This page will be updated as more faculty members are confirmed
for the 2026 Philadelphia Writing Workshop.
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Eric began his publishing career at Quirk Books in Philadelphia, working social media and marketing on numerous books he absolutely adored. Eric completed his BA in English at Kean University, and his MA in English at Arcadia University. A frequent blogger, his ramblings about books appear on BookRiot, The Huffington Post, Barnes & Noble’s Teen Reads blog, Paste Magazine’s Books section, and more. A published author with Quirk Books and Bloomsbury, he seeks to give his authors the same amount of love his writing has received.
Eric is seeking: Eric is eagerly acquiring fiction and nonfiction projects. He’s actively seeking out new, diverse voices in Young Adult (particularly sci-fi and fantasy), and Literary and Commercial Fiction (again, loves sci-fi and fantasy, but also thrillers and mysteries). In terms of nonfiction, he’s interested in Cookbooks, Pop Culture, Humor, essay collections, and blog to book ideas.
At the 2026 event, Eric is teaching and also meeting attendees one-on-one.
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He also is an editorial consultant for The Purcell Agency, a literary agency based out of Chicago, Illinois. As an author, he writes YA contemporary fiction and has two books on submission, both represented by agent Tina P. Schwartz.
He also edits content for Basketball News and spent 12 years covering the NBA as a senior sportswriter for HoopsWorld and Basketball Insiders. He has a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing and a master’s degree in English Education and has taught high school English for 18 years.
At the event, he is offering add-on optional manuscript critiques for attendees.
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For many years he edited the GUIDE TO LITERARY AGENTS and the CHILDREN’S WRITER’S & ILLUSTRATOR’S MARKET. His Guide to Literary Agents Blog was one of the largest blogs in publishing, and he wrote the platform guidebook CREATE YOUR WRITER PLATFORM.
He is the lead director of Writing Day Workshops writers conferences, and he has taught at more than 175 writers conferences throughout his career. He is the coordinator of the Philadelphia Writing Workshop.
All his latest books are about pickleball, including ULTIMATE PICKLEBALL, a 2026 tear-off desk calendar due out in August 2025 (Sellers Publishing). His picture book, GOODNIGHT, PICKLEBALL, released from Hachette in August 2025, as was carried in Target, and hit the USA Today bestseller list.
He is a successful freelance editor of queries, synopses, and manuscripts—seeing dozens of clients get agents or book deals following his consultations/edits. He loves meeting new writers.
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Her novels have been praised by The New York Times, NPR, Entertainment Weekly, Cosmopolitan, The Washington Post, Time and more.
When she’s not championing narratives about radical joy or working towards her PhD in literature and social justice, Nisha likes to spend time with her husband, baby daughter and pets named after characters in her favorite books.
She lives in the Philadelphia suburbs and you can find her online at http://www.Nisha-Sharma.com or on TikTok and Instagram @nishawrites.
At the 2026 event, she is teaching.
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At the 2026 event, Jennifer is teaching, and also meeting attendees one-on-one.
Jennifer joined the David Black Agency in 2015 after working at Fletcher & Company and Europa Editions, where she was an early advocate of Elena Ferrante. She went to college in Ohio, where she studied Philosophy, French, and Russian, and has master’s degrees in Philosophy and Social Sciences.
Her authors have been awarded the Harriet Tubman Prize, nominated for the J. Anthony Lukas Prize, appeared on NPR’s Fresh Air, and been New York Times bestsellers.
Jennifer is on the hunt for upmarket and genre fiction. She is also seeking nonfiction books about big ideas and is particularly drawn to smart, issue-driven books, especially those from journalists as well as writers with professional expertise, including science, psychology, philosophy, economics, prescriptive, lifestyle, history, and the stories of underrepresented groups.
Books she wishes she would have represented include: Fair Play by Eve Rodsky, Caste by Isabel Wilkerson, The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, Get Good with Money by Tiffany Aliche, Lab Girl by Hope Jahren, How to Keep House While Drowning by KC Davis, Codependent No More by Melody Beattie, Gut Check by Steven Gundry, Black AF History by Michael Harriot, Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe, and Doppelganger by Naomi Klein.
