Best Local Poets In Pittsburgh
Joseph Bathanti
You couldn't find a truer Pittsburgh voice than Joseph Bathanti. He grew up in Pittsburgh's East Liberty neighborhood and his father worked at the Edgar Thomson Steel Works plant in Braddock. Much of Bathanti's poetry reflects those deep Pittsburgh roots. He's the author of six books of poetry, including Communion Partners, Anson County, The Feast of All Saints and This Metal. Bathanti's prose is also worth a look. He's written novels including East Liberty and Coventry, as well as a short story collection The High Heart. Bathanti currently teaches creative writing at Appalachian State University in North Carolina.
Jan Beatty
Jan Beatty is one of Pittsburgh's most respected poets. She's the head of Carlow University's writing program, and she also directs a series of writing workshops called Madwomen in the Attic. Beatty has written several prize-winning collections including Red Sugar, Boneshaker and Mad River. She also hosts a public radio show on NPR affiliate, WYEP-FM in Pittsburgh.
Terrance Hayes
Though born and raised in South Carolina, Terrance Hayes now calls Pittsburgh his home. He's on the faculty at Carnegie Mellon University. Hayes is a prize-winning poet, having published four books of poetry and counting. His most recent works include Lighthead and Hip Logic.
Judith Vollmer
Judith Vollmer is a lifelong Pittsburgh resident. Like many others, you'll also find Vollmer on staff at a local university, the University of Pittsburgh campus in Greensburg. She teaches poetry, specializing in nature writing and political poetry. Vollmer has published four books of poetry, including Reactor, Black Butterfly and The Door Open to the Fire.
Patricia Dobler
The late Patricia Dobler, known in the Pittsburgh poetry community as Pat, wasn't born here, but she spent much of her writing life here. Dobler wrote at least four books of poetry, including UXB, Talking to Strangers and Forget Your Life. Before her death in 2004, Dobler also taught writing classes at Carlow University and directed its Women's Creative Writing Center. Her final poetry book, Collected Poems, was published posthumously a year after her death.
