The James Wright Poetry Festival is returning to its home in Martins Ferry, Ohio, birthplace of the prize-winning poet, April 29.
Started in 1981, a year after Wright’s death, the festival drew dozens of major poets and writers and hundreds of poetry lovers to the Ohio River town until state funding cuts shut the event down in 2008.
Pennsylvania-based poets David Swerdlow and Philip Terman, with help from David Newman of the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, have brought the festival back to life with a grant from the Ohio Arts Council.
The daylong event at the Martins Ferry Public Library features the poet’s biographer, Jonathan Blunk, and poet David Baker, author of 13 poetry collections and longtime editor of The Kenyon Review. The festival opens at 8:30 a.m. Blunk’s lecture is at 11 a.m. and Baker reads his work at 4 p.m.
For the full schedule: www.ohiopoetryassn.org.
Wright won the 1972 Pulitzer Prize for poetry. His collected works, “Above the River,” was published in 1992, drawing on his six books of poetry. His son Franz is also an award-winning poet who died in 2015.
Most importantly: Where are you located, what are your hours, and do you have a particular focus in terms of the Read more
This just in from our friends at WCoNA: "To provide additional preparation time, we’ve extended the deadline to submit a Read more
One of our favorite local authors, Joshua David Bellin (author, most recently, of MYRIAD) just let us know that he's Read more
From City Books’ website: "About the Residency The City Books Writer’s Residency offers flexible access to a comfortable, creative space within Read more
Altoona, PA—The WCoNA Writers Conference of Northern Appalachia® (here and after WCoNA) is pleased to announce a call for nominations Read more
From Parsec (Pittsburgh's premier Science Fiction & Fantasy Organization): "The theme of Parsec Ink’s 2025 Triangulation anthology is Dark Hearts. Read more
From Prime Stage Theatre: According to Shakepeare’s melancholy prince Hamlet, “The play is the thing, wherein I'll catch the conscience Read more
Littsburgh has always been a “nights and weekends” passion project, ever since we started the site back in 2015. We Read more
New York Times-bestselling author Patrick Radden Keefe will be featured at The Peters Township Library Foundation’s seventh annual Novel November Read more
"Founded in 2007 and sponsored by Madwomen in the Attic, the Patricia Dobler Poetry Award was created to honor the Read more
From the Publisher: "An eyewitness to a murder calls the Pittsburgh police from one of the city’s 446 bridges, then Read more
In case you missed the latest email from White Whale, they're currently hiring ("which we really don’t do very often!"). Read more
From the Publisher: "With Every Step That I Take is a collection of poems exploring a rebuilt relationship with Christianity..." Read more
This just in from our friends at Write Pittsburgh: "We are now accepting applications for our teen writing programs, Rule Read more
From the Publisher: “Bye, Ocean! We love you!” the little girl sang along, a big smile on her face, because Read more
From our friends at Pennwriters, Inc: What Makes A Writer's Road Trip Mini Conference Unique? • We offer industry experts, Read more
As part of its fourth year, the Books Books Books author event in Lancaster, PA this year will be welcoming Read more
From the Publisher: "We are proud to announce the release of John Repp’s Star Shine in the Pines, the first title Read more
"‘Generosity’ is the word that first comes to mind whenever I think of Philip Terman’s poetry. My Blossoming Everything may Read more
Announcing the Bridge LIT Fest— August 10–Venango Campus in Oil City, PA "Join us for a day of writing and Read more
