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, September 28, 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
*Amanda Elliott has nonstandard meeting times.
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, September 25th.
AGENTS
*More agents/editors will be added as they are confirmed.
Amanda Elliott
Amanda is an associate literary agent at Movable Type Management. Due to her lifelong desire to connect with people through their art, Amanda Elliott went back to school to obtain her MFA in Creative Writing and MA in Publishing from Rosemont College. Previously, she interned at Grosvenor Literary Agency and worked as a developmental editor, where she committed herself to helping authors achieve their most effective and authentic writing. Before making the transition to publishing, Amanda was a social worker for nearly a decade, where she developed an ear for understanding the diverse yet universal stories we all carry with us. She has worked as a foster care social worker and most recently as a homelessness advocate, and is mom to one precocious, dinosaur-loving three-year-old.
SEEKING: She is partial to adult and young adult high-concept, thematic, and genre-blending fantasy, as well as any work of speculative fiction with cozy elements. Amanda believes the acts of making and sharing our stories to be the most therapeutic and transformative tools we have.
*Amanda Elliott has nonstandard meeting times. Check registration page for details.
Marina Green
Marina Green is an associate agent at PSLA representing fiction and non-fiction. After completing a BA and post-grad in publishing and spending half a decade as a bookseller, Marina began her career as an editor at a small indie publisher in Montréal before moving to Harlequin’s Trade division as an acquiring editor. Marina has always had an eclectic taste in books and is always looking for atmospheric, diverse, and inclusive stories rooted in cultural identity and belonging—and magic when she can get it. When Marina isn’t immersing herself in books and words and magical worlds, you can find her with a cup of tea in hand, trying a new yoga asana—never at the same time—or practicing Armenian, the language of her ancestors.
SEEKING: Marina is actively acquiring fiction (adult and YA). In fiction, she is particularly drawn to speculative, atmospheric, and voice-driven narratives for both adult and young adult audiences. She has a soft spot for hybrid genres, such as horror-romance or speculative thrillers, and books with big hooks. In literary fiction, she is looking for stories that push the boundaries of genre and form. She’d love horror in the vein of an A24 film. When it comes to mysteries and thrillers, she looks for atmospheric stories with unreliable narrators that skew psychological or slowly get under your skin. For romance, she seeks stories with heart and something big to say, or unconventional takes on the genre. In fantasy, she is looking for unique magic systems, strong characters, and stories inspired by myth or folklore, particularly outside the Western canon. Oh, and lady knights. While she’s open to romantasy, these submissions need to stand out against the saturated market. As a child of diaspora herself, across all categories, she is looking for diverse and inclusive stories rooted in the diasporic experience, cultural identity, and belonging.
Elizabeth Guthrie
Elizabeth brings a unique perspective to agenting, with a background as both an author and editor in the complementary medicine space. Her own journey through the querying and submission process – culminating in a book deal for Earth’s Embrace, which explores post-traumatic growth through the lens of plant medicine – sparked her passion for guiding other authors through the publishing landscape. In addition to her work with Lucinda Literary, she maintains an active editorial and ghostwriting practice and writes fantasy romance under the pen name Ellie Fowler.
SEEKING: She is actively acquiring. In nonfiction, she is particularly drawn to true crime, music (almost any genre, but especially blues and classic rock), and history (especially ancient civilizations or intellectual history). She also likes expert-driven wellness, popular psychology, and other science-related ideas (especially in biology or physics). In fiction, she is interested in fantasy, historical, romance (especially fantasy, historical, or LGBTQ), speculative, and psychological thrillers.
Jackie Kruzie
Jackie has worn many hats in the literary world including librarian, writer, editor, and literary associate. She was an acquisitions editor for an Indie publisher before completing a 6-month internship with Olswanger Literary and joining the team at Focused Artists.
SEEKING: Jackie is open to queries for children and adult fiction across multiple genres. A comprehensive wish list can be found on MSWL.
Jessica Larios-Zarate
Jessica Larios-Zarate is an Assistant Literary Agent with Wave Literary. Jessica (She/Her) is a graduate of U.C. Berkeley where she earned a B.A. in English. She is passionate about uplifting stories by authors with marginalized voices and intersectional identities. She was part of the Writers House Mentor Initiative, and worked with literary agencies including Creative Media Agency and Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. Based in Northern California, Jessica’s favorite pastime is watching the fog roll down the coastal mountains.
SEEKING: Jessica gravitates towards: commercial fiction, contemporary upmarket fiction, literary fiction, mystery/thrillers, romance, and speculative fiction. She is particularly invested in stories that feature LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, neurodivergent, and/or disabled protagonists, especially when the books are not issue-driven. Jessica is not the best fit for children’s books, police procedural mysteries, detective fiction, high fantasy, hard science fiction, and historical fiction (unless there is a speculative twist). Jessica is an eclectic reader, and she adores books when they make her: laugh, cry, swoon, and/or surprised. Above all, she loves when a book makes her want to talk about it endlessly to everybody.
