There are so many great Pittsburgh poets, screenwriters, playwrights, and authors of fiction and nonfiction. Here’s a quick list—by no means comprehensive—of writers who are either from the ‘burgh, lived here for a time, or have set their work in our fine city. Please let me know of any authors you’d like to add.

Rachel Carson

Silent Spring…  

Michael Chabon

The Mysteries of Pittsburgh*, Wonder Boys*, Werewolves in their Youth: Stories,A Model World and Other Stories, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, Summerland,The Final Solution: A Story of Detection… 

Willa Cather

My Antonia, O Pioneers!, Death Comes for the Archbishop…

Annie Dillard

An American Childhood*, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek,Teaching a Stone to Talk, For the Time Being,The Writing Life and more … 

Patricia Dobler

Talking to Strangers*, Collected Poems…

Anne Gibbons

The First Human: The Race to Discover Our Earliest Ancestors…

Samuel Hazo

The Pittsburgh That Stays Within You, Holy Surprise of Right Now,One Poem at a Time…

Magaret Hodges

Saint George and the Dragon*,If You Had a Horse, and over 50 more children’s books…

David McCullough

John Adams, Truman, The Johnstown Flood…

Nathaniel Philbrick

In The Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex,Sea of Glory…

August Wilson

Fences*, The Piano Lesson, Jitney, King Hedley II,Three Plays, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom…