University of Pittsburgh Press (Pitt Poetry Series)

ABOUT

University of Pittsburgh Press was founded in 1936 as one of the earlier American university presses, and since 1967 its trade poetry program, the Pitt Poetry Series, has become one of the most consequential ongoing poetry lists in the country. Longtime series editor Ed Ochester built the list's reputation over several decades, publishing figures such as Larry Levis, Etheridge Knight, Toi Derricotte, and many others whose work now anchors the postwar American canon; the press continues to reissue and expand on that backlist (e.g., a revised edition of Levis's Winter Stars) alongside new full-length collections each season. Pitt is unusual among poetry-book publishers for its scale and consistency: it releases a substantial slate of poetry titles every spring and fall, distinguishing it from smaller independent presses that publish only a handful of books a year.

For most poets, the practical entry point into Pitt Poetry Series is not a general open reading period but the annual Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize, a first-book contest that reopens for submissions on a yearly cycle (the site was promoting the 2027 prize as of early 2026); beyond the prize, series titles are largely acquired by invitation or through agents, so unsolicited manuscript submissions outside the contest window are unlikely to be considered. The press does not publish specific entry-fee or prize-payment figures on its main site — poets should check the dedicated prize page each year for the current fee, deadline, and award amount — but as with other university-press poetry prizes, expect a modest reading fee and a standard book-publication contract (advance plus royalties) for the winner. The site also maintains a general 'For Authors' resource page and publishes semiannual catalogs (fall/winter and spring/summer) that list all forthcoming titles, useful for tracking the series' aesthetic range and current acquisitions.