About
Daniel Pollack-Pelzner teaches English and theater at Portland State University. His articles about playwrights from Shakespeare to Quiara Alegría Hudes have appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and The New York Times. His pandemic spoof, "What Shakespeare Actually Did During the Plague," was adapted into an Emmy-winning broadcast for PBS, and his New Yorker profile of Cherokee playwright and lawyer Mary Kathryn Nagle is being adapted into a feature documentary. Born and raised in Portland, he received his B.A. in History from Yale and his Ph.D. in English from Harvard. He met his wife in their elementary-school production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream"; they now live in Portland with their two children.
Featured Work
Lin-Manuel Miranda: The Education of an Artist
How did Lin-Manuel Miranda become the preeminent musical storyteller of the 21st century? Daniel Pollack-Pelzner traces Miranda's path from a friendly but often isolated child to the winner of multiple Tonys and Grammys for his Broadway hits Hamilton and In the Heights and his songs in Disney's Moana and Encanto.
Drawing on over 150 interviews with Miranda's family, friends and mentors, and Miranda himself, Pollack-Pelzner delves into the formative experiences that shaped Miranda's artistic vision. From his early musicals in high school to the creation of his professional masterpieces, this book reveals the sources of Miranda's creativity - not only as innate genius, but as a result of exceptional openness and collaboration.
Other Works
Press and Media Mentions
- "A comprehensive and heartfelt look at one of the most talented and visionary minds of this generation and a reminder of how one person’s voice, when nurtured, can genuinely change the world." --Library Journal (starred review)
- "An enthralling portrait of an artist whose genius has captivated the world." --Kirkus (starred review)
