Young Adult Sci-Fi Novelists Bruce Coville, Tamora Pierce Kick Off Lecture Series

Carnegie Mellon University will debut a new series of lectures -- free and open to the public -- [...]

By Russ Burlingame

Carnegie Mellon University will debut a new series of lectures -- free and open to the public -- by authors of young adult literature in conjunction with Parsec, Pittsburgh's Premier science fiction and fantasy organization, and the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA).

Bruce Coville and Tamora Pierce will be discussing the cultural phenomenon of young adult science fiction and fantasy.

Coville has published over 100 books, which have appeared in more than a dozen countries around the world. Among his most popular titles are his Unicorn Chronicles series, My Teacher Is an Alien series and the Magic Shop series. More than 16 million copies of his books have been sold.

Pierce has been publishing magical fantasies since the mid-1980s and is known for her powerful female heroes in secondary worlds. Her works empower teens, especially girls. Her series include Song of the Lioness, The Immortals, Protector of the Small, Trickster, Beka Cooper, The Circle Opens and Circle of Magic.

The event will take place Sunday, July 27 at 5 p.m. in the Jared L. Cohon University Center's McConomy Auditorium. A meet-and-greet and book signing in Rangos 1 and 2 will follow at 6 p.m. Parking is free in CMU's East Campus Garage.

Pittsburgh fantasy author Jonathan Auxier (The Night Gardener) will host a writing workshop, "THE RIGHT (WO)MAN FOR THE JOB: crafting a hero to fit your fantastic world," from 2 to 4 p.m. prior to the lecture series. Registration is required for the workshop only, along with a $10 suggested donation.

Parsec is a local, 501c3, non-profit, literary organization celebrating its 30th anniversary. SFWA is the international organization of professional speculative fiction writers. This is the first of three lectures planned each year (in the spring, summer and fall). The lecture series is supported by CMU's new ProSEED/Crosswalk grant program.

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