A member of the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg faculty was recognized with two of the most prestigious prizes in American Literature.
Dave Newman, assistant professor of Creative & Professional Writing at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, was awarded a Pushcart Prize for his story, “The Last Things That Happened Before I Became A Med Tech.”
The Pushcart Prize, an American literary prize published by Pushcart Press, honors the best poetry, short fiction, essays, or literary whatnot published by small presses during the previous year. Approximately 8,000 editors from around the world are allowed to submit up to six pieces for consideration.
“The chance of winning this prestigious literary award is well below one percent,” said John Prellwitz, chair of the Humanities Division at Pitt-Greensburg.
Newman also won the Rattle Readers’ Choice Award for his poem, “I’m Trying to Lead This Old-Timey Veteran.” He also was one of 10 finalists out of 5,169 submissions for the Rattle Poetry Prize. In the author’s note published with the poem, Newman wrote:
“In my late 30s, I went back to school and got a master’s degree in social work. I worked at the veterans hospital in Pittsburgh for years. It was a great environment, filled with really thoughtful employees and patients who appreciated the care. But, like most good things, it often fell apart. Working at the VA really amplified what I’ve always been interested in writing about—the joys and frustrations of daily living and the tax that takes on working folks.”
As prolific as he is accomplished, Newman has a six-page section of his curriculum vitae that lists the poems, anthologies, magazine articles, panels, and other publications. The author of 10 books, he most recently has had three full-length book collections published: Better than the Best American Poetry (Roadside Press, 2025), How To Live Like Li Po In Pittsburgh (J.New Books, 2024), and She Throws Herself Forward to Stop the Fall (Roadside Books, 2024).
“At Pitt-Greensburg, we are very proud of Professor Newman’s many literary contributions,” said Robert Gregerson, PhD, president of the campus. “Receiving the Pushcart Prize and Rattle Readers’ Choice Award in the same year is an amazing recognition of the quality and impact of his work. Our students are very fortunate to learn from such an accomplished writer!”
Other highlights of Newman’s work include The Slaughterhouse Poems (White Gorilla Press, 2013), named one of the best books of the year by L Magazine. His poems, essays, and stories have appeared in magazines and journals around the world, including Ambit (U.K.), Tears In The Fence (U.K.), Gulf Stream, Belt, and the legendary Nerve Cowboy. He appeared in the PBS documentary narrated by Rick Sebak about Pittsburgh writers.
Newman, whose story, “You Never Loved Him,” was optioned for a film, is a 1993 graduate of Pitt-Greensburg and the recipient of the 2024 Pitt-Greensburg Alumnus of Distinction Award, which acknowledges excellence among the campus’s alumni. He graduated with a BA in English Writing and went on to pursue an MSW and an MFA from the University of Pittsburgh.
His greatest passion, in addition to his own exploration of working-class topics and characters in his work, is to help working-class writers through workshops and mentoring. He has guided many Pittsburgh writers to book-length publications, including Sarah Shotland (JUNKETT), Richard Gegick (GREASY HANDSHAKES), Vessa Yankevitch (BRONZER ALERT), and more.
That passion for mentoring other writers is also illustrated by the proliferation of Pitt-Greensburg students who are having their work published in national literary publications. He also serves as advisor to the Pendulum Literary Magazine and the Creative Writing Club. Among his on-campus projects is the Literary Publishing Class, which publishes chapbook-length books by award-winning national poets and writers, as well as the Voices reading series and the Pitt-Greensburg Writers Festival, which brings nationally acclaimed writers to campus for a weeklong celebration of writers and writing. The Writers Festival also provides an opportunity for student-writers to read their polished work in a public venue and in the company of these nationally acclaimed writers.
Newman is a resident of Trafford, PA, with his wife, the writer and fellow Pitt-Greensburg faculty member Lori Jakiela.