Lee Melillo
Lee Melillo joined Dunham Literary, Inc. in May 2024 as Jennie Dunham’s assistant, following an internship with Dystel, Goderich, & Bourret LLC. She was made an Associate Literary Agent in June 2025. Lee graduated summa cum laude from Fordham University in 2022, with a B.A and honors in English and Theatre Directing.
SEEKING: Lee represents Young Adult, New Adult, and Adult Fiction written by, for, and about traditionally underrepresented communities. She gravitates towards upmarket fiction, which she defines as stories with commercial hooks that can reel in a wide range of readers and subsequently deliver well-executed, memorable reading experiences on the sentence level. Genre-wise, she reads broadly, but considers herself most comfortable in contemporary, historical, low/medium fantasy, and grounded speculative spaces – however, she’s also open to other genres and subgenres like thrillers, horror, classics/fairytale retellings, cozy mysteries, and some sci-fi. For more information on Lee’s tastes, check out her MSWL here: https://www.manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/lee-melillo/
Jael Morrill
Jael Morrill is an Associate Literary Agent with The Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency. She graduated from Pikes Peak State College in 2021 with a degree in history. Before interning with the agency, she had previously worked as a research assistant for a historian. When not reading, she can be found working on various art projects and writing stories with her spouse.
SEEKING: Jael represents adult and young adult fiction and nonfiction. Jael is currently seeking non-fiction that focuses on history, cultural anthropology, journalism, and the arts. She is also accepting memoirs. For fiction, she is looking for character-centered sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and noir.
Ciara Smith
Ciara Smith was raised by an editor who instilled in her a love of reading and writing. In her youth, she penned short stories, but left writing behind when she joined the US Navy. But, of course, that love for words never wavered even during her service, and she readily volunteered to edit and review any and all paperwork, reports, and regulations she could get her hands on. After becoming a parent to two beautiful daughters, she decided to leave the military to pursue various creative arts and returned to her first love of writing and editing. Ciara earned her Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing and joined a small press as a freelance editor. She provides editing and beta reading services to friends she’s made in the writing community and is elated at the chance to support authors even more as she builds her list at Spencerhill Associates.
SEEKING: Ciara has a wide range of interests from YA to NA and Adult. Particularly she’s interested in Fantasy, Science Fiction, Romance, Speculative Literary, Historical Fiction, Horror, Thriller and Suspense, Dystopian (YA only), and Pagan, witch, or spiritual nonfiction that helps expand minds and witch practices. In all of these, Ciara would love ND, disabled, LGBTQIA+, and BIPOC #ownvoices, especially those outside of her own experiences. She does NOT want to see: Age gap romance, Strong Christian elements, Mystery, Picture Book, Middle grade, Contemporary without speculative elements unless requested, Women’s fiction, Time travel, Child brutality or abuse on the page, or implied without consequences, SA on the page, or implied without consequences, Attacker/killer POVs. She would appreciate trigger warnings for: SA on page, Military-like deployments.
Hunter Strickland
Hunter joined Focused Artists as a junior agent in 2024 after completing an apprenticeship with Co-founder Kristina Sutton. She previously held assistant roles at the Oklahoma Hall of Fame at the Gaylord Pickens Museum for publishing and editing. During her time there she developed a background working with historical non-fiction.
SEEKING: Hunter’s list of interests are just as extensive as her background. While she has previous experience in the sports world and historical nonfiction, she is also drawn to fantasy worlds with unique elements.
Titles Hunter is currently seeking include:
- Fantasy
- Romance
- Historical Fiction
- Women’s fiction
- Young Adult
- New Adult
- Hunter is particularly drawn to anything mythology based or inspired. She accepts queries via Query Tracker
Haley Warrington
Haley Warrington has been an avid reader and writer since she can remember. After an internship with The Booker Albert Literary Agency, she recently moved into an agenting role on June 1st, 2025. She is eagerly growing her list and hopeful that she will bring talented writers to the forefront of publishing. When she’s not reviewing submissions or editing client manuscripts, she is hanging out with her two cats—Sweet Potato and Sugar Cookie. Ultimately, she enjoys fast-paced stories with strong hooks. Whether it’s steeped with emotion or scares her socks off, she’s looking for commercial genre fiction.
SEEKING: Genres for Adult fiction: Horror, romance, mystery, thriller, suspense, LGBTQ+, family saga, women’s fiction, & satire; Genres for Young Adult fiction: Horror, mystery, thriller, suspense, family saga, satire, low fantasy, urban/contemporary fantasy