Richard Poirier (born Gloucester, Massachusetts, September 9, 1925, died New York City, August 15, 2009) was an American literary critic.
He co-founded of the Library of America, and served as chairman of its Board. He was Marius Bewley Professor of American and English Literature (emeritus) at Rutgers University, and the editor (emeritus) of Raritan, a literary quarterly. He was also an editor of Partisan Review.