2026 SoCal Fall Harvest: Meet Our Faculty

Alvina Ling is VP and Publisher of Alvina Ling Books, an imprint of Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, where she has worked since 1999. She edits children’s books for all ages, from board books to young adult. The books she has edited include countless New York Times bestsellers and award winners, including Newbery and Caldecott Honors, Coretta Scott King Author and Illustrator Medals, New York Times Best Illustrated books, a National Book Award finalist, and more. Alvina has co-emceed the Carle Honors, given the Charlotte Zolotow Lecture, and received the Center for Fiction’s Medal for Editorial Excellence. She co-hosts the weekly podcast Book Friends Forever with author Grace Lin, and she lives in Brooklyn, with her husband and two cats.

Carter Hasegawa (he/him) has been in the children’s book world for over 20 years—as a book seller for various indies across the US, as an editor at Candlewick Press, and now, as a literary agent with Tugeau 2 Art and Literary Agency. “The thing I’ve always loved about children’s literature,” he says, “is that beyond the sheer range of incredible stories, it’s always served as a sort of testing ground for me: of new ideas, of new experiences, of new viewpoints, of emotional extremes.” Some of his favorite books include WATERCRESS, MY PAPI HAS A MOTORCYCLE, BIG, TAR BEACH, WEDNESDAY WARS, ENDER’S GAME, THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER, THE NOTORIOUS BENEDICT ARNOLD, and SO MANY others. Originally from Seattle, Carter now lives in Boston with his librarian wife and their two young sons. His wishlist includes fiction and non-fiction PB, MG and YA.

Michaela Whatnall is a literary agent with Dystel, Goderich & Bourret, where they have worked out of the agency’s West Coast office since 2019. They received a degree from Emory University in English and linguistics, completed the Columbia Publishing Course, and have experience in school & library marketing, bookselling, and reviewing for trade publications. In 2023, Michaela was named a Publishers Weekly Star Watch Honoree. They are most strongly interested in finding middle grade and young adult projects of all genres; upmarket adult fiction; and grounded fantasy. Michaela is also open to select adult romance; narrative nonfiction for both children and adults; graphic novels; and picture books

Karina Granda is an Art Director at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. She is the designer and art director of many award-winning and bestselling books including The Proudest Blue, Stamped (for Kids), The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science, The Inheritance Games, The Folk of the Air, and Love & Gelato. When not reading or making books, she loves hunting for the best cheese and donuts, taking long walks, wandering through museums, and watching good movies or reality TV. You can follow her on Instagram @karinamakesbooks. Her wishlist: Middle Grade and YA book cover-focused artist portfolios, beautiful portraits with an interesting twist, diversity of characters throughout portfolio (if applicable), bright/bold compositions, work that features interesting objects/icons (no people), unique hand-lettering.

Priscilla Burris is the illustrator and author-illustrator of many books for children. She loves creating characters and stories for readers everywhere. Priscilla served in leadership for the SCBWI for 30 years, stepping down January 2026, remaining an active and grateful member continually inspired by others in the global SCBWI community.

Judy Campbell-Smith writes picture books that spark curiosity and celebrate diversity. She is the author of AJ’s Neighborhood, Ice Cream Everywhere: Sweet Stories from Around the World, and Baseball for Breakfast: A (Mostly) True Story. Her books are an engaging mix of fact and fiction, and she is often inspired by true stories and real people in her work. Judy is Black and Puerto Rican, and she’s always trying to write books that she wished she had as a child. Judy works for a nonprofit organization called Made for PAX, and is active in the kidlit community. She lives in Southern California with her husband and two children.

Aubrey Hartman is the Newbery Honor winning author of The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest and The Lion of Lark-Hayes Manor. Her books have received critical acclaim from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, Booklist, Book Riot, BCCB, and various other outlets, and have been featured on numerous Best Books of the Year lists. She lives in California with her husband, three young children, and cat.

Andrea J Loney’s board books, picture books, chapter books, and middle grade stories center kindness, diversity, and joy. Her award-winning titles include DOUBLE BASS BLUES (Caldecott Honor), TAKE A PICTURE OF ME JAMES VANDERZEE (NAACP Image Award Nominee), ABBY IN ORBIT BOOK 3 ALL SYSTEMS WHOA (Good Housekeeping Award), and BUNNYBEAR (ALA Rainbow List). Her recent books include CURVE & FLOW: THE ELEGANT VISION OF LA ARCHITECT PAUL R WILLIAMS, ABBY IN ORBIT BOOK 5: GOING SUPERNOVA, and the board books OUR HANDS and SNACK TIME JAM. Andrea has also taught writing courses at Boyds Mills and The Writing Barn. She lives in Inglewood with her towering stacks of children’s books, her devoted family, and their embarrassingly spoiled pets.

Lindsey is a Junior Literary Manager with Martin Literary Management. She graduated with a B.A. in English from the University of Connecticut where she developed a love for books that inspire empathy and foster a deeper understanding of the world in which we live. As an agented kidlit writer herself, she is familiar with the ups and downs of the query trenches and submission process. She is a member of SCBWI, four critique groups, and was a member of Julie Hedlund’s 12 x 12 Picture Book Challenge for many years before interning with Kristen Terrette at Martin Literary Management. Lindsey is open to picture books (fiction and nonfiction), middle grade, and young adult. She has a soft spot for humor with big heart and dark, spooky stories.

Analía Cabelo is an Associate Agent at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency. She has been with ABLA since 2021, assisting Executive Agent Kelly Sonnack in championing a diverse list of authors and illustrators. Before that, she was an editorial assistant at Candlewick Press and interned at several literary agencies. Authors and illustrators were her childhood celebrities; now, she is thrilled to have the opportunity to cheer them on and support them in a professional capacity. She’s looking to represent picture book illustrators, authors, and author-illustrators; middle grade fiction; and young adult fiction

Haley Casey graduated from The University of Kansas with a BA in creative writing and attended the Denver Publishing Institute before she began her full-time career at Ogden Publications, where she was an editor for four years. There she worked with a variety of authors across multiple magazines, wrote over a dozen articles, edited audio for podcasts, and even styled cover photos—anything to add some creativity to her days. In 2020, she interned at Metamorphosis Literary Agency and Creative Media Agency, Inc. before stepping into her role as an associate agent at CMA. She’s actively building her list, and using her industry expertise and editorial eye, she’s ready to continue bringing new stories into the world. Her wishlist includes middle grade and adult.

Matt Phipps acquires picture books, middle grade, young adult, and crossover, including graphic novels across categories. Books he has recently edited include the middle grade novels The Extraordinary Orbit of Alex Ramirez by Jasminne Paulino, a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year; Majestica by Sarah Tolcser, a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year; and the picture books At the Cookout by Nadia Fisher and The Crayon Stub by Marcus Cutler. Prior to joining Putnam in 2020, he spent several years on Penguin’s School and Library Marketing team. He was an Editor Mentor with The Word: A Storytelling SanctuUpdate ary and volunteered with the Representation Matters Mentorship Program, in addition to serving on the board of the Penguin Random House LGBTQ+ Network. He has also worked as a bookseller, a Spanish-English translator, and a college writing instructor.

Andie Smith is an Associate Agent at Creative Media Agency and a member of the AALA. She has previously served as a writer and editor for several local newspapers and magazines in Central Florida and is the Founder of Sun & Spines Editorial, where she offers a variety of editing services for authors. When she’s not working on manuscripts, Andie is spending time with her husband and two kitties or hanging out at Disney World.