Here’s the list of agents and presenters for the conference.

Matt Bell
Matt Bell
Presenter
— Day 1: Panels —
Revision: Three Authors Discuss Strategies for Novel Revision
– bio –

Matt Bell is the author most recently of the novel Appleseed (a New York Times Notable Book) and the craft book Refuse to Be Donea guide to novel writing, rewriting, and revision. He is also the author of the novels Scrapper and In the House upon the Dirt Between the Lake and the Woods, as well as the short story collection A Tree or a Person or a Walla non-fiction book about the classic video game Baldur's Gate IIand several other titles. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, Esquire, Tin House, Fairy Tale Review, American Short Fiction, Orion, and many other publications. A native of Michigan, he teaches creative writing at Arizona State University.


Amy Bishop-Wycisk
Amy Bishop-Wycisk
Agent
— Day 2: Roundtables —
Fiction 2
– bio –

Amy Bishop-Wycisk joined Trellis Literary Management in 2023 after eight years with Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. She's cultivating a wide-ranging list in upmarket and book club fiction, light sci-fi and fantasy, speculative fiction, expert-driven narrative nonfiction, cultural criticism, history, and select YA, with a special interest in underrepresented voices, especially from the AAPI community. Her list includes titles such as A Crane Among Wolves by NYT bestselling author June Hurthe Daughter of Sparta series by Claire M. Andrews, and GAME FACE by award-winning author, Shari Green

Susan Breen
Susan Breen
Presenter
— Day 1: Panels —
Featured Author Interview
– bio –

Susan Breen is the author of the novel The Fiction Class, and the Maggie Dove series of mystery books. She has published short fiction in American Literary Review, Chattahoochee Review, Nebraska Quarterly, North Dakota Quarterly, anderbo, and Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. 

Linda Camacho
Linda Camacho
Agent
— Day 2: Roundtables —
Fiction 5
– bio –

Linda Camacho is a senior agent at Gallt & Zacker Literary, where she has the pleasure of representing an incredible roster of writers and illustrators. Over her two decades in publishing, she's held various positions at Simon & Schuster, Writers House, and Penguin Random House. Linda received her MFA in writing from the Vermont College of Fine Arts and has a short story published in the YA anthology Every Body Shines by Cassandra Newbould.

Christopher Combemale
Christopher Combemale
Agent
— Day 2: Roundtables —
Fiction 1
– bio –

Christopher Combemale is an associate agent at Sterling Lord Literistic, Inc. He is looking for literary fiction and bold upmarket fiction with an unexpected hook. He represents the 2023 Carnegie Medal winner Manon Steffan Ros, Polish radical Agnieszka Szpila, scholar Thomas Dai, among others. As a Singaporean/French/American born and raised in London, he is interested in international, cross-cultural perspectives and work in translation. He graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill as a Morehead-Cain Scholar.

Naomi Eisenbeiss
Naomi Eisenbeiss
Agent
— Day 2: Roundtables —
Fiction 1
– bio –

Naomi Eisenbeiss graduated with a dual degree in Political Science from Sciences Po in Nancy, France and Freie University in Berlin, Germany. Prior to InkWell, she spent three years as Manager of the Shanghai International Literary Festival in China. She speaks English, Japanese, German and conversational French and Mandarin.

Her interests range pretty broadly, but she is always looking for strong voices that play with perspective and sense of place. She’s particularly interested in writers who are strong on the line level, but have a big, commercial hook. On the literary end, she’s interested in writers who tell darkly funny stories or question society’s norms or expectations. And she’s always on the lookout for books that take place internationally or immerse the reader in a different world/environment.

Alison Espach
Alison Espach
Presenter
— Day 1: Panels —
Featured Author Interview
– bio –

Alison Espach is the New York Times best-selling author of The Wedding People, a New York Times Editor’s Choice, a TODAY Show #ReadwithJenna Book Club pick, a Barnes and Noble Book Club Pick, and the #1 Indie Next Pick for August 2024. The Wedding People will be published in over twenty countries. She is also the author of Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance, a Chicago Tribune and NPR “Best Book of 2022,” as well as The Adults, a New York Times Editor’s Choice and Barnes and Noble Discover pick. Her fictional audio series In-Depth Market Research Interviews with Dead People is an Audible Original. She has written for McSweeney’s, Vogue, Outside, LitHub, Joyland and other places. She lives and teaches creative writing in Rhode Island.

Kate Fagan
Kate Fagan
Presenter
— Day 1: Panels —
Revision: Three Authors Discuss Strategies for Novel Revision
– bio –
Melissa Flashman
Melissa Flashman
Agent
— Day 2: Roundtables —
Fiction 6
– bio –

Melissa represents award-winning and best-selling fiction and nonfiction. In fiction, she gravitates towards page-turners with intellectual and emotional heft. In nonfiction, she is particularly interested in conversation-changing books including journalism, science, technology, business/finance/economics, memoir/narrative, essays and cultural criticism.  Melissa’s authors have won numerous awards including the Pulitzer, the National Book Critic Circle Award, the Whiting Award, the Windham Campbell Prize, the Rona Jaffe Award, the Hugo Award, n + 1 writer’s fellowship and The Nation’s Ridenhour Prize among others.

