Meet the Faculty

⭐ Julie Romeis Sanders is a Literary Agent at SteelWorks Literary, bringing 25 years of diverse experiences together to build a community of writers and illustrators who are as eager to create lasting contributions to children’s literature as she is. Julie started her career as a founding member of Bloomsbury USA in 2001, helped launch Chronicle’s first fiction for older readers in 2009, and edited their first Caldecott Honor, FLORA AND THE FLAMINGO, in 2013. Her keen eye for debuts including Rick Yancey, Victoria Jamieson, Aaron Reynolds, and Jennifer “JC” Cervantes has led to many creators getting started on stellar careers. Through it all, Julie has honed her eye for books kids love along with her passion for supporting creators throughout the publishing process. She is currently seeking authors and author/illustrators who are creating for ages 0-12. X: Instagram: @juliebookagent Bluesky: @juliebookagent.bsky.social

⭐Melissa Manlove is an Executive Editor at Sourcebooks. She has been a children’s book editor for 22 years. Her acquisitions encompass a wide range of ages, formats, and fiction/nonfiction. When acquiring, she looks for fresh takes on familiar topics as well as the new and unusual. An effective approach and strong, graceful writing are important to her. She also has 23 years of children’s bookselling experience. She is on Bluesky (@mmanlove) and Insta (melissamanlove).

⭐ Matt Phipps is an Editor at G. P. Putnam’s Sons, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers, acquiring picture books, middle grade, and YA, including graphic novels for all ages. Titles he has edited include AT THE COOKOUT by Nadia Fisher, THE EXTRAORDINARY ORBIT OF ALEX RAMIREZ by Jasminne Paulino, THE CRAYON STUB by Marcus Cutler, and MAJESTICA by Sarah Tolcser. 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 Sanctuary and volunteered with the Representation Matters Mentorship Program, in addition to serving on the board of the Penguin Random House LGBTQ+ Network and the Children’s Book Council Early Career Committee. He has also worked as a bookseller, a Spanish-English translator, and a college writing instructor.

⭐ Leslie Barnard Booth is the author, most recently, of the PNBA Bestseller I AM WE: HOW CROWS COME TOGETHER TO SURVIVE as well as the award-winning titles ONE DAY THIS TREE WILL FALL and A STONE IS A STORY. Her lyrical picture books about science and nature have been named Best Books of the Year by Kirkus and Bank Street, and she was the recipient of the International Literacy Association’s 2025 Book Award in Primary Nonfiction. Leslie lives in Portland, Oregon, and loves exploring the natural world with her family.

⭐ David Hohn is an illustrator and instructor based in Portland Oregon. Clients include Scholastic Publishing, Penguin Random House, Charlesbridge, Astra, Sleeping Bear, Sasquatch, Waterbrook Multnomah and Bloomsbury Publishing. His work has been recognized by Society of Illustrators, The Original Art Show, 3x3, Society of Illustrators Los Angeles and SCBWI. His books have received starred reviews from both Kirkus and School Library Journal. He teaches the picture book illustration track at Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA) in Portland and online at Society of Visual Storytelling (www.svslearn.com) and its associated Children's Book Pro program. Instagram: @davidhohnillo Bluesky: @davidhohn.bsky.social

⭐Rachel Letofsky has been working in publishing since 2010 and started building her list as a literary agent in 2013. Previously at CookeMcDermid, and now at the Transatlantic Agency, she represents bestselling and award-winning authors such as Cherie Dimaline, Danny Ramadan, Mona Power, Jessica Johns, and Vivek Shraya, and is the agent for the ground-breaking anthology NEVER WHISTLE AT NIGHT, edited by Shane Hawk and Theodore Van Alst Jr., which has been on the Indie Bestseller list since its publication in September 2023 and sold over 250,000 copies in North America. X: Instagram: @rachelletofsky

⭐Fiona came to agenting after nearly a decade as VP at Laika Studios, creating a development slate of new projects for the Academy Award winning animation studio including the Oscar-nominated THE BOXTROLLS and CORALINE. Previously she was a senior publisher in the UK where she published authors including Michael Bond (PADDINGTON BEAR), P.L Travers (MARY POPPINS) and the Laureate Michael Morpurgo (WAR HORSE) and was UK editor for Beverley Cleary, Lois Lowry, Bruce Coville, Gary Paulsen and Cynthia Voigt. She was nominated for “Editor of the Year” at the British Book Awards. A British citizen, Fiona now lives in Portland, Oregon. She joined Transatlantic in 2013. Her clients’ recent successes include Rosanne Parry’s MG A WOLF CALLED WANDER (Andersen Press/Greenwillow) which has spent 37 weeks in the NYT bestseller list and sold in 11 languages, and Vicki Grant’s YA romcom, 36 QUESTIONS THAT CHANGED MY MIND ABOUT YOU (Running Press), which sold in 22 languages and is optioned for TV.

⭐ CoCo Freeman graduated from Bard College with a B.A. in Written Arts. Before joining The Linda Chester Literary Agency, she worked for Tom Yoon Productions developing projects and editing existing material. She is very happy to have entered the world of her first love, books. She is looking for commercial fiction in a variety of ages and genres, from adult and young adult to middle grade and select picture books.