3 New Agents Seeking Memoir, Short Story Collections, Literary and Commercial Fiction, Horror, Kidlit and more

Updated 3/30/21

Here are three new agents actively building their client lists. Sophie Pugh-Sellers is looking for both fiction and nonfiction projects, particularly innovative takes on classical narrative elements and stories told by radical new voices. Arlie Johansen is interested in literary fiction, memoir, narrative nonfiction, and feminist nonfiction. She particularly enjoys short story and essay collections, and both fiction and nonfiction that elevates traditionally underrepresented voices. Larissa Melo Pienkowski is seeking picture books, YA, speculative fiction, magical realism, memoir, narrative nonfiction, cookbooks, and poetry.

Always check the agency website and agent bio before submitting. Agents can switch agencies or close their lists, and submission requirements can change.

You can find a full list of agents actively seeking new clients here: Agents Seeking Clients.

___________________________

Ms. Sophie Pugh-Sellers of The Gernert Company

Sophie joined The Gernert Company in 2019, and holds a BA in Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies from Barnard College. Raised in Oakland, California and Charlottesville, Virginia, her literary palate is as eclectic and complex as her two hometowns. All of her favorite writing includes characters, language, and worlds so powerful that she misses them long after closing the book. She lives in Washington Heights.

What she is seeking: She is looking for both fiction and nonfiction projects, particularly innovative takes on classical narrative elements and stories told by radical new voices.

How to submit: Queries by e-mail should be directed to: info@thegernertco.com. Please indicate in your letter which agent you are querying.


___________________________

Arlie Johansen of Aevitas

NO LONGER AN AGENT

Arlie Johansen graduated from SUNY New Paltz with a BA in English, and minors in Journalism and Creative Writing. She joined Aevitas in 2019, after attending the Columbia Publishing Course in 2017 and subsequently interning at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Soho Press, and the Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency.

What she is seeking: Arlie is interested in literary fiction, memoir, narrative nonfiction, and feminist nonfiction. She particularly enjoys short story and essay collections, and both fiction and nonfiction that elevates traditionally underrepresented voices.

How to submit: Use Arlie's form HERE.

___________________________

Larissa Melo Pienkowski of Jennifer Azantian Literary Agency

Larissa Melo Pienkowski began her publishing career working for a handful of publishers before becoming a literary agent at Jill Grinberg Literary Management in 2020. She joined Azantian Literary Agency in 2025. As the queer, mixed-race daughter of Brazilian and Polish immigrants, she is passionate about championing BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, disabled, international, and other historically underrepresented authors across fiction and nonfiction in most age groups. Larissa is a New England transplant living in Philadelphia with her wife and Siberian husky, Olaf, and when she doesn't have her nose in a book, she can usually be found cooking, baking, playing volleyball, doing Pilates, or making pottery. 

What she is seeking: Adult, YA, MG fiction. In fiction, she is looking for character-driven, idiosyncratic stories that center underrepresented voices; braided, multigenerational narratives that make her cry; powerful stories of migration, diaspora, and displacement; haunting, atmospheric speculative fiction and magical realism in the vein of Carmen Maria Machado’s Her Body and Other Parties and Isabel Allende’s The House of the Spirits, respectively; modern re-imaginings of mythology for adult and YA readers; quirky coming-of-age stories about identity and the gritty yet relatable parts of life; and well-researched historical fiction that immerses her in another world. She has a soft spot for novels that stretch the boundaries and limitations of genre.

On the non-fiction side, she is seeking emotionally searing memoirs from underrepresented perspectives; journalistic reporting that blends seamlessly with personal narrative; cookbooks that feature diverse cuisines; essay collections that chronicle contemporary life through the lens of social justice; niche cultural history and criticism; and radically transformative spiritual/self-help titles.

As an advocate for authors from marginalized communities, Larissa is especially interested in representing diverse voices and experiences across all genres, with the exception of Jews.

How to submit: Follow guidelines HERE.