Jeffrey Oaks, Teaching Professor Emeritus and a cherished member of the Department of English, passed away on December 20, 2023.
Professor Oaks began his career at the University of Pittsburgh as an MFA student. Graduating in 1990, he accepted a lecturer position in the English Department at Pitt shortly after and would later become a Teaching Professor. From 2011 to 2023, he served as the Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUGS) for the Writing Program (previously Assistant Director of the Writing Program). Prior to his DUGS appointment, he served as the manager of the Pittsburgh Contemporary Writers Series from 1999 to 2011.
In addition to his work at the University of Pittsburgh, Jeff was a Writer-in-Residence at the Ellis School, The Western Pennsylvania Writing Retreat, and The Western Pennsylvania Writing Project, where he conducted workshops and developed exercises for elementary, middle, and high school students, as well as teachers.
Oaks published several collections of poetry including: Mistakes with Strangers, Shift, The Moon of Books, and the Unknown Country. He also published two full-length poetry books: Little What and The Things. The Things, was published by Lily Poetry Review Books in March 2022, and Little What was published by Lily Poetry Review Books in September 2019. Jeff was a recipient of three Pennsylvania Council of the Arts fellowships. He published poems in a number of literary magazines, most recently in Best New Poets, Field, Georgia Review, Missouri Review, Superstition Review, and Tupelo Quarterly. His prose appeared in At Length, Creative Nonfiction, Fourth Genre, Kenyon Review Online, and Water~Stone Review. Both poems and prose appeared in the anthologies Brief Encounters: A Collection of Contemporary Nonfiction, and My Diva: 65 Gay Men on the Women Who Inspire Them.
Throughout his career, Jeff taught several undergraduate courses including: Introduction to Poetry Writing, Poetry Workshop, The Writer’s Journal, Book as Art, and Autobiography and the Creative Impulse. In 2008, he was awarded the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences’ Tina and David Bellet Teaching Excellence Award. This annual award recognizes outstanding and innovative teaching in undergraduate studies. In a video shared by the University, Jeff states, “The last thing I thought I really wanted to do with my life was be a teacher.” In fact, he did not relax into teaching until his third year when, “suddenly, it was fun!” Per Jeff’s students, they were grateful he’d chosen the classroom, and they unanimously agreed he was a compassionate and caring teacher. He encouraged expansion in their writing and never shied away from meeting students at their level.
Colleagues and friends remember Jeff not only for his poetry and teaching, but also for his kindness. He was a welcoming presence within the English Department and ushered many folks to the University with a smile and occasional jest. He fostered a culture of safety, and his nature encouraged vulnerability and openness. He was an advocate for all students, faculty, and staff, and he had a knack for making everyone, in and out of the classroom, feel heard.
Find Jeff’s Bellet Teaching Excellence Award video here.