Poetry and Race in America How the Humanities Engage with Social Problems   Two Special Events in Pittsburgh Free and Open to the Public   Readings and Moderated Discussions Monday, March 21, 7-9 p.m. Frick Fine Arts Auditorium University of Pittsburgh, Oakland Campus Moderated by Terrance Hayes, Co-Director Center for African American Poetry and Poetics   Interactive Workshop Sunday, March 20, 5-6:30 p.m. Kelly-Strayhorn Theater Alloy Studios 5530 Penn Avenue Hosted by Janera Solomon, Executive Director Kelly-Strayhorn Theater     About the Events Two departments at the University of Pittsburgh will combine artistic forces for a landmark event, giving the…

If you have yet to publish a full-length book of poems send us your manuscript between March 1- April 30, 2016 for a cash award of $5,000 and publication by the University of Pittsburgh Press in the Pitt Poetry Series. See the full details here. We would like to congratulate Miriam Bird Greenberg, who was just announced as the 2015 winner of the prize for her collection In the Volcano’s Mouth. Miriam was born in 1980 and grew up in rural Texas. She studied English and studio arts at the University of Pittsburgh, earned an MFA in Poetry from the Michener Center for Writers, and currently…

CONGRATULATIONS The University of Pittsburgh Press has been proud to take this journey with Ross Gay, and to share the acclaim for his brilliant collection, Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude. May his future as a poet be bright and rewarding! Congratulations to all of the winners of the 2015 National Book Award: Robin Coste Lewis, Neal Shusterman, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and Adam Johnson. Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude Ross Gay University of Pittsburgh Press Pitt Poetry Series 2015 National Book Award Finalist “The Bloomington Community Orchard must have spread its roots into Ross Gay, an Indiana University English professor, as the organic poems in his third collection bear fruit,…

The University of Pittsburgh Press (Pitt Poetry Series) is proud to share the news that Ross Gay is one of five finalists for the National Book Foundation, National Book Awards, in the poetry category, for his brilliant collection Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude. The winner will be announced on November 18. In our minds he has already won. Here are ten reasons to love Ross Gay:   Gratitude 1: Ross Gay views joy in contemporary poetry as a radical act “I was noticing, like, “Holy shit, look at these wonderful poets and these wonderful readings.” But I felt like there wasn’t a whole lot…

Nate Marshall, author of Wild Hundreds, winner of UPP’s Agnes Lynch Starrett Prize, talks about his love for Chicago’s South Side, hip-hop culture’s influence on his work, and fantasy football. UPP: You are very passionate about the South Side of Chicago, as evidenced in Wild Hundreds, in various interviews and on social media. How would you explain that passion? NM: The South Side is a beautiful place. It can be a hard and complicated place but those are the most rewarding loves. It’s like what Algren says about loving Chicago “you may well find lovelier lovelies but never a lovely so real.”…