Seven agents at Ayesha Pande Literary seek adult and YA fiction and nonfiction

Vienna Nocturne by Vivien Shotwell,
represented by Ayesha Pande agency

Ayesha Pande Literary 

128 West 132 Street

New York, NY 10027

http://pandeliterary.com/

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Ayesha Pande Literary is a New York based boutique literary agency with seven agents, all accepting new authors, and a small and eclectic roster of clients. They are especially passionate about discovering and nurturing talented new voices. New authors might be most especially interested in these agents:

Serene Hakim joined Ayesha Pande Literary in 2015 and was promoted to Associate Agent in February 2019. Previously, she worked at Laura Gross Literary Agency in Boston. Serene holds an M.A. in French to English translation from NYU and a B.A. in French and Women’s Studies from the University of Kansas. 

Born to Lebanese immigrants in the Midwest, she grew up straddling cultures and languages and still feels like a third culture kid. When she’s not reading, she can usually be found trying a new recipe while simultaneously balancing a toddler on her hip.

Serene loves to read a variety of genres but is particularly drawn to fiction with strong female voices, both YA and adult fiction and nonfiction with international themes, and LGBTQ and feminist issues. She is always on the lookout for great YA sci-fi and fantasy, realistic YA, and anything that gives voice to those whose voices are underrepresented and/or marginalized. She is especially interested in stories dealing with the Middle East and the variety of immigrant experiences out there. Specifically, she’s looking for writing that explores the different meanings of identity, home, family and parenthood/motherhood.

Query Serene through the agency’s submissions page here.

Stephany Evans put a toe in the publishing waters at Simon & Schuster Audio when audio publishing was just beginning to be “a thing.” Now, for more than twenty-five years, Stephany has represented nonfiction writers in the areas of health and wellness, spirituality, lifestyle, food and drink, and sustainability, running and fitness, memoir and narrative nonfiction. 

She also represents a range of women’s fiction, from literary to upmarket commercial, to romance, as well as crime fiction (mysteries, thrillers), and the occasional literary or commercial novel not aimed at a female market. She is looking for fine, accomplished writing, whether the work is by a first time or established author.

She loves to be told a great story!​

Stephany is a member of the Association of Authors’ Representatives (AAR), the RWA, the MWA and the Agents Round Table (ART). She has served as ghostwriter on seven published books in the categories of memoir and spirituality.

Query Stephany through the agency’s submissions page here.

Anjali Singh started her career in publishing in 1996 as a literary scout. Most recently Editorial Director at Other Press, she has also worked as an editor at Simon & Schuster, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and Vintage Books. She is is best known for having championed Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis after stumbling across it on a visit to Paris. 

Anjali has always been drawn to the thrill of discovering new writers, and among the literary novelists whose careers she helped launch are Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Samantha Hunt, Preeta Samarasan, Zoe Ferraris, Victoria Patterson, Natalie Bakopoulos, Enid Shomer and Brigid Pasulka. 

As a literary agent, she is looking for new voices, character-driven fiction or nonfiction works that reflect an engagement with the world around us, literary thrillers, memoirs, YA literature and graphic novels. She is a member of the International Committee of the Brooklyn Book Festival.

Query Anjali through the agency’s submissions page here.

Theresa Soon-Young Park has a M.A. in English Language and Literature from the University of Maryland and a M.F.A. in Creative Writing and Production from Long Island University. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland’s Jiménez-Porter Writers’ House, which inspired her decision to pursue a career in publishing. Before working at Ayesha Pande Literary, Theresa interned at Columbia University Press and Gelfman Schneider/ICM Partners. 

Theresa's literary diet includes everything from epic poems to popular fiction. She has a special place in her heart for children’s and young adult books, especially those introducing much-needed diverse and inclusive voices. She’s still holding on to her battered copy of Linda Sue Park’s A Single Shard.

Query Theresa through the agency’s submissions page here.

The Beauty of the Moment by YA author
Tanaz Bhathena launched on Feb 26.
More here.

If you’re interested in writing for a young audience, we have two Writing for Children and for Young Adults workshops coming up, both with guest speaker Erin O'Connor, senior editor, Scholastic Books. On Saturday, May 5, in Toronto the workshop will also feature young adult author Laurie Elizabeth Flynn (see here), and on Saturday, May 11, in Brampton the workshop will feature young adult author Tanaz Bhathena (see here).

For updated listings of Kid Lit weekly classes and Saturday workshops, see here (and scroll down).

If you’re interested in getting published, soon or somewhere down the road, don’t miss the upcoming How to Get Published workshop Saturday, June 8, in Waterloo with literary agent Meg Wheeler (see here). 

For updated listings of How to Get Published workshops see here (and scroll down). 

And don’t miss these other great workshops coming soon:  You Can Write Great Dialogue, Saturday, March 30, in Burlington (see here), Secrets of Writing a Page-turner, Saturday, April 6, in Alliston (see here), and Writing Your Life, with guest speaker Ross Pennie, Saturday, April 13, in Guelph (see here). 

But the best way to grow as a writer may be with a weekly course. A full range of classes starts in April: 

Burlington: Welcome to Creative Writing, Thursday afternoons, April 18 – June 20. Details here.

Toronto: Welcome to Creative Writing, Friday afternoons, April 26 – June 28. Details here.

Oakville Central Library: Writing Personal Stories, Thursday evenings, April 18 – June 27 Details here.

Burlington: Intensive Creative Writing, Tuesday afternoons, April 16 – June 25. First readings emailed April 9. Details here.

Georgetown: Intensive Creative Writing, Wednesday evenings. First readings emailed April 10. Details here.

Toronto: Intensive Creative Writing, Friday mornings, April 26 – June 28. First readings emailed April 19.  Details here.

     See details of all 6 courses here.

And later in the spring, come enjoy the most sublime writing experience of all…

Algonquin Writing Retreat, Friday, May 31 – Monday, June 3, 2019: four days in the luxurious isolation of Arowhon Pines Resort to get down to some real creative growth. Details here. 

To reserve a spot in any upcoming weekly course, weekend retreat, or Saturday workshop, email Brian at: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

Read reviews of Brian’s courses, retreats, and workshops here.

See Brian’s complete current schedule here, including Saturday writing workshops, weekly writing classes, and weekend retreats in Algonquin Park, Alliston, Bolton, Barrie, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Collingwood, Georgetown, Georgina, Guelph, Hamilton, Jackson’s Point, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Midland, Mississauga, New Tecumseth, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Sudbury, Toronto, Windsor, Woodstock, Halton, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York Region, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

Navigation tips: Always check out the Labels underneath a post; they’ll lead you to various distinct collections of postings. If you're searching for more interviews with literary agents or a literary agent who represents a particular type of book, check out this post.