Two editors from major New York book publishers discuss how a book moves from manuscript to finished product. They will also talk about how to break into book publishing, how to get a book published and anything else you want to know about the industry.

Jenny Xu  is a Senior Editor at Atria Books. She began her career at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and was most recently an Editor at Harper and Ecco. Jenny acquires a broad range of literary and commercial nonfiction and the occasional poetry collection, with a particular focus on illuminating more overlooked aspects of history and culture, and work that balances the personal with broader narratives.

Caitlin McKenna is the editorial director of fiction at Random House, where she acquires and edits a wide range of fiction and narrative nonfiction. Writers Caitlin works with have won or been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize, the Women’s Prize, the Carol Shield Prize, the Windham-Campbell Prize, Edgar Awards, PEN Awards, NBCC Awards, Lambda Awards, World Fantasy Awards, Shirley Jackson Awards, and more. She lives in New Haven, CT with her family.

Sponsors: English Dept., Pittsburgh Contemporary Writers Series & Undergraduate Studies Dean's Office