Faculty Bios
Alex Brown
Associate Agent, Mad Woman Literary
Alex Brown is a Locus Award finalist who loves rooting for the Final Girl—especially if she’s a monster. Alex’s YA Horror Comedy debut, Damned If You Do, was a Junior Library Gold Standard Selection and was also placed on Taysha’s Reading List. Alex is the co-editor of Night of the Living Queers and the editor of The House Where Death Lives, a YA Horror anthology that also received the JLG Gold Standard distinction.
Alex served as a mentor in Pitch Wars and Author Mentor Match and is passionate about working with writers to amplify the heart of their stories. Alex loves collaboration and is excited about working with her clients to form sustainable, long-term careers in publishing. Alex has worked with New York Times Bestselling authors, Stonewall Honors recipients, and many other critically acclaimed authors on various projects. She’s always ready to root for and brag about all of her clients.
For the 2025 Critique Carousel, Alex will be critiquing:
- Middle grade fiction
- YA fiction
*****
AZ Hackett
AZ Hackett is an Assistant Editor at Viking Children’s Books, assisting Tamar Brazis and Jenny Bak. She began her publishing career as an editorial intern at Candlewick Press and a We Need Diverse Books grantee. AZ has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree (Emerson College) and a Master of Fine Arts degree (The New School) in Creative Writing, both with concentrations in Fiction. While at Emerson, she also minored in African American & Africana studies. AZ enjoys books from all genres, but YA fiction — especially dystopia, fantasy, and romance — has a special place in her heart. AZ has been a storyteller for as long as she can remember, and her passion lies in the intersection between writing, diversity in literature, and social justice.
AZ’s wishlist can be found here.
For the 2025 Critique Carousel, AZ will be critiquing:
- Picture book fiction
- Picture book nonfiction
- Picture book dummy
- YA fiction
*****
Laura Kincaid
Laura (she/her), Assistant Editor at Holiday House, is drawn to MG, YA, and graphic novels with unique voices, immersive worldbuilding, and character-driven stories regardless of genre, but has a soft spot for fantasy, speculative fiction, and horror. She is passionate about supporting diverse authors and stories, especially LGBTQ+ representation. Some of her favorite books include Dear Mothman by Robin Gow, The Inquisitor's Tale by Adam Gidwitz, The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen, Nimona by ND Stevenson, Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater, Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas, and Bone Gap by Laura Ruby.
Laura’s wishlist can be found here.
For the 2025 Critique Carousel, Laura will be critiquing:
- MG fiction
- YA fiction
- Graphic Novels
- Novels-in-verse
*****
Brian LaRossa
Brian LaRossa (he/him) is an executive art director in the hardcover picture book group at Scholastic, the world’s largest publisher and distributor of children’s books. After hours he teaches a course on design criticism for The City College of New York. He has written numerous critical essays for publications such as Design Observer and AIGA’s Eye on Design. He also regularly volunteers for We Need Diverse Books and manages his own display font foundry, which developed a typeface for Google Fonts. Brian also writes fiction, and is represented by Liz Nealon, founder of Great Dog Literary. His work has won awards from the Type Directors Club, Society of Illustrators, American Illustration, Print Magazine, and his conceptual poetry is included in the permanent collection of The Museum of Modern Art. He lives and works in New York City.
Find out more at brianlarossa.com.
For the 2025 Critique Carousel, Brian will be critiquing:
- Picture book fiction
- Picture book nonfiction
- Picture book dummy
- Portfolio reviews
*****
Carina Licon
Carina Licon is an Associate Editor at Henry Holt Books for Young Readers/Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group. She is interested in middle-grade and YA with a focus on books featuring underrepresented stories and voices. She’s especially reeled in by character-driven stories with whip-smart protagonists; spooky and atmospheric middle-grade speculative fiction; contemporary YA thrillers in the vein of JANE ANONYMOUS or SADIE; friendship breakup stories; romance with lots! of! angst!; and stories rich with diverse cultural traditions and storytelling. Born and raised in El Paso, TX, Carina enjoys discovering local restaurants, movie podcasts, and spending time with her very intimidating 8-pound guard dog.
Carina’s wishlist can be found here.
