readers. Cvetic hosts the readings and poet Joan Bauer curates. On July 7, Ed Ochester, editor of the Pitt Poetry Series, is among the readers. Ochester also edited…