NESCBWI Fall 2024 Virtual Agent Editor Day

Eve Adler (she/her) worked as an editor for over sixteen years before becoming an agent. She's building her list with authors and illustrators of board books, picture books, early readers, chapter books, and middle grade projects. She’s drawn to stories that make kids feel comforted, loved, and understood; to diverse voices; to ideas that break the mold; to projects that meet kids where they are developmentally; and to books that expand kids’ worlds while helping them understand their own. After years of working at publishers, Eve loves how agenting offers the ability to discover talent anywhere, to develop ideas with authors and illustrators, and to find the right home for projects. She enjoys being an advisor and cheerleader for clients throughout their careers, and is eager to find new talent!

Sunita (she/her) is editorial director of Reycraft Books. She is the half-Indian, half-Hungarian child of an immigrant and a refugee, and a passionate cook. She has lived and traveled in Asia, Europe, South America, and Africa. Born and raised in North Carolina—she still has the “y’all” in her—she grew up never seeing herself reflected in the books she read. She believes books should represent everyone, everywhere, and has spent over two decades in publishing trying to make that happen. She is curious about the world and a champion of nonfiction books for kids—though she is passionate about fiction as well. Nothing excites her more than learning something new from a book.

Erica Bauman (she/her) is a literary agent at Aevitas Creative Management, and represents a wide variety of authors across middle grade, young adult, and commercial adult fiction, including acclaimed YA author Maria Ingrande Mora, New York Times Bestseller Kayla Cottingham, and Lambda Literary Fellow Naseem Jamnia. Erica is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and has worked in the publishing industry since 2012. Prior to Aevitas, she worked at Spectrum Literary Agency. Based in New York, Erica is most interested in commercial novels that feature an exciting premise and lyrical, atmospheric writing; imaginative, genre-blending tales; speculative worlds filled with haunting, quietly wondrous magic; fresh retellings of mythology, ballet, opera, and classic literature; sharply funny rom-coms; graphic novels for all ages; fearless storytellers that tackle big ideas and contemporary issues; and working with and supporting marginalized authors and stories that represent the wide range of humanity.

Katie (she/her) is Associate Agent at Sara Crowe Literary. Prior to the opening of SCL, Katie worked closely with Sara at Pippin Properties as a freelance editor and manuscript evaluator. She spent nine years as an editor and staff reviewer for The Horn Book’s publications and served as chair for the 2018 Boston Globe–Horn Book Award committee. She also has more than seven years of experience as an indie bookseller specializing in children’s and YA literature.

Erika DiPasquale (she/her) has worked at HarperCollins for over 6 years, first as a member of the adult foreign rights team and now as an Associate Editor at Harper Children’s. She works on projects for all age ranges, from board book through YA, fiction and non-fiction. Erika is the editor of The Unstoppable Bridget Bloom and Three Things About Emmy Crawford by Allison L. Bitz and the upcoming picture books Navya Sings for Navarathri and The Last Tamale, among other titles. Erika also works on the Pete the Cat, Harold & the Purple Crayon, and Margaret Wise Brown programs and supports Nancy Inteli on her list, including the Food Group program.

Orlando Dos Reis (he/him) is a senior editor at Scholastic acquiring primarily middle-grade and young adult fiction, as well as some graphic novels. His titles range from commercial to literary. He received his B.A. in creative writing from Virginia Tech and his M.A. in English with a concentration on children's and young adult literature from Kansas State University. He lives in New York City.

Since joining Christy Ottaviano Books as an editorial assistant in 2021, Layla Erkan (she/her) has supported VP Publisher Christy Ottaviano and Senior Editor Jessica Anderson on their diverse range of titles spanning age categories, formats, and genres. Most recently, she worked on the UK picture book import One Day at a Time by Rachel Ip, illustrated by Natelle Quek, a thoughtful story about divorce through the lens of two siblings. She is interested in young adult, with a particular focus on romantasy; horror with unreliable teen characters; urban sci-fi with a video gaming twist; and contemporary coming-of-age stories, especially centering platonic friendship or queer characters.

Kait Lee Feldmann (she/her) is a children’s book agent at kt literary. She has been romping around children’s book publishing for the past decade, previously as an editor at HarperCollins and Scholastic. Her list as editor included award-winning books that received a Caldecott, Coretta Scott King, and Sibert Honor; the Ezra Jack Keats Award; and appearances on Best of lists for The New York Times, NPR, Kirkus, and more. In 2020 she received the CBC Diversity Outstanding Achievement Award. Kait resides in a hoarder’s paradise in Los Angeles, surrounded by books. When she’s not reading those, she can often be found playing board games, estate sale hopping, or crafting and selling her wares

Aliza (she/her) represents visual storytellers with distinctive, unique voices. She is inspired every day by the illustrators and author-illustrators she represents, and is honored to help bring their stories into the world. She began her Publishing career at Candlewick Press, where she spearheaded & coordinated illustrator searches and negotiated illustrator contracts. With a degree in Classics and a background in visual art, she is passionate about storytelling and the magical place where words and images collide. Aliza grew up homeschooled and barefoot in the woods, and has lived in Finland and Scotland before returning to her home state of Massachusetts where she lives with her partner John (who is a spreadsheet magician) and their cat Corryvreckan (who is Aliza’s familiar). Outside of agenting, Aliza is a multimedia photographer, tarot enthusiast, and an aerial circus artist.

