Brian Broome


Brian Broome is an American memoirist, poet, and screenwriter from Ohio. He is best known for his award-winning memoir ''Punch Me Up to the Gods.''

Education and career

Broome received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Chatham University and his Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Pittsburgh, where he also worked as a K. Leroy Irvis Fellow and an instructor in the Writing Program. His first full-length book, Punch Me Up to the Gods, was purchased by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt while he was still a student.
Broome currently writes for The Washington Post and is a Writer in Residence at St. Mary’s College in Moraga, California.

Awards

In 2021, Broome was named Pittsburgh's Person of the Year in the Literature category.
YearWorkAwardResultRef.
2018"Gravel"Martin Luther King, Jr. Writing Award for College ProseWinner
2019“In the Hypocrisy of the Opioid Epidemic, White Means Victim, Black Means Addict”Vann Award for Online/Health-Science-EnvironmentWinner
2020"Garbage"Cortada Short Film Festival's Audience Choice AwardWinner
2020"Garbage"Portland Short FestSemi-finalist
2021Punch Me Up to the GodsKirkus Prize for NonfictionWinner
2022Punch Me Up to the GodsIsrael Fishman Non-Fiction AwardHonor
2022Punch Me Up to the GodsLambda Literary Award for Gay Memoir or BiographyWinner
2022Punch Me Up to the GodsRandy Shilts Award for Gay NonfictionWinner