W&PC Faculty and Presenters

Our faculty is a combination of experience and desire. We choose to work with agents and editors who are not only connected, affable, and wise, but also list-building and willing to listen and work with new writers. Agencies represented at our pitch sessions include Andrea Hurst Literary Management, Dreisbach Literary Management, Castiglia Agency, Dijkstra Agency, AEI Film and Literary Agency, Paul Levine Agency, ICM, LarsenPomada, and Reece Halsey/Cameron Agency. All of the agents are actively looking for new clients. Many have chosen to represent writers from Algonkian events. All of them are more than willing to advise, and to review your work at such time it is ready.

With more than forty years experience in the publishing world, and over fifteen years in entertainment, Ken Atchity is responsible for launching dozens of books and films. His life's passion is finding great storytellers and turning them into bestselling authors and screenwriters. As well as being a famed literary agent at AEI, he has produced 26 films, including "Joe Somebody" (Tim Allen; Fox), "Life or Something Like It" (Angelina Jolie; Fox), "Shadow of Obsession" (NBC), "The Madam's Family" (CBS), "Henry's List of Wrongs" (New Line), and Ripley's Believe-It-Or-Not (starring Jim Carrey; Paramount-- approaching production). His 14 books on writing cover every stage of a writer's career. Based his teaching, managing, and writing experience, he has successfully built bestselling careers for novelists, nonfiction writers, and screenwriters from the ground up.

David has spent almost 30 years in book publishing with stints in editing, production, publicity, marketing, and management. His company, Bay Tree Publishing, focuses on nonfiction works in the areas of business, personal finance, psychology, health, and current affairs. He is the author of three nonfiction books, including The Complete Guide to Book Marketing. The Founder and first President of the San Francisco Bay Area Book Festival, he also served as an instructor in the University of California Extension certificate program in publishing. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Independent Book Publishers Association and the Northern California Book Publicity and Marketing Association.

Julie is a freelance editor with twelve years of experience as a staff editor at Dutton and Vintage Books. She has edited seven New York Times bestselling novels by Eric Jerome Dickey, two highly acclaimed memoirs (INSIDE, INSIDE by James Lipton and THE COMMITMENT by Dan Savage); and a National Jewish Book Award-winning humor anthology (THE MODERN JEWISH GIRL'S GUIDE TO GUILT by Ruth Andrew Ellenson and contributors). She is also the editor of two mysteries by Edgar Award-nominated writer Barbara Parker, and several well-reviewed thrillers, including SEASON OF THE WITCH by Natasha Mostert, CONTACT ZERO by David Wollstencroft, and IN THE COURTS OF THE SUN by Brian D'Amato.

Verna Dreisbach, of Dreisbach Literary Management, is an award winning published author who has been featured in books, literary journals, magazines, and newspapers. Her Seal Press anthology, Why We Ride, is due for publication spring 2010. Verna is the founder and president of Capitol City Young Writers, a national non-profit organization that supports and encourages creative writing in aspiring youth. Verna represents both fiction and non-fiction authors, a variety of fiction including commercial and literary, with a particular interest in books with a political, economic or social context. With over 13 years as a police officer, Verna also has a genuine interest and expertise in the genres of mystery, thriller and true crime.

April Eberhardt of Kimberley Cameron and Associates is hungry to build her list. Her specialty is adult commercial and literary fiction, particularly contemporary urban fiction, ironic family dramas and realistic midlife tales, often with a twist, preferably involving strong female characters. She enjoys working with new authors to edit and streamline their manuscripts before submitting them to publishers.

Amberly Finarelli has worked in the book publishing and freelance writing business for over five years and joined Andrea Hurst Literary Management in 2008. Previously, she has worked as a manuscript evaluator, developmental editor, publisher’s assistant, copy editor, proofreader and freelance writer. She graduated magna cum laude in 2007 with a B.A. in English. She is particularly interested in women's fiction, cozy mysteries, and upscale or literary fiction.

Michael Larsen, together with Elizabeth Pomada, founded the first literary agency in San Francisco in 1972, and since that time they have helped hundreds of authors to achieve successful publication of their books. Recent manuscripts represented and sold to Pantheon, Warner, Berkley, and Tor. Three novel ms were recently selected from Algonkian Writer Conferences to be represented by his agency.

