At this virtual event, writers can meet one-on-one for 15 minutes with an agent/editor. Writers need only bring 5 pages of their work, a query letter, and their “elevator pitch,” and they’ll meet in a private Zoom room with the agent/editor of their choosing. Register now for the chance to pitch your work!
Location: Zoom
When: Sunday, June 29, 11am – 3pm ET
Cost: $40/Meeting
Pitch Meeting Times (ET): 11:00am – 11:15am; 11:30am – 11:45am; 12:00pm – 12:15pm; 1:00pm – 1:15pm; 1:30pm – 1:45pm; 2:00pm – 2:15pm; 2:30pm – 2:45pm
*Krista Van Dolzer has nonstandard meeting times. Check her registration page for details.
Contact: For questions, email philadelphiastoriesevents@gmail.com.
*IMPORTANT NOTE* We will NOT be sending work in advance to agents/editors. Writers can share their work by sharing their screen or sending a shareable link (Google Docs, Microsoft Sharepoint, etc.) with the agent/editor in their Zoom meeting. Pitch Fest is open to all writers and you do NOT need to be from the Philadelphia area to participate. However, we strongly recommend that attendees meeting with an agent/editor have a completed or nearly completed manuscript ready for querying. Attendees are also free to register for sessions with multiple agents/editors, but cannot book more than one session with the same agent/editor.
*Refunds for this event will not be issued after Thursday, June 26th.
AGENTS
Ritu Anand
Ritu Anand has been a passionate storyteller since childhood. Caught and admonished for writing—under her desk—during a math class, she recalls being highly inconvenienced. Inspiration had struck from within and there was little else she could have done to curtail it. Today, Ritu has earned the recognition of being an award-winning author of Kara’s Dreams, a picture book about being resilient in the face of adversity. She gives tremendous credit to the various teachers at Mater Dei Convent, who, in the formative years of her life, laid an impression upon her. No good story should ever be filed away but be shared, she believes. And that is why, she has chosen to champion voices yet unheard. Ritu joined D4EO Literary Agency in Spring 2023. As a writer herself, she is on the same page with other writers and applauds their creativity.
SEEKING: Ritu is seeking kidlit, literary fiction, general fiction and historical fiction.
Claire Elliot * SOLD OUT *
Claire Elliot is an associate agent at FinePrint Literary Management. Claire grew up in Philly, volunteering at local bookstores and at the Free Public Library before eventually finding her way to agenting at FinePrint. In addition to working as an agent, she is also a PhD candidate at the University of Pennsylvania, where she’s studying modern Theravada Buddhist practice in Thailand and Sri Lanka.
SEEKING: In fiction, I represent YA, NA, and Adult, in most commercial genres, including especially fantasy, historical, thriller, and mystery. I’m especially interested in books set in non-western settings (real or fantasy settings inspired by), and in books about flawed people up to no good, and in characters who were not born heroes, but choose to be. In Non-fiction, I’m interested in pop-science books that use data to tell clear stories, and in narrative nonfiction that walks the line between long-form journalism and ethnography. I’m also keen to discuss dissertation-to-book projects. I’m not the right person for memoir, theology books, or manifestos.
Catherine Jones * SOLD OUT *
Catherine Jones is a literary agent at Union Literary. Catherine graduated from Kenyon College with a degree in Film and English and a concentration in creative writing. She read for The Kenyon Review and Sweet Literary magazine and continues to work as an international literary scout for Edmison/Harper. She loves character-driven books with heart and humor.
SEEKING: I love character-driven books with heart and humor, and I’m looking for cinematic speculative fiction like Kaliane Bradley’s THE MINISTRY OF TIME or Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s MEXICAN GOTHIC; literary horror and imaginative fairytale retellings like Christina Henry’s LOST BOYS or THE CHRONICLES OF ALICE; gut-wrenching coming-of-age books like MILKMAN by Anna Burns or MAURICE by E.M. Forster; and well-researched, inspiring nonfiction like WHY WE SWIM by Bonnie Tsui.
Estelle Laure * SOLD OUT *
As a Literary Agent/Senior Content Development Editor at Folio Jr., Estelle edits picture books, middle grade, and young adult, and acquires and develops existing talent alongside Emily van Beek. Since 2012, Estelle has been working as an editorial consultant and developmental editor with established authors, many of whom are bestsellers and award winners; and while she is committed to supporting published authors, she has also developed a keen eye for new talent and a passion for working to bring a fresh perspective to their work and assist as they move toward publication confidently and with the highest level of artistic creativity.
SEEKING: Estelle is seeking middle grade, new adult, young adult, and picture books by author/illustrators. She is not looking for board books, novelty, picture book texts, or chapter books at this time. For more details on her wishlist, please visit her Publishers Marketplace page.
Donovan Levine * SOLD OUT *
Donovan Levine is an associate literary agent at Neighborhood Literary and AALA member based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. When not doing agent work, he can probably be found at a local dive bar cheering for Philly sports teams.
SEEKING: He is currently seeking genre fiction, primarily mystery and thriller, but also open to historical, romance, fantasy, and sci-fi. He is also open to non-fiction such as memoir or personal growth.
Danielle Marshall * SOLD OUT *
Danielle Marshall joined the Jane Rotrosen Agency in 2025 after more than 30 years working in publishing and bookselling, with varied experiences across the book business including Editorial Director for Lake Union Publishing, marketing and publicity roles at Workman and Simon & Schuster, as well as frontlist book buyer for the largest independent bookstore on the west coast. An avid reader and editor, she is known as a strong advocate for her authors and for building bestselling brands. A few of the bestselling books she has edited are Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan, West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge, The Venice Sketchbook by Rhys Bowen, and The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell by Robert Dugoni.
