February 21, 2026 2-4 PM (PT): Neurodiversity & Disability - Authentic Characters & Voice, Larissa Melo Pienkowski, Agent

Larissa grew up in Massachusetts and attended Simmons College, where she earned her degree in Social Work and Sociology. She joined Jill Grinberg Literary Management as an agent in 2020 and later went on to join Azantian in 2025, where she represents a wide range of adult and children’s fiction and nonfiction. The child of Brazilian and Polish immigrants, Larissa speaks Portuguese and Spanish. She lives in Philadelphia with her wife and their Siberian husky, Olaf. As a queer, mixed-race, neurodivergent Latina who grew up hungry for stories that mirrored her own and those around her, Larissa is focused on championing BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, disabled, neurodivergent, international, and other historically excluded authors across genre. She believes books are a critical tool in the fight for justice and liberation, and she is passionate about bringing books into the world that challenge the status quo and make people feel seen.