On Thursday February 27 from 7:30-9:00 p.m. Pitt is hosting Julie Murphy (author of Dumplin' and other bestselling YA books) and Alessandra Balzer (co-publisher of Balzer + Bray) for An Evening about Young Adult Writing and Publishing, moderated by Siobhan Vivian. The event will be held at the Frick Fine Arts Center, 650 Schenley Drive, Pittsburgh. Books will be available for purchase and signing afterwards. Please see below for more details about our guests and the event.
Julie Murphy is the New York Times bestselling author of the young adult books Side Effects May Vary, Dumplin’, Ramona Blue, and Puddin’. Dumplin’ was recently made into a Netflix film starring Jennifer Aniston. Her new book, Dear Sweet Pea, will be out in October 2019. A former librarian, she lives in North Texas.
Alessandra Balzer is co-publisher of the HarperCollins Publishers’ young adult imprint Balzer + Bray. In addition to Murphy, her imprint’s authors include Angie Thomas (The Hate U Give), Emily Danforth (The Miseducation of Cameron Post), and Ben Philippe (The Field Guide to the North American Teenager.)
In a candid conversation, Julie and Alessandra will discuss how they got into the publishing business, explain the ins-and-outs of how their author/editor relationship functions from pitch to publication, and be available for audience questions. Following the event, Julie will be signing her books, which will be available for purchase at the event through the University Book Store.