Pittsburgh, PA: Robin Becker’s forthcoming collection of poetry, Tiger Heron, is brimming with keen observations and vivid descriptions. She “looks straight at the failures of our human species, yet never loses her compassion or reduces the complexities and paradoxes to easy conclusions,” said award-winning poet Ellen Bass. “Deftly, precisely, these poems express their wisdom in lines that surprise and delight. They are clear as open windows through which we see our lives.”

Tiger Heron will be published by the University of Pittsburgh Press in spring 2014. Maxine Kumin described the work as “self-confident” poems deserving of close reading.

Becker, professor of English and women’s studies at Pennsylvania State University, is the author of seven previous poetry collections, including Domain of Perfect Affection; The Horse Fair; All-American Girl, winner of the Lambda Literary Award; and Giacometti’s Dog. In 2002, the Frick Art and Historical Center in Pittsburgh published Venetian Blue, a limited edition chapbook of Becker’s art poems.

The Philadelphia native is the recipient of fellowships from the Bunting Institute, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts. In 2000, she received the George W. Atheron Award for Excellence in Teaching from Penn State, and served as the Penn State laureate from 2010-2011. Becker served as poetry editor for the Women’s Review of Books from 1986 to 2004.

Report by Maria Sticco