Peter Oresick ( ; September 8, 1955 – September 3, 2016) was an American

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

. Oresick was best known as the editor of '' Working Classics'', a landmark literary

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors. In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically categ ...

working-class The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colou ...

poetry, and as a publisher. He served in senior positions in literary,

scholarly The scholarly method or scholarship is the body of principles and practices used by scholars and academics to make their claims about the subject as valid and trustworthy as possible, and to make them known to the scholarly public. It is the met ...

, and technical publishing from 1981 to 2004 at the

University of Pittsburgh Press The University of Pittsburgh Press is a scholarly publishing house and a major American university press, part of the University of Pittsburgh. The university and the press are located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The press ...

, the

Graphic Arts Technical Foundation Graphic Arts Technical Foundation is a nonprofit, scientific, technical, and educational organization which promotes the technological advancement of the printing industry worldwide. The Foundation fulfills its missions through its five divisio ...

, and

Printing Industries of America Printing Industries of America was a nonprofit trade association which advocates for the United States printing industry. It was the world’s largest graphic arts trade association, representing more than 6,500 member companies and an industry w ...

. In 2010, he became editor-in-chief of the literary magazine '' The Fourth River''. Oresick earned his

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

and M.F.A. at the University of Pittsburgh. He taught at

Emerson College Emerson College is a private college with its main campus in Boston, Massachusetts. It also maintains campuses in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California and Well, Limburg, Netherlands ( Kasteel Well). Founded in 1880 by Charles Wesley Emerson as a ...

, the

Tepper School of Business The Tepper School of Business is the business school of Carnegie Mellon University. It is located in the university's campus in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US. The school offers degrees from the undergraduate through doctoral levels, in addition t ...

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...

Chatham University Chatham University is a private university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Originally founded as a women's college, it began enrolling men in undergraduate programs in 2015. It enrolls about 2,110 students, including 1,002 undergraduate students an ...

, the University of Pittsburgh, and the

Pittsburgh High School for the Creative and Performing Arts Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts 6–12 (CAPA) is a magnet school located in the Cultural District of Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. CAPA is one of four 6th to 12th grade schools in the Pittsburgh Public Schools. It was formed from a m ...

. Oresick resided in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

. He died on 3 September 2016 at the age of 60 from cancer.Obituary: Peter Oresick / Prolific poet, publisher, printer, painter
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Published works

Poetry

* ''Iconoscope: New and Selected Poems'', poetry (Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2015). * ''To a Museum Guard at Shift Change'', poetry (Chicago: West North Press, 2012). * '' Warhol-o-rama'', poetry (Pittsburgh: Carnegie Mellon University Press, 2008). * '' For a Living: The Poetry of Work'', (co-editor with Nicholas Coles), poetry anthology (Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1995). * ''Fermi Buffalo'', by Louise McNeil (posthumously), (editor), poetry (Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1994). * '' The Pittsburgh Book of Contemporary American Poetry'', (co-editor with Ed Ochester), poetry anthology (Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1993). * ''Despite the Plainness of Day: Love Poems'', by David Ignatow, (co-editor with Anthony Petrosky), poetry (Pittsburgh: Mill Hunk Books, 1991). * '' Working Classics: Poems on Industrial Life'', (co-editor with Nicholas Coles), poetry anthology (Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1990). * ''Definitions'', poetry (Albuquerque: West End Press, 1990). * ''An American Peace'', (Foreword by Gerald Stern) poetry (Minneapolis: Shadow Press USA, 1985) * ''Other Lives'', poetry (Easthampton: Adastra Press, 1985). * ''The Story of Glass'', poetry (Cambridge: West End Press, 1977).

Sources

*''Contemporary Authors Online''. The Gale Group, 2006. PEN (Permanent Entry Number): 0000074923.

References

External links

Interview with Oresick about Andy Warhol
in ''

Pop City ''Pop City'' was a weekly online magazine whose content focused on news and features about Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The content focused on talent, innovation, diversity, and environment. The magazine was published between 2006 and 2015. History ...

'' Magazine {{DEFAULTSORT:Oresick, Peter 1955 births 2016 deaths People from Armstrong County, Pennsylvania People from Ford City, Pennsylvania American male poets Writers from Pittsburgh University of Pittsburgh alumni Carnegie Mellon University faculty Chatham University faculty Emerson College faculty University of Pittsburgh faculty