Gina Barreca, Ph.D

Gina Barreca, Ph.D, Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor at the University of Connecticut is the author of ten books and recognized internationally as an expert on humor and everyday life. Barreca’s been published by The New York Times, The Independent of London, The Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, Cosmopolitan, The Harvard Business Review, and appeared, often as a repeat guest, on the “Today” show, CNN, the BBC, PBS, NPR, and 20/20. 

Gina DeMillo Wagner

Gina DeMillo Wagner is an award-winning journalist and author. Her writing has been featured in The New York Times, Washington Post, Memoir Magazine, Modern Loss, Self, Outside, Writer’s Digest, and other publications. She is a Yaddo Fellow, a winner of the CRAFT Creative Nonfiction Award, and her memoir was longlisted for the 2022 SFWP Literary prize. Gina has a master’s degree in journalism and is an instructor at Lighthouse Writers Workshop. She lives and works near Boulder, Colorado.

Susan Shapiro

Susan Shapiro, an award-winning writer and professor is the bestselling author/coauthor of 17 books her family hates in 8 different genres including Unhooked, The Forgiveness Tour, 5 Men Who Broke My Heart, Lighting Up, The Bosnia List, and her inspiring writing guide, The Byline Bible. She’s freelanced for numerous publications including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, LA Times, Salon, The New Yorker, and many more. She lives with her scriptwriter husband in Greenwich Village where she’s taught her popular “instant gratification takes too long” courses at The New School, NYU, Columbia University, and in private classes and seminars, which are now online. Her newest writing instruction guide is The Book Bible.

Kao Kalia Yang

Kao Kalia Yang was born in a refugee camp in Thailand and came to America at the age of six. She is the author of The Latehomecomer, The Song Poet, Yang Warriors, and most recently, Where Rivers Part. She also coedited What God Is Honored Here? and is the author of a collective memoir about refugee lives called Somewhere in the Unknown World. Find out more at KaoKaliaYang.com, and follow her on X (Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram.

Kathryn Willms

The Rights Factory

Kathryn Willms (she/her) is a literary agent representing adult nonfiction. She is currently focused on narrative nonfiction, cultural and social investigations, biography, history, sports, nature/environmental topics, lifestyle, and food and drink. She is particularly interested in manuscripts with a unique voice, topic, or point of view that changes or challenges the way we see the world, and she is actively seeking authors whose voices have traditionally been under-represented in publishing.

Amanda Bernardi

Highline Literary Collective

While her interests are broad, Amanda is especially seeking to promote under-represented voices with growing platforms. Amanda champions books with fresh ideas paired with practical elements and actionable takeaways, those that inform as much as they inspire. Her specialties include compelling prescriptive and narrative nonfiction in categories including social & culture issues, feminism/parenthood, cooking, pop culture, environmentalism, and mental health & wellness.

Robert Brewer

Writer's Digest

Robert Lee Brewer is a Senior Editor with Writer's Digest and has more than 20 years of experience helping writers write better and get published. That includes editing more than 20 editions, including the most recent edition, of Writer's Market (as well as editing various editions of Guide to Literary Agents, Poet's Market, and more).