Michelle Jackson (she/her) represents books that evoke heartfelt emotions and fervent conversations among its readers. Her mission is to mentor and develop authors, particularly those from underrepresented communities, and help them build a brand of quality and authentic reads. Originally from Jamaica, West Indies, she is now a literary agent with LCS Literary. She began my agenting career as an intern and then a Literary Associate with Olswanger Literary. She is also a published author and has earned educational degrees from New York University, SUNY at StonyBrook, Teachers College Columbia University and Argosy University.​ She is a member of AALA and SCBWI.

Andrew Karre (he/him) is senior executive editor at Dutton Books, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group, a division of Penguin Random House. Over the course of his twenty year career, he's had the pleasure of working with award winning and bestselling authors, including A.S. King, Malinda Lo, Ibi Zoboi, Candice Iloh, Cory McCarthy, Joy McCullough, Ashely Hope Pérez, Kristin Cashore, and Shannon Gibney. He lives in St. Paul, Minnesota with his family.

Chris Krones (they, them) has been an editor for more than a decade and a half after earning their M.F.A in Writing for Children from Simmons University. They have a passion for innovative bookmaking and strong inclusive storytelling, raising up voices that have gone unheard for far too long. When they do not have their book editor hat on, they are a writer, a Francophile, cinephile, a museum-goer, a traveler, a lover of learning new languages, a spanakopita-maker, an athlete, a deejay, a weightlifting coach, a fair-weather gamer, a spouse, and a pet parent of two dogs and a cat.

Carina Licon (she/her) is an Assistnat Editor at Henry Holt Books for Young Readers (Macmillan Children’s). In picture books, she seeks: books that explore difficult experiences/emotions in nuanced ways; books that center BIPOC and queer joy; intergenerational households/settings; the fun, imaginary, and magical; the humorous, goofy, and silly; the tender, touching, and sweet. In middle grade and young adult, she seeks: complex, whipsmart protagonists; contemporary YA horror and thrillers in the vein of Courtney Summers; spooky, atmospheric MG; gothic YA horror or fantasy; stories about mental health; coming-of-age stories; friendship stories; a modern day Jessica Darling series that reflects our diverse world; intergenerational BIPOC stories; stories of everyday life in a BIPOC household (especially Latinx); romance with lots! of! angst!; contemporary, grounded fantasy OR high fantasy with strong real world/relatable themes.

Olivia Luchini (she/her) is an assistant editor for Penguin Workshop who primarily edits on the Who HQ nonfiction series. In addition to this, she edits licensed nonfiction titles and her own list of fiction titles. She is interested in picture books, middle grade, and young adult. Olivia graduated from the University of California, Davis in 2019. She completed the Chronicle Books editorial fellowship in 2020 and was hired by Penguin Random House that same year. Olivia used to do stand-up comedy and write parody news articles, and thus she loves submissions that are belly-laugh funny, be that a silly picture book or a young adult romantic comedy. Other topics that interest her include body positivity, mental health, stories that beautifully share unique cultures with young readers, animals (horses, more specifically), and cryptids (like Bigfoot).

Erica McGrath (she/her) joined Writers House in 2018 assisting Senior Agents Stephen Barr and Susan Cohen. She’s worked with award-winning authors and illustrators like Maggie Thrash, Anna Walker, Eliza Kinkz, and F.C. Yee. As a Junior Agent, she’s actively building her list and interested in working with ambitious, funny, and historically underrepresented voices in all age ranges and genres across the board. She’s most eager to read heartfelt and unexpected picture books, uncanny middle grade, gutsy voice-driven YA, and graphic novels and memoirs from all ages. A New York native (with feelings on the subject!), she believes there's no greater joy than finishing a book aboard the M train on a sunny day. Most recently she was gutted by Tillie Walden’s On a Sunbeam and would welcome a graphic novel of similarly daring proportions her inbox! Outside of the book world, she enjoys going to shows and lying in the park. If you invite her to karaoke, she will sing Nickleback. She is currently open to queries and looks forward to reading your work at emcgrath@writershouse.com

MARIA T. MIDDLETON (she/her) designs books for kids. She began her career at HarperCollins, spent a decade creating award-winning books at Abrams, and then led the middle-grade team at Random House Children's Books. As Senior Art Director at Candlewick Press, Maria currently works across all children’s book genres. She's a fan of quirky characters, hand lettered typography, serial commas, strong coffee, and the color red. Maria lives in Richmond, VA, with her husband and their pup, Wyla. You can find her online at mariamiddleton.com and follow her on Instagram @mariatmiddleton

Associate Editor Sydnee Monday (they/she) joined Kokila/Penguin Young Readers in May of 2018. Their growing list features debuts from Gwendolyn Wallace, Kiera Wright-Ruiz, Walela Nehanda, and more. Prior to Kokila, she worked at NPR, the PEN/Faulkner Foundation, and Sankofa Bookstore in Washington, D.C. They're a graduate of Howard University.

