Founded in 1936 with funding from the A. W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust, the Buhl Foundation, the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania, and the University of Pittsburgh. The Press publishes books in several academic areas and in poetry and short fiction, while maintaining a commitment to publishing books about Pittsburgh and western Pennsylvania for general readers, scholars, and students. Special poetry series include the Pitt Poetry Series, the Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize, and the Drue Heinz Literature Prize, along with a featured Poem of the Month.

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