Daniel Pollack-Pelzner

Friends, I'm thrilled to share that my biography of @lin_manuel is available to pre-order from @simonandschuster before its Sep 9 release. I interviewed LMM and 150 of his inspirations about how he learned to become an artist. Hope the story inspires you! (Link in bio.)

We’re living in Act 2. When Lin-Manuel Miranda first imagined Hamilton, it wasn’t just a story about the past. It was a reflection on ambition, power, and what happens after the promise of a new beginning. In this clip, Daniel Pollack-Pelzner shares how the show captures both the hope of building something new and the tension that follows when that vision is tested. @danielpollackpelzner @lin_manuel From coalition-building to conflict, from possibility to consequence— it’s a story that feels uncomfortably familiar. 🎥 Watch Lin-Manuel Miranda: The Education of an Artist on our YouTube channel. #linmanuelmiranda #hamilton #theater #storytelling #culture

Why sensitivity isn’t weakness. Before Lin-Manuel Miranda became the artist we know today, his emotional depth was something he carried everywhere. @lin_manuel In this clip, Daniel Pollack-Pelzner shares how vulnerability and feeling deeply became a creative strength. @danielpollackpelzner 🎥 Watch Lin-Manuel Miranda: The Education of an Artist on our YouTube channel. #linmanuelmiranda #hamilton #musical #biography #music

This week, author @danielpollackpelzner and Jennifer Schuessler of The New York Times sat down for a fascinating discussion of Pollack-Pelzner’s new book, Lin-Manuel Miranda: The Education of an Artist, published by @simonandschuster . Presented with the Leon Levy Center for Biography. Video coming soon! (Photos: Paula Vlodkowsky) #biography #broadway #musicaltheater #hamilton #intheheights

NY/NJ friends, I’m excited to head east next week for a couple of book events, and I’d love to see you there. First, on Wednesday, March 11, at 6:30 pm, I’m speaking at the Center for Biography at @thegraduatecenter CUNY, in conversation with the wonderful New York Times culture reporter Jennifer Schuessler: https://www.gc.cuny.edu/events/lin-manuel-miranda-education-artist-daniel-pollack-pelzner-conversation-jennifer-schuessler Then, on Thursday, March 12, at 6 pm, I’ll be at the @jaulishu Latino Institute at Seton Hall University, with a Q&A especially for students interested in the arts: https://events.shu.edu/event/46284-book-event-with-daniel-pollack-pelzner

🎭 Before the awards, Lin-Manuel Miranda was shaped. What influences helped shape one of the most influential voices in modern musical theater? Join author Daniel Pollack-Pelzner and New York Times culture reporter Jennifer Schuessler for a conversation about Lin-Manuel Miranda: The Education of an Artist and the forces, culture, and education that helped define his creative voice. @danielpollackpelzner 📅 March 11, 2026 ⏰ 6:30 PM Discover the story behind the artist. #linmanuelmiranda #artsandculture #authortalk #hamilton #nyc

D.C. friends, I'm coming your way next month! Thrilled to join my dear college pal @stephenfishbach at @politicsprose on Sunday, March 8. We'll probably talk more prose than politics; Stephen's thrilling debut novel, ESCAPE!, just came out and is already a bestseller. Set among the contestants and producers of a reality TV show on a tropical island, it's the most entertaining book I've read this year, and also the most psychologically astute. Can't wait to chat with Stephen about publishing a first book at two-score-and-six, finding Shakespearean resonances in American pop culture, and shaping reality into a compelling narrative.

Can I tell you what a thrill it was at the majestic @guthrietheater in the middle of besieged Minneapolis in the freezing depths of midwinter to see the bravery and artistry and care with which @ailermonster (the very first Nina in the Wesleyan production of IN THE HEIGHTS) took the stage, after not having sung in public for years, and shared with us Nina’s original ballad, “I Fell in Love on a Saturday,” so that we could learn about the education of the marvelous @lin_manuel ? To witness Aileen sing the the pants off a number she first performed when she was an undergrad, on a program with fantastic current @umntwincities BFA students singing the glorious HEIGHTS and HAMILTON numbers we now know, was deeply moving—a reminder of the power of great music to create space for joy and community when we need it most. Thank you, Aileen.

Oh, hey, there! Hope you're protesting and only buying what's 100% necessary and/or making purchases from businesses who are donating their profits to fight the good fight, like @morningglorycafeeugene donating 100% of profits today to fight the good fight. Anyway, here we are, and what a joy to share @danielpollackpelzner as we recorded our first live podcast of 2026 @gratitudebeer here in Eugene, in partnership with the @nwreview . Daniel wrote THE #biography on Lin-Manuel Miranda, @simonandschuster , so I hope you'll earmark it (see what I did there?) for later. #creativenonfictionwriters #creativenonfictionwriting #creativenonfiction #longform #longformjournalism #reporting #writing #writingcommunity #writingtips #writinglife ​​#NonfictionBooks #bookstagram #nonfiction #bookrecommendations #pitch #querying #freelancepitching #writingquotes

Wow, I'm moved and a little bit in awe that my hosts in Minneapolis this coming weekend, Sonja Kuftinec and Lezlie Cross, are committed to making space for singing, gathering, and reflection, in addition to their work protesting, documenting, and providing mutual aid. Students from the University of Minnesota are going to perform @lin_manuel songs from IN THE HEIGHTS and HAMILTON--songs about immigrants, about Latino community, about grief and resilience and home--and I'm still pinching myself that we'll have a special guest: the very first Nina from the Wesleyan production of HEIGHTS, Aileen Payumo @ailermonster , reprising her original number. Here are the event details: University of Minnesota Twin Cities Recital and Conversation Friday, January 30th, Noon to 1:15pm Stoll Thrust Theatre, Rarig Center. Free and open to the public. https://cla.umn.edu/theatre/news-events/events/collaboration-event-vocal-recital-and-conversation Guthrie Theatre Performance and Book Signing Saturday, January 31, 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Dowling Studio. Free and open to the public with registration. /36262/36264

Could it be we're less than two weeks out from the 2026 debut of CNF Pod Live, hosted by our gracious partners @gratitudebeer ? Maybe the @uotheatrearts would like to send some of its best and brightest to engage with the one and only @danielpollackpelzner , author of the brilliant #biography Lin-Manuel Miranda: The Education of an Artist. Book sales handled by @jmichaelsbooks , beer sales handled by Gratitude Brewing. Promises to be a thrilling conversation!

Hey! Jan. 25, 1 p.m., @gratitudebeer , the first LIVE podcast of 2026 with @danielpollackpelzner , author of Lin-Manuel Miranda: The Education of an Artists ( @simonandschuster ). It's gonna be great! Maybe the folks at the @uotheatrearts wanna stop on by and learn a bit about our modern-day Shakespeare. Yeah, that's how I've heard Daniel talk about Lin-Manuel. Let's pack the joint!