SEEKING: Currently Danielle is looking for fresh voices in women’s fiction, literary fiction, contemporary romance, and historical fiction, as well as horror and suspense.
Kate Moody * SOLD OUT *
Kate is an Assistant Agent at The Rights Factory, representing authors in both adult fiction and non-fiction. Kate spent a year as the Agency Assistant to Sam Hiyate, gaining invaluable industry insight and hands-on experience in agenting, and author representation. She also brings a diverse background in events, marketing, and non-profit work. Driven by her passion for books, literacy, and education, she founded the Moody Family Foundation in 2023, which provides charitable grants to support education and literacy programs in Ontario’s York Region. Kate believes everyone has a story to tell and is always looking for fresh, compelling voices. If you think you’d be a good fit, she’d love to hear from you!
SEEKING: Kate is seeking authors with strong platforms in non-fiction, including true crime, narrative, journalism, memoir, sports, and current affairs. In fiction, she is particularly interested in thrillers, psychological thrillers, family sagas, and stories that are dark, twisty, and complex. Kate is also drawn to authors whose exceptional writing can stand above a platform, as well as those who skillfully bend genres and execute multi-POV narratives with precision.
Shelly Romero * SOLD OUT *
Shelly Romero is a literary agent at Azantian Literary. Shelly began her publishing career in 2017 at Scholastic where she rose up the ranks from editorial assistant to associate editor, where she acquired her own titles and assisted on series publishing for The Bad Guys and Goosebumps. She later joined Cake Creative as Lead Editor and she was most recently a freelance editor. She graduated from Stephens College with a bachelor’s degree in English and attended the 2017 NYU Summer Publishing Institute. Shelly was selected as a 2020 Publishers Weekly Star Watch Honoree and is a member of Latinx in Publishing & People of Color in Publishing. Born and raised in Miami by Honduran parents, she now resides in New York City where she might be found at a movie theatre viewing the latest release from her Letterboxd watchlist.
SEEKING: I’ll be looking for MG, YA, and adult; horror; sci-fi; contemporary; rom-com; slice-of-life; grounded fantasy; etc. My page has my MSWL more in depth.
Charlotte Sunderland * SOLD OUT *
Charlotte Sunderland is an Associate Literary Agent at Park, Fine & Brower Literary Management. After a decade in Los Angeles, she comes to books from a film background, having worked at Creative Artists Agency, wiip studios, and as the Creative Executive to actor and producer Julia Louis-Dreyfus. A native New Yorker, Charlotte graduated from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts with a B.A. in Cinema and Media Studies.
SEEKING: Charlotte is looking for upmarket and cinematic fiction with compelling characters, tight plots, and page-turning prose that can expand into film and television. She is particularly interested in self-sabotaging heroines and morally ambiguous characters, dysfunctional families, unreliable narrators, ordinary people thrust into extraordinary situations, and humorous takes on conventionally dark subjects.
Matthew Valdez
Matthew Valdez is a literary agent at Megibow Literary Agency. His love of literature began as a teenager when his mom handed him a copy of TWILIGHT after years of being a reluctant reader. With over a decade of experience volunteering and interning around publishing events and agencies, he brings a very behind-the-scenes perspective to his job as an agent. When not agenting, Matthew attends the University of Central Florida and teaches High School English where he hopes his passion for literature trickles down to his students.
SEEKING: Matthew is currently on the hunt for Fantasy (all sub-genres), Horror/Thriller, RomCom, Women’s Fiction, Romance, Gothic, Commercial / Upmarket Literary, and thrillers for both adult and young-adult readers— particularly looking for LGBTQ+ and other marginalized voices (but all welcome!). He is NOT currently looking for Middle Grade, Children’s, or non-fiction.
A.J. Van Belle * SOLD OUT *
A.J. Van Belle is a junior literary agent with The Booker Albert Agency. They have over 20 years of experience in publishing as an editor, writer, and mentor and are passionate about championing new and unique voices. They love books that merge literary sensibilities with compelling plotlines and are drawn in by wry humor in dark spaces. They’re excited to build warm and lasting relationships with their clients. With a PhD in biology, they’re a published scientific researcher, as well as being a writer nominated for the Rhysling and Best of the Net awards. They’ve taught writing and natural science at Boston University and Babson College. When not agenting or writing, they’re hiking the British Columbia coasts and forests with their family and two dogs.
SEEKING: Adult: literary fiction, women’s fiction, thriller, horror, speculative (sci-fi and fantasy), and nonfiction (especially science & self-help). YA: all genres. MG: all genres.
Krista Van Dolzer
Krista Van Dolzer is the newest literary agent at The Unter Agency, though she’s worked in and around the publishing industry for more than a decade. Her middle grade fiction has been published by Penguin Random House, Sourcebooks, Capstone, and Bloomsbury USA, and she’s hosted many query contests and pitch events for aspiring authors over the years. She currently lives in central Iowa with her husband and four kids and holds degrees in Mathematics Education and Economics from Brigham Young University.
SEEKING: I’m looking for all things MG and YA as well as select adult nonfiction (narrative, sports, applied but accessible science, and journalistic narrative).
*Krista Van Dolzer has nonstandard meeting times. Check her registration page for details.