Levine's combination of publishing industry savvy and entertainment legal services makes Levine a dynamic choice for both new and published authors alike. Leaning toward socially and politically important literature, he will consider fiction, non-fiction, children's, and young adult manuscripts and proposals for non-fiction

JSill is an acquiring agent with the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency, one of the most respected literary agencies in the U.S. Representing an impressive and eclectic client roster, SDLA has helped guide the illustrious careers of many best selling authors in several genres, including Maxine Hong Kingston, Amy Tan, Lisa See and Diane Mott Davidson and on the non-fiction side, Peter Irons, David Landes, Mike Davis, Chalmers Johnson and Susan Faludi, among others. Jill is interested in commercial fiction, especially women's fiction, multi-cultural fiction, historic fiction, mysteries, thrillers, and horror.

Laurie of Larsen-Pomada represents adult genre fiction (romance, fantasy, science fiction, horror, westerns, mysteries, suspense, thrillers, etc.) as well as middle-grade and young-adult books. She looks for great writing, first and foremost, followed by memorable characters, a searing storyline and solid world building. She is especially interested in YA FANTASY and URBAN FANTASY. She is also a novelist herself, so she can empathize with the author's journey to and through publication. Check out her blog, www.agentsavant.com, for tales of the agenting life. Three novel ms were recently selected from Algonkian workshops to be represented by her agency.

Isabella is a former TV and radio producer with more than 25 years of publicity and promotion experience. She has worked with many bestselling and award-winning authors including Deepak Chopra, Clive Barker, Day in the Life series co-creator David Cohen, and Robert Thurman, who Time named as "one of the 25 most influential people". Isabella's bookings include USA Today, NBC Nightly News, CBS This Morning, The Associated Press, NPR, CNN, The Tom Snyder Show, and the front page of The Wall Street Journal.

Michael Neff is an author, editor, teacher, and publisher. He is the creator and director of WebdelSol.Com, a literary and cinema arts community, and one of the largest publishers of periodical contemporary lit on the WWW. He edits the Del Sol Press and publishes several highly acclaimed national literary magazines including 5_Trope, In Posse Review, La Petite Zine, Perihelion, and The Potomac. He also edits the "Paris Review of the Internet," Del Sol Review. His own work has appeared in such classic literary publications as The Literary Review, North American Review, Mudlark, Quarterly West, Pittsburgh Quarterly, Conjunctions, and American Way Magazine. His novel, YEAR OF THE RHINOCEROS, is out from Red Hen Press.

Elizabeth, together with Michael Larsen, founded the first literary agency in San Francisco in 1972, and since that time they have helped hundreds of authors to achieve successful publication of their books. Recent manuscripts represented and sold to Pantheon, Warner, Berkley, and Tor. Three novel ms were recently selected from Algonkian workshops to be represented by her agency.

A typical day for Charles involves reading, editing, and evaluating novel manuscripts of all genres for students and a wide variety of clients. He has also published books with or edited for the likes of Viking/Penguin, Dell, Simon and Schuster, Henry Holt, St. Martin's, M. Evans, and Hyperion, as well as agencies like Trident Media Group, Peter Rubie Agency, Graybill & English, and the Spieler Agency, among others. Charles has ghostwritten several books, fiction and nonfiction, and his own detective novel is awaiting publication. currently, he teaches at Sarah Lawrence, The New York Writers Workshop, and the Writer's Voice. He is a founding member of the New York Writers Workshop. An interview with him can be found here His novel, SWAN'S LAST SONG, was recently published.

A member of the prestigious Castiglia Literary Agency, Sally van Haitsma is actively looking for proposals and her fiction list covers literary and women's fiction, and SF/F as well. Her recent sales include SILVERSTEIN & ME by Marv Gold (Red Hen Press), WESLEY THE OWL by Stacey O'Brien (Free Press/Simon & Schuster), and THE LEISURE SEEKER by Michael Zadoorian (HarperCollins).

From his start as an intern, Gordon has worked his way up to becoming a full agent and an integral part of Andrea Hurst Literary Management. He frequently participates in conferences and workshops and speaks throughout the community. He is an honors graduate with a B.A. in Creative and Professional Writing. Gordon has his eye out for works which will not only thrive in the current market but will also withstand the test of time. He is especially interested in literary, general and upscale fiction, as well as memoir and true crime.

Tina Dubois Wexler is in International Creative Management's literary department. She represents authors in the adult and children's marketplace and is specifically looking for upmarket woman's fiction, narrative nonfiction (including memoir), cookbooks, and YA fiction. Her authors include Helen Brenna, Donna Gephart, Sanjay Patel, Ani Phyo, Susan Runholt, Laurel Snyder, Erin Torneo, and Anne Ursu (children's market only). Before joining ICM, she was with the Karpfinger Agency and the Ellen Levine Literary Agency.