Carlynton alum, Ross resident publishes first collection; poems focus on work in food service industry

By day, he’s a professor of literature. By night, he’s one of countless food service workers taking orders, delivering meals and clearing dishes.

Fred Shaw merges those worlds in his first published poetry collection, “Scraping Away.”

“It’s a focus on the physical world, letting readers … drop into the world of waiting tables, taking readers behind the scenes,” Shaw said.

Shaw, who teaches writing and literature at Point Park and Carlow universities, is a book reviewer and the poetry editor for Pittsburgh Quarterly. But he hasn’t given up his night job, working as a waiter at Revival on Lincoln in Bellevue.

“Sometimes it gets to be too much, between both universities and the restaurant and writing,” said Shaw, who lives in Ross Township with wife Kristina. “But if someone would have told me 15 years ago I would have a book published, I would have taken that deal in a second.”

The collection was born when Shaw was enrolled in the graduate writing program at Carlow. Having started in the service industry as a teen at Papa J’s, then gaining experience in restaurants around the region and in New Orleans, it felt natural to write about that world. And, he knew, it was something with which many could relate.

“There are 15 million (food) service industry workers, so many people have done the work, even if only for a summer,” he said.

He appreciates the work and what it’s done for his life and his writing. It’s introduced him to different cuisines and cultures, put cash in his pocket and led him to conversations with many people who’ve shared many stories.

While youth and family and Pittsburgh are prominent subjects in “Scraping Away,” the meat is the job, the people who toil alongside him and those he encounters in front of house.

In the title piece, Shaw pulls readers from their seats, through the door and into the kitchen as he and his peers crowd around fallen cuisine.

“Once, when we were new, a plate of seafood/ crashed to the kitchen tiles and became the first scallops/ some of us had ever tried, scraping away/ the broken to save the unscathed…”

Shaw understands the perception that poetry is too intellectual or tedious for regular consumption — thoughts he once had. So, he said, it’s important that his work is accessible.

“Growing up in Pittsburgh, with a grandfather who worked in the mills in the South Side, there’s this mythical quality … something about growing up in places like Carnegie, where everything is grounded in the physical world,” he said. “As opposed to ‘neck up’ poetry, that’s what I set out to do in my work — make sure it’s grounded in the physical world.”

A 1990 Carlynton graduate, Shaw said he wasn’t a great student, but always had his head in a book.

With their voracity for reading, his parents — mother Julie still lives in Rosslyn Heights, and father Fred died 16 years ago — unwittingly passed along their love of the written word.

“It was never so much being pushed to read, but it was a natural thing. My father always had a book open. … and Mom would read whatever was around,” said Shaw.

As an undergraduate at Pitt, his initial intention was to study “science-related” things. Then he enrolled in a few writing classes.

“They were not super pleased when I changed from geology to poetry,” Shaw said of his parents. “But they kind of placed the kernels of whatever would ultimately happen by emphasizing writing.”

Shaw eventually earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees, all the while writing and waiting tables.

John King, managing partner of Revival on Lincoln, is not only a fan of Shaw’s work ethic and talent, but his authenticity. He said Shaw’s book is a true reflection of life in the restaurant business.

“I think he shares himself with other people through his poetry. That’s part of what makes him a nice person,” said King. “He lets you into his life, and makes you really comfortable.”

As restrictions ease and Shaw can return to both his restaurant and teaching jobs, he continues to carve out writing time. He doesn’t expect to become a household name or make millions through writing.

“But it’s a labor of love. At some point in time, I said I wanted to write a book and I had no idea how to go about doing that,” he said. “It’s interesting, teaching. Some students think there’s a career in writing that’s going to be a yellow brick road. But it’s about getting out into the world and hoping it makes some impact on people’s lives.”

“Scraping Away” and a reading by Shaw, is available at www.cavankerrypress.org/product/scraping-away/.