Kortney Nash (she/her) is an assistant editor at Godwin Books, an imprint of Henry Holt Books for Young Readers. She graduated from UC Berkeley with a Bachelor of Arts in 2021 and has been working in children’s publishing ever since. She has a particular love for sci fi and stories that champion queer voices (and a soft spot for laugh-out-loud funny picture books). When she’s not reading, she can be found sewing or practicing new spreads with her tarot cards. Kort is currently based in Jersey but grew up in sunny south Los Angeles.

Sandra Proudman (she/her/ella) is a literary associate at Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency, assisting Marietta Zacker and representing a small list of authors and author-illustrators. She is passionate about bringing underrepresented voices to the forefront and is also a committee member of #LatinxPitch. 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 taking care of her vegetable garden. She is also the author of the YA fantasy, Salvación, (coming 2025) and the editor of the Latinx anthology RELIT: 16 Latinx Remixes of Classic Stories (out now!). Connect with her on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @SandraProudman.

Sera Rivers is a Literary Agent at Speilburg Literary, an AALA member, and a writer. She holds an MFA in writing for children from Simmons University. Prior to agenting, Sera worked as an editor in educational publishing for seven years. Sera lives in Western Massachusetts with her partner and their puppy Jett. When she’s not reading or writing, she can be found running all over New England training for her next marathon. Check out her website at SeraRivers.com for her MSWL, events, and updates. She tweets at @writeloudly.

Kelsey Sullivan (she/her) is an associate editor with Disney Hyperion. She works on mostly young adult titles that have a darker twist to them. She loves murder mysteries with strong female characters working to solve the case, but she also has a soft spot for voice-y coming of age stories. In her free time Kelsey enjoys watching the Housewives shout at each other and lifting weights. She is based in New York.

In 2022, Hannah Teachout (she/her) completed her MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults at Vermont College of Fine Arts and began her publishing career as an intern in the children's department at Tobias Literary Agency, followed by an internship with Folio Literary Management. She currently works as a literary assistant at Folio Literary Management, working with agents Lauren Spieller and John Cusick. In addition, she works as a freelance editor and is one of the founding organizers of Love Y'all Book Fest in Atlanta, GA.

Natalia Vázquez Torres (she/her) is a Latine assistant editor at Charlesbridge, where she works on fiction and nonfiction picture books, chapter books, and middle-grade and young adult novels. She graduated from the University of Puerto Rico with a BA in creative writing and foreign languages, and received her MFA in creative writing and publishing from Emerson College. As manager of Charlesbridge’s Bilingual-Spanish program, Natalia has edited several Spanish editions, including Abuelita y yo hacemos un flan by Adriana Bergstrom-Hernández, Mil mariposas blancas by Jessica Betancourt-Perez and Karen Lynn Williams, and the bilingual editions of the Storytelling Math series. Natalia is also developing her own frontlist titles, which includes stories with unique family structures, environmental issues, and adventures, among others.

Alison S. Weiss (she/her) has been in publishing for over fifteen years. Most recently, she was acquisitions editor at Pixel+Ink (part of the Trustbridge Media Group), a publisher focused exclusively on series publishing with transmedia potential. Her series include The Curious League of Detectives and Thieves by Tom Phillips, The Winterton Deception by Janet Sumner Johnson, Plotting the Stars by Michelle A. Barry, Clara Poole by Taylor Tyng, The Sinister Secrets by Sean Ferrell, illustrated by Graham Carter, Drag and Rex by Susan Lubner, illustrated by Blythe Russo, Shiver-by-the-Sea by Erin Dionne, illustrated by Jenn Harney, and Sky & Ty by Steve Breen among many others. Alison currently runs an editorial consultancy, where she's worked with publishers including Holiday House, Simon & Schuster, Audible, and Arctis, as well as private clients. She also worked at Sky Pony Press, where she was editorial direction, and Egmont USA. She's edited books that have been nominated for and received many awards and honors, among them a William C. Morris finalist and Edgars nominations, starred reviews, and titles that have appeared on numerous end-of-year and state lists. You can follow her on Twitter (X), Bluesky, and Threads at @alioop7 and find more about her consultancy at www.alisonweisseditorial.com.

Charlotte Wenger (she/her) is a literary agent in the Boston area with Prospect Agency. Prior to joining Prospect, she was an associate editor at Page Street Kids. She has her Master of Arts in Children’s Literature from Simmons College (now University) and has since mentored a number of their MFA in Writing for Children students. When she's not working, you can find her occasionally crafting, randomly breaking into song, and most importantly, being a new mom to her little one born in July 2023. Charlotte represents authors and illustrators of children's books - ranging from board books through YA, but especially picture books. You can find her online at www.charlottewenger.com.