Amina Iro
Amina Iro
Presenter
— Day 1: Panels —
Your Novel's Home: Three Publishing Professionals Discuss Paths to Publication
– bio –

Amina Iro is Associate Editor at Legacy Lit, Hachette Book Group where she edits and publishes fiction and non-fiction books that elevate and celebrate stories from the margins. Her titles include A More Perfect Party by Juanita Tolliver, Blues in Stereo by Langston Hughes, curated by Danes Smith, Al Roker’s Recipes to Live By by Al Roker and Courtney Roker Laga, No Justice No Peace by award-winning photographer Devin Allen, and Sing a Black Girl’s Song by Ntozake Shange, edited by Imani Perry. A writer and performance poet from Prince George’s County, Maryland, Amina has held fellowships at the Watering Hole and the Hurston/Wright Foundation. She started her publishing career Amistad, HarperCollins Publishers.

R. Dean Johnson
R. Dean Johnson
Presenter
— Day 1: Panels —
Your Novel's Home: Three Publishing Professionals Discuss Paths to Publication
– bio –

R. Dean Johnson is the author of the novel Californium (Plume Books) and the short story collection Delicate Men (Alternative Book Press). His short stories and essays have appeared in Ascent, Hawai’i Pacific Review, Louisville Review, New Orleans Review, Natural Bridge, Ruminate, Santa Clara Review, Slice, and Southern Review, and in the anthologies Agave (Ink Brush Press) and A Tribute to Orpheus (Kearney Street Books). He served as fiction editor at Hayden’s Ferry Review and editor of the anthology Teachable Moments: Essays on Experiential Education (University Press of America). He has taught at Arizona State University, Prescott College, Cameron University, and Eastern Kentucky University. He holds a BS from California State Polytechnic, an MA in English from Kansas State University, and an MFA in Creative Writing from Arizona State University.

K Hank Jost
K Hank Jost
Presenter
— Day 1: Panels —
Your Novel's Home: Three Publishing Professionals Discuss Paths to Publication
– bio –

K Hank Jost is the editor of A Common Well Journal. He is also the author of the novel MadStone and the novel-in-stories Deselections (both Whiskey Tit Books). His short stories and poems have appeared in HobartVol. 1 Brooklynthe Burning PalaceX-R-A-Y Lit Mag, and BULL, among others, and he is a regular contributor to the New Haven Independent. He has taught for the Brooklyn Center for Theatre Research.

Alexandra Levick
Alexandra Levick
Agent
— Day 2: Roundtables —
Fiction 4
– bio –

Alexandra Levick (she/her) is currently a senior literary agent at Writers House, LLC. developing her picture book, middle grade, young adult, and adult lists. Previously, she worked with the agency at large as the Media Rights Manager for film and tv, helping to match clients to coagents, negotiating film deals, and taking meetings with producers, studios, and co-agencies. Prior to that, she worked with Writers House Senior Vice President, Merrilee Heifetz, Senior Agent Rebecca Sherman, covered for Senior Agent Stephen Barr's paternity leave, and covered for Senior Agent Brianne Johnson’s family leave. She has worked as a bookseller in both the adult and children’s markets, as well as on the house side of the publishing business in publicity. She holds a Masters of Science in Publishing: Digital and Print Media, with a specialization in Media Content Development from New York University and a Bachelor of the Arts in English, with a concentration in Creative Writing from the University of Rochester.

Chad Luibl
Chad Luibl
Agent
— Day 1: Panels —
Query Q&A: Two Agents Answer Your Query Questions
— Day 2: Roundtables —
Fiction 3
– bio –

Chad Luibl is an agent at Janklow & Nesbit Associates. He comes from the workshop model of creative writing and has a hands-on editorial approach to agenting. For fiction, he is particularly drawn to novels that are more character or plot-driven, thrillers that are as inventive as they are suspenseful, speculative and historical fiction that offer a nuanced perspective on place, and graphic novels that push the boundaries of the genre.

Jim McCarthy
Jim McCarthy
Agent
— Day 2: Roundtables —
Fiction 4
– bio –

Jim McCarthy is an agent and vice president at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret, where he’s been for over 20 years. He represents adult, young adult, and middle grade fiction, both literary and commercial, and is particularly interested in literary fiction, underrepresented voices, fantasy, mysteries, romance, anything unusual or unexpected, and any book that makes him cry or laugh out loud.

