The University of Pittsburgh Press is deeply saddened at the passing of Ed Ochester—poet, teacher, and editor—who served as series editor of the Pitt Poetry Series from 1978 until his retirement in 2021. Terrance Hayes, Nancy Krygowski, and Jeffrey McDaniel, who took over as Pitt Poetry Series editors after Ochester’s retirement said, “As the new Pitt Poetry Series editors, having taken up Ed’s role this past spring, we will be doubling our efforts to bring attention to all Ed Ochester did for us, Pitt poets, and contemporary poetry. His role in the career of poets such as Sharon Olds, Toi…

Ryler Dustin of Bellingham, Washington is the 2022 winner of the Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize for his collection Trailer Park Psalms. Dustin’s debut collection was selected by poet Jeffrey McDaniel. The University of Pittsburgh Press will publish Trailer Park Psalms as part of the acclaimed Pitt Poetry Series this fall (on-sale date: September 12, 2023). “I love how these poems play to our senses, how the tactile details—courtesy of taut diction and the author’s attentive ear—come to life in the reader’s mind,” says Jeffrey McDaniel. “And the high level of elegance and wisdom in these pages; Dustin dives into…

We are pleased to announce that Lesley Rains, former manager and buyer for the City of Asylum Bookstore and founder of the East End Book Exchange (now White Whale Books), has joined the University of Pittsburgh Press as Publicity Manager. “Lesley’s experience in front-line bookselling brings a real understanding of the importance of publicity to sell books in a competitive retail environment,” said Marketing Director John Fagan. Lesley will oversee all publicity efforts at the Press, including soliciting reviews, scheduling author events, and submitting books for a wide range of regional and national prizes. She will work with all Press…

The University of Pittsburgh Press is proud to be taking part in the first ever Greater Pittsburgh Festival of Books on Saturday, May 14! The first ever GPFB is an all day, free event, spread across six venues in East Liberty, paying tribute to Pittsburgh’s rich literary community and love of reading. Featuring over thirty nationally renowned authors with ties to Pittsburgh, dozens of amazing poets, kids story times and activities, entertainment, books and comic stores, publishers, and more—it will be a true celebration. A number of Press authors will be giving readings and signing books, and we will also…

Anuradha Bhowmik of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the 2021 winner of the Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize for her collection Brown Girl Chromatography, selected by new Starrett Poetry Prize judge and award-winning poet Aaron Smith. Bhowmik, a Bangladeshi-American poet and writer from South Jersey, will be published by the University of Pittsburgh Press in the Pitt Poetry Series this fall, on sale September 2022. “Brown Girl Chromatography is pure fire, a slow burn to the center of desire,” said Smith. “This is a book of longing, of brokenness, of makeup (‘my second art, the perfect counterpart to my alter ego’), of…