American Shorts, the literary series that takes over when the Drue Heinz Lectures season ends, is into community cooperation this year.

It's working with Pittsburgh arts and advocacy groups -- the Carnegie Museum of Art, Creative Nonfiction, Cities of Refuge and Persad -- to offer a variety of writers and readers in its six-program schedule.

Two programs will focus on city milestones this year -- the town's 250th anniversary and the 55th Carnegie International, the prestigious art exhibition of the Art Museum.

Two other readings will feature major writers Mark Doty, Francisco Goldman and Horacio Castellanos Moya.

The series' opener Thursday is a team effort on America's pastime with Creative Nonfiction's Lee Gutkind, co-editor of "Anatomy of Baseball," an anthology of writing on the game (Southern Methodist University Press, $22.50).

At the mike will be Pirates' broadcaster Lanny Frattare, accompanied by anthology contributor and sports book author Stefan Fatsis and Gutkind.

Baseball historian Rob Ruck gets in the game, introducing his documentary film, "Kings on the Hill," a chronicle of the Negro League in Pittsburgh.

The Pittsburgh Banjo Club rounds out the team. The action starts at 7:30 p.m. in the Carnegie Library Lecture Hall, Oakland.

Poet and memoir-writer Doty headlines the June 20 program, "Passages of Gay Pride: Literature That Has Inspired the Gay Community."

Co-sponsoring the reading is Persad Center.

A professor of creative writing at the University of Houston, Doty this year published his sixth poetry collection, "Fire to Fire," as well as the paperback edition of his latest memoir, "Dog Years."

Also on the program is "Freeheld: The Laura Hester Story," winner of this year's Academy Award for best short documentary film.

The event is at 7:30 p.m. in the New Hazlett Theater, North Side.

Sept. 11 focuses on Central America and its legacy of violence, as described by novelists Moya and Goldman. Joining with the Cities of Refuge Pittsburgh, the series examines "An Incident of Human Rights."

In exile from his native El Salvador, Moya has just published his first novel in English, "Senselessness," from New Directions Press. He's in residence with the Pittsburgh chapter.

Goldman, initially a fiction writer with "The Long Night of White Chickens," last year detailed the assassination of Catholic Bishop Juan Geradi Conedera of Guatemala in his nonfiction work, "The Art of Political Murder."

The New Hazlett is the venue for the 7:30 p.m. program which includes guitarist John Marcinizyn.

"Pittsburgh in Words" is a Creative Nonfiction project collecting essays about the town as the city marks 250 years.

The seven winning entries will be read at the New Hazlett starting at 7:30 p.m. Oct 2.

The Carnegie International's theme, "Life on Mars," takes center stage Nov. 6 in the final program of the year.

The evening combines readings and films by artists in the exhibition. A party at the art museum follows the program at the Carnegie Library Lecture Hall at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for this program are $15 and include admission to the art show.

Tickets for the other events are $10 each. Season subscription is $45. To order, call 412-622-8866 or online at www. pittsburghlectures.org.\