Penn State Altoona professor’s poetry book places first in PA Press Club contest

ALTOONA, Pa. - Erin Murphy, professor of English at Penn State Altoona, received first place in the Pennsylvania Press Club's 2026 annual communications contest for her latest book of poems, "Human Resources."

"Human Resources," published by Grayson Books in 2025, is a collection of documentary poetry about labor and employment. In her review in Plume magazine, Jennifer A. Sutherland writes that the book "engages with work performed in fields, in ramshackle warehouses, and on assembly lines, spoken in the voices of the workers themselves in many cases," adding that the poems "are thoughtful, layered, and, for the right reasons, heartbreaking."

Founded in 1937, the Pennsylvania Press Club is an affiliate of the National Federation of Press Women. The club has forwarded Murphy's book to the national organization for another round of competition with first-place entries from other state affiliates, the winners of which will be announced in June.