From the publisher: “When Billy Conn Fought Fritzie Zivic tells the story of boxing in its pre-television days between the First and Second World Wars and into the 1950s through poetry. Men like Harry Greb, Billy Conn, and Fritzie Zivic, and the steel city of Pittsburgh come alive in these pages. Poetry is as much history and deeds, as truth and beauty. Remember when Pittsburgh was a tough town? This is it.”
“I read it in one sitting. Exceedingly good…. (Stupp) masterfully captures the grit and street-level history of Pittsburgh, a city whose spirit has dirty fingernails.” -Springs Toledo, author of Smokestack Lightning: Harry Greb, 1919; Murderers’ Row and Cheap Seats. Contributor to Boxing News; The Ring, HBO and The Sweet Science.
About the Author: John Stupp’s third poetry collection Pawleys Island was published in 2017. His manuscript Summer Job won the 2017 Cathy Smith Bowers Poetry Prize and was published in August 2018. He lives near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. From 1975-1985 he worked professionally as a mediocre jazz guitarist. When Billy Conn Fought Fritzie Zivic is now available to pre-order from Red Flag Poetry.
Season’s Greetings
It was the Roaring 20’s
the Jazz Age
and Santa Claus was there
with the steel workers
miners
brickies
from Lawrenceville
and East Liberty
and Braddock
to see the legendary Garfield man
Harry Greb
pound for pound the greatest fighter
who ever lived
face Tommy Loughran
at Motor Square Garden
on Christmas day 1923
this was a gift
hung by a chimney with care
and Harry didn’t disappoint
he turned Mr. Loughran from Philadelphia
into Christmas pudding
and chased him around the ring
our city can beat your city
the great brass section of the crowd roared
you could hear them up and down Baum Boulevard
as Loughran’s bloody teeth
found the balcony
Pittsburgh is the toughest city in the world
the bookies crowed
all heroes now
while outside
the coke ovens and furnaces burned for miles in the dark
and the snow was busy punching
the Ohio River in the mouth
over and over
with no ref to stop the carnage
This excerpt from When Billy Conn Fought Fritzie Zivic is published here courtesy of the author and should not be reproduced without permission.
From the Publisher: "In this “smart, irreverent secret history” (Stewart O’Nan) Sewickley set novel by highly praised Pittsburgh native author Anna Read more
From the Publisher: "In his debut collection of nonfiction, Jim Daniels writes about trees, backyard swing sets, above-ground swimming pools, Read more
From the Publisher: "Imagine that you are a child who was born in a large family, and during your childhood, Read more
"The City of Pittsburgh, with funding through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), is launching the Support for Artists Grant Read more
Littsburgh's founder Rachel Ekstrom Courage (now a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author!) recently stopped by KDKA to Read more
"Applications are now open for Read Local Eat Local 2025! This is event is on Saturday, September 6, from 11 Read more
PITTSBURGH — Prime Stage Theatre celebrates its 29th season with three world premieres commissioned from three Pittsburgh playwrights: Nov. 7-16, 2025 – Mr. Read more
PITTSBURGH, PA – It’s time to book your spot! Registration for the 2025 Greater Pittsburgh Festival of Books is officially Read more
From the Publisher: "The Mackenzies and the Flahertys, two of the founding families of Port Kenneth, TN, have been feuding Read more
"The Northern Appalachia Review welcomes submissions of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction written about, representing, or engaging with the experience of Read more
But this too is true: stories can save us The writer Tim O’Brien calls storytelling an essential human activity. "The Read more
"'Where do you end and I begin?' is the question which haunts Shaheen Dil’s remarkable memoir-in-poems. Dil’s journey is at Read more
"A poignant memoir exploring small town baseball as a lens into what’s right and wrong with modern America—written by an Read more
From the Publisher: "In 1958, a midwestern family was uprooted from Canton, Ohio to Bukavu in the Belgian Congo during Read more
"From New York Times bestselling author Marie Benedict and Courtney Sheinmel comes a historical adventure about a young girl plucked Read more
From the Publisher: "It’s Anny’ s first day of middle school and, after years of being homeschooled, her first day Read more
We're happy to share that Pittsburgh's International Poetry forum is sharing their latest events and performances on YouTube, where you Read more
Loretto, PA. March 10, 2025 — The WCoNA Writers Conference of Northern Appalachia® is pleased to announce Deep and Wild: Read more
ALL SKATE: True Stories from Middle Life is a series of musings from one mid-life woman, wife, and mother on what Read more
What inspired you to write Good in Theory? My inspiration for Good in Theory came from so many different places. Read more
