A random Twitter comment put it best: “For such a sunshiny person, you sure have dark tastes in books!”

I’m a queer, chronically ill, disabled junior agent at McIntosh & Otis Literary Agency, and my pronouns are she/her. I have a B.A. in English from Drew University, with concentrations in literary criticism, creative writing, and poetry. I’m a member of the AALA. I’m also a proud board member of Literary Agents of Change, and I co-direct their Fellowship program as well!

I’ve been with the children’s department at McIntosh & Otis since a 2016 internship, and am thrilled to now be acquiring! I’m looking for, in order of priority, young adult, middle grade, and picture books. I work very sparingly on adult, and acquire some adult romance/rom-com as well.

While my heart lives in contemporary stories, I also love contemporary fantasy and ghost stories, and am selectively open to other genres. I know it sounds cliché, but I’ve been happily surprised by what I fall in love with!

As an agent, I’ll be an author’s biggest cheerleader, and value open communication above all. I strive to be a safe space for marginalized identities/experiences, but don’t force authors to disclose those to me. I’m always open to any accommodations authors need.

I’ll be a mentor for my clients, helping them navigate the publishing industry even after an editor signs their books. I’m also extremely hands-on editorially! And though publishing is a business, I know that writing books (especially the dark, raw, identity-forward books I fall for) is a very intimate endeavor, so I strive to connect with my clients not just on a professional level, but a personal one.

Please note that I still assist on my boss’s list, and I already share some clients with her, too. So I’m likely to acquire more narrowly at first, but that could change as my role expands!

Books saved me as a young reader, and now, my goal as an agent is to help tell the “hard” stories, the off-the-beaten-track stories, that kids/teens who experience hardships or have underrepresented identities deeply need.

Headshot © LTV Photography.