Cleyvis Natera
Cleyvis Natera
Presenter
— Day 1: Panels —
Your Novel's Home: Three Publishing Professionals Discuss Paths to Publication
– bio –

Cleyvis Natera is the author of Neruda on the Park. She was born in the Dominican Republic, migrated to the United States at ten years old, and grew up in New York City. She holds a BA from Skidmore College and a M.F.A. from New York University. Her writing has won awards and fellowships from the International Latino Book Awards, PEN America, the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, The Kenyon Review’s Writers Workshops, the Vermont Studio Center, the Hermitage Artist Retreat, Rowland Writers Retreat, and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. She is currently a Fulbright Specialist. She lives with her husband and two young children in Montclair, New Jersey. The Grand Paloma Resort is her second novel.

Sharon Pelletier
Sharon Pelletier
Agent
— Day 2: Roundtables —
Fiction 5
– bio –

Sharon Pelletier joined Dystel, Goderich & Bourret in 2013 after working for Europa Editions and Barnes & Noble. While her interests are broad, Sharon is especially seeking upmarket fiction, including unexpected suspense fiction and smart, complex women’s fiction. On the nonfiction side Sharon is eager for compelling, fierce narrative nonfiction by journalists, experts, and emerging voices with a growing platform. In all categories she particularly welcomes marginalized voices.


Mason Rowlee
Mason Rowlee
Agent
— Day 2: Roundtables —
Fiction 3
– bio –

Originally from rural Upstate New York, Mason Rowlee holds a BA in English, with a concentration in creative writing and journalism from Fordham College at Rose Hill. While in college, he interned at DeFiore & Company, as well as McIntosh & Otis Literary Agency, Gotham Writers Workshop, CBS Television Production and Farrar, Straus & Giroux. He previously worked as an assistant literary scout at Jenny La Plante, Inc., where he developed an eye for the types of literary and upmarket fiction and narrative nonfiction that also appeal to international publishers as well as film production companies. Mason loves innovative, boundary-pushing literary fiction, engrossing upmarket fiction, and nonfiction that amplifies traditionally underrepresented voices in publishing, particularly those by queer authors.


Dani Segelbaum
Dani Segelbaum
Agent
— Day 2: Roundtables —
Fiction 6
– bio –

Dani is a Literary Agent at Carol Mann Agency. She hopes to work with authors from diverse backgrounds. Her typical preferences include narrative nonfiction, contemporary fiction, memoir, women’s fiction, popular culture, and lifestyle. Prior to Carol Mann, she was a junior agent at New Leaf and an editorial assistant at HarperCollins Publishers. She holds a BA in Journalism and Political Science from Boston University's College of Communication.

J. L. Stermer
J. L. Stermer
Agent
— Day 1: Panels —
Query Q&A: Two Agents Answer Your Query Questions
– bio –

JL is the founder of Next level Literary. She is adding to her non-fiction list in both YA and adult categories with smart pop-culture, style, health & wellness, self-help, and memoir and more. She's looking for voices that reflect the world as it changes, stories that share the human experience of life, love, growth, and achievement. And they don’t have to all be serious–having fun is important!

Katherine Taylor
Katherine Taylor
Presenter
— Day 1: Panels —
Revision: Three Authors Discuss Strategies for Novel Revision
– bio –
Michelle Tessler
Michelle Tessler
Agent
— Day 2: Roundtables —
Fiction 2
– bio –

Michelle Tessler has worked in the publishing industry for over twenty years. Before forming her boutique agency in 2004, Michelle worked at the William Morris Agency and the prestigious literary agency Carlisle & Company (now Inkwell Management). She also spent seven years working in content and business development in the Internet industry, beginning in 1994 when she was hired by best-selling author James Gleick to help launch The Pipeline. In light of the digital opportunities that are transforming publishing, Michelle’s experience in the Internet world is of great benefit to her authors, both as they navigate ebook opportunities, and as they look for creative and effective ways to market their books to niche communities that can be targeted online. She represents a select number of best-selling and emerging authors in both fiction and non-fiction. Clients include accomplished journalists, scientists, academics, experts in their field, as well as novelists and debut authors with unique voices and stories to tell. She values fresh, original writing that has a compelling point of view. She represents, among many others, Paul Collins, Frans de Waal, Mira Jacob, Amy Stewart and Amanda Eyre Ward.

Arlaina Tibensky
Arlaina Tibensky
Presenter
— Day 1: Panels —
Revision: Three Authors Discuss Strategies for Novel Revision
– bio –

Arlaina Tibensky is the author of the novel And Then Things Fall Apart (Simon & Schuster). Her short stories and nonfiction have appeared in One Story, SmokeLong Quarterly, McSweeney's, Madison Review, The Dinner Party Download, New Stories from the Midwest 2018 (New American Press), the New York Times, and elsewhere. She holds a BA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and an MFA in Fiction from Columbia University.