We will be joined by Cameron Barnett, Robert Walicki, Fred Shaw, and Shaheen Dil as they share from their books of poetry. We hope you'll join us to hear from these local poets! Books will be available for purchase and signing at the event.
About Shaheen Dil:
Shaheen Dil is a reformed academic, banker and consultant who now devotes herself to poetry. She was born in Bangladesh, and lives in Pittsburgh. Her poems have been widely published in literary journals and anthologies, including recently in The Atlanta Review, Gyroscope Review, and CALYX Literary Journal. She has new work forthcoming in Constellations, Rune, and The Ear. Her poem “River at Night” was a winning entry in the 2021 Passager Poetry Competition. She has published two full-length books of poetry, Acts of Deference (Fakel 2016) and The Boat-maker’s Art (Kelsay Books 2024.) Shaheen is a member of the Pittsburgh Poetry Exchange, the DVP/US1 Poets, and the Porch Poets. She holds a BA from Vassar College, a master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University, and a Ph.D. from Princeton University.
About Cameron Barnett:
Cameron Barnett is a Pittsburgh poet, teacher. He’s the author of The Drowning Boy’s Guide to Water and Murmur, from Autumn House Press. His honors include the 2017 Rising Writer Prize (Autumn House Press) and in 2019 he won the Carol R. Brown Creative Achievement Award for Emerging Artist. Cameron's work explores the complexity of race, place, and relationships for Black people in America.
About Robert Walicki:
Robert Walicki's poems have appeared in over 50 journals. A two-time Pushcart and a Best of The Net nominee, Robert's chapbook. "The Almost Sound of Snow Falling was included in the exhibition catalog for New York's Poet's House, and his latest full-length poetry collection
is Fountain from Main Street Rag Press.
About Fred Shaw:
Fred Shaw was named Emerging Poet Laureate Finalist for Allegheny County in 2020. He is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, and Carlow University, where he received his MFA. He was recently named a Visiting Lecturer of Creative Writing at the University of Pittsburgh. His first collection. Scraping Away, was published by CavanKerry Press. A book reviewer and Poetry Editor for Pittsburgh Quarterly, his poem, “Argot,” is featured in the 2018 full-length documentary, Eating & Working & Eating & Working. The film focuses on the lives of local service-industry workers. His poem “Scraping Away” was selected for the PA Public Poetry Project in 2017. He lives in Pittsburgh with his wife and rescued hound dogs.