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.”…

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…

Starrett Poetry Prize winner shares insight into hip hop Nate Marshall, 2014 winner of UPP’s Agnes Starrett Lynch Poetry Prize for his forthcoming collection Wild Hundreds, is also among the editors of the new release The BreakBeat Poets: New American Poetry in the Age of Hip-Hop. The book was recently highlighted in the Lambda Literary Review. The article includes comments from Marshall and his co-editors. “I think the reality of hip hop is that women and queer people and a lot of folks who we think about being in the margins have always been at the center of the culture,”…