For the 2025 Critique Carousel, Carina will be critiquing:
- Chapter book
- Middle grade fiction
- Middle grade nonfiction
- YA fiction
- YA nonfiction
*****
Jen Newens
Senior Literary Manager, Martin Literary
Throughout her career, Jen Newens has been an author, editor, and publisher, giving her experience in all sides of the publishing business. In her role as agent, Jen applies her 360-view of the publishing world, seeking out original voices and developing exciting new talent in children’s literature.
Jen’s wishlist can be found here.
For the 2025 Critique Carousel, Jen will be critiquing:
- Picture book fiction
- Picture book nonfiction
- Picture book dummy
*****
Sandra Proudman
Sandra Proudman (she/her/ella) is a literary associate at Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency, assisting co-owner Marietta Zacker and representing a list of diverse authors and author-illustrators. When not busily immersed in all things publishing, you can find her spending time with her amazing husband and adorable toddler, catching up on all her shows, and exploring nature. She is also an author herself. Her YA fantasy debut titled Salvación will be out on May 20, 2025. Connect with her on Instagram @ThatAgentingLife.
Sandra’s wishlist can be found here. Sandra participated in the 2024 Critique Carousel, and is back for 2025.
She will be critiquing:
- Picture book fiction
- Picture book dummy
- Middle grade fiction
- YA fiction
- Novels-in-verse
*****
Monica Rodriguez
Monica Rodriguez is a literary agent and the Director of Brand Management at Context Literary Agency. Her mission as an agent is to help uplift underrepresented voices in publishing, specifically within the Latinx community. She’s mentored authors at The Writing Barn and is a faculty member at The Manuscript Academy. In children’s literature, she is actively looking for MG, YA & Graphic Novels. She also represents illustrators and comic artists.
Monica’s wishlist can be found here.
For the 2025 Critique Carousel, Monica will be critiquing:
- Picture book fiction
- Picture book nonfiction
- Picture book dummy
- Chapter book
- Middle grade fiction
- YA fiction
- Graphic novels fiction or nonfiction
- Novel-in-verse, Portfolio review
*****
Shadra Strickland
Shadra Strickland is an award winning illustrator and author. She is the Chair of Illustration at Maryland Institute College of Art and works as an agent at large with Painted Words Represents. Shadra specializes in helping illustrators find their writing voice.
Check out Shadra’s website and the Painted Words agency site.
For the 2025 Critique Carousel, Shadra will be critiquing:
- Picture book fiction
- Picture book dummy
- Portfolio reviews
*****
Claire Tattersfield
Claire Tattersfield is an editor at Penguin Young Readers, working at the imprints Viking Children's Books and Flamingo Books. Claire focuses on editing commercial fiction for all ages that's unlike anything she's read before. Her edited books include Lauren Glattly and Rob Sayegh's PROPER BADGER series, Dudolf's PIGGLE THE PIG, and Tim Kleyn's GRILLED CHEESE? YES, PLEASE!
For the 2025 Critique Carousel, Claire will be critiquing:
- Picture book fiction
- Picture book nonfiction
- Middle grade fiction
- Middle grade nonfiction
- YA fiction
- YA nonfiction
*****
Irene Vázquez
Irene Vázquez is an Associate Editor at Levine Querido, a children's book publisher dedicated to amplifying diverse voices. With a Bachelor's degree in Ethnicity, Race, and Migration and English from Yale University, Irene brings a unique perspective to their editorial work. Their passion for children's literature is evident in their diverse portfolio of projects. They have worked on critically acclaimed titles such as Sim Kern's The Free People's Village (a USA Today Bestseller) and Mani Semilla Finds Her Quetzal Voice by Anna Lapera. Irene also champions debut authors, including Night: A Children's Fable by Katherine Jumbe and Shana Dixon. Originally from Texas, they play a pivotal role in Levine Querido's Spanish language imprint, Ediciones LQ. Beyond their editorial work, Irene is a poet, journalist, and translator. Their debut poetry chapbook, Take Me to the Water, was recently published by Bloof Books. They live in New York City. When not in the world of books, Irene likes drinking coffee and watching the WNBA.
Irene’s wishlist can be found here.
For the 2025 Critique Carousel, Irene will be critiquing:
- Picture book fiction
- Middle grade fiction
- YA fiction
- Novels-in-verse
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