Nationally recognized editors Betsy Mitchell and Kate Seaver and agent Uwe Stender will participate in a panel discussion on Saturday, June 27, 2009, at Seton Hill University. The panel presentation, which is free and open to the public, will be held at 7 p.m. in Cecilian Hall on Seton Hill University’s Greensburg, Pa. campus. The event is sponsored by Seton Hill University’s Master of Arts in Writing Popular Fiction program. For more information, please call 724-830-4600.

Betsy Mitchell received a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from the University of Nebraska/Omaha and spent two years as a reporter for the Omaha World-Herald before moving to New York City. She served as managing editor at Analog magazine, senior editor of Baen Books, associate publisher of Bantam Spectra, and founded the Aspect line at Warner Books before joining the Random House Publishing Group in 2002 as vice president/editor-in-chief of Del Rey. She has edited such works as the upcoming “Gentlemen of the Road” by Michael Chabon; “Armageddon’s Children” by Terry Brooks, “Virtual Light” by William Gibson, and “Star Wars: Heir to the Empire” by Timothy Zahn, which are all New York Times bestsellers; the Hugo Award-winner “Hyperion” by Dan Simmons and the Nebula Award-winner “Parable of the Talents” by Octavia Butler. Mitchell has received a World Fantasy Award for co-editing the anthology “Full Spectrum 4.” In May 2004, she oversaw the launch of Del Rey Manga with the publication of “Tsubasa” and “xxxHOLiC,” both by CLAMP, “Negima!” by Ken Akamatsu, and “Gundam SEED” by Masatsugu Iwase. Del Rey Manga was named “Best New Publisher of the Year” by ICv2.com and celebrated its first anniversary with the publication of its millionth volume of manga in print.

Kate Seaver is a senior editor at The Berkley Publishing Group. A graduate of Vassar College, she began her publishing career at Dorchester Publishing where she acquired romance, women’s fiction, and young adult titles. In June 2005, Seaver joined Berkley where she acquires and edits a wide range of fiction and nonfiction, including romance, literary women’s fiction, young adult and mystery titles. Seaver is always looking for talented and innovative new authors.

Uwe Stender, a widely published author in scholarly journals and books, received his Doctor of Philosophy degree in literature from the University of Pittsburgh. Additionally, Stender studied at the University of California, Berkeley, and the Universität Göttingen in Germany. Stender has taught at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh. Currently, Stender, the founder of TriadaUS Literary Agency, is an agent. Stender is a highly sought public speaker for literary conferences across the United States.

Seton Hill’s unique Master of Arts in Writing Popular Fiction program teaches students to write marketable novels in popular genres like mystery, romance, science fiction, horror, and fantasy. Additional specialties include literature for children and adolescents, and cross-genre blends like romantic suspense or young adult mysteries. Students attend two weeklong, on-campus residencies each year to master the core elements of fiction writing and effective marketing and to gain inspiration from faculty mentors and special guests, all published authors in genre fiction. Established authors mentor students one-on-one as they work toward completing a market-ready manuscript from home. Readings, classes, and on-line discussion about the history, trends, and techniques of genre fiction add depth to the student's experience. For more information about the Master of Arts in Writing Popular Fiction program at Seton Hill, visit http://fiction.setonhill.edu or contact Seton Hill’s Office of Graduate and Adult Studies at 724-838-4209.