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At the 2026 event, Ismita is teaching and also meeting attendees one-on-one. See her wishlist here.
Ismita is a Georgia native and graduate of Emory University, where she studied Human Health and Italian. During college, she also worked for various Atlanta area hospitals in departments ranging from neonatal to geriatric care. In her Desi household, she grew up speaking Bangla, Hindi, and Urdu. Ismita is a founding member of Disability in Publishing and currently serves on their Board of Directors. She also participated in the 2022 Literary Agents of Change Mentorship Program.
Some of her favorite authors are Flannery O’Connor, Cormac McCarthy, Oscar Wilde, and Tom Perrotta. Ismita is especially drawn to fiction with a Southern setting, gritty realist writing, and any books that explore health or disability. Ultimately though, she’s a sucker for writing with a great sense of humor.
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In nonfiction, her agency represents: mind/body/spirit, pop psych, health and wellness, gift books, business, health, lifestyle, popular science, narrative nonfiction, memoir, narrative nonfiction(especially popular science and history, pop culture, and big idea books with personal stakes), and food books & cookbooks with a fresh perspective on cuisine or culture — all with a strong hook and takeaway for the reader.
At the 2026 event, she is teaching and also meeting attendees one-on-one. See her wishlist here.
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At the 2026 event, she is teaching and also meeting attendees one-on-one.
In adult fiction, her agency seeks: upmarket, contemporary, literary, and commercial; character-driven women’s fiction, book club fiction, domestic suspense, adventure, international, upbeat, feel-good, dark and dangerous, fiction with fantastical elements or magical realism, poignant social commentaries, humor, satire, new takes on old tropes. Send us writing that sings rather than tells, take us on an emotional journey, build vivid scenes for us, craft strong voices and unusual and unforgettable settings (we love stories where place is a character too). Any subject is welcome.
In nonfiction, her agency seeks: history, sports, science, environmental, biographies, travel, culture, adventure, educational, motivational (i.e. work that informs or inspires social change or advocates for women and BIPOC). Give thought to your author platform and develop a strong marketing section for your book proposal.
Emily represents a variety of projects in nonfiction and fiction, working with major publishers, university presses, and boutique imprints alike to find the perfect home for her clients’ work. She began her editing career in 2011 with Chrysalis Editorial in Washington, D.C. and founded Williamson Literary in 2016, driven by the desire to help great writers achieve their publishing goals. She has earned degrees from American University (1997) and Johns Hopkins University (2012).
As a writer, she understands the investment of time and heart it takes to follow this challenging path. It is the core of Williamson Literary—to support the careers of dedicated writers who deserve to see their ideas and imaginings realized. Williamson Literary is also about building relationships: agent-author, agent-publisher, author-publisher.
In the past, Emily spent fifteen years as an archaeologist traveling all over the US and abroad in search of many things…sometimes finding nothing. It is this varied, nomadic past that has influenced her own writing and her particular interests as an agent. Emily does other things. She is a poet, a painter, loves the outdoors, traveling, playing with her nutty Border Collie, doing CrossFit, and watching football…not all at once. She is a native of New Jersey, cuts her own firewood, and is one of those annoying people who can’t eat gluten.
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He has been featured in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Publishers Weekly, Writer’s Magazine, Shelf Awareness and City Lights with Lois Reitzes on NPR. Currently, he is hard at work on The Fallen Hero, the first in a series of fantasy novels. You can follow his ramblings on writing and life at http://zacharysteele.com/.
At the PWW, Zachary is serving as WDW’s onsite facilitator. Meet him at the registration area. He is also teaching a class.
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She has had short fiction published in Abyss & Apex Magazine, The Arcanist, Every Day Fiction, Strange Changes, and Magic, Mayhem, and Monsters.
At the 2026 event, she is teaching a class.
Wesley Chu is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twelve published novels, including Time Salvager, The Rise of Io, and The Walking Dead: Typhoon. He won the Astounding Award for Best New Writer. His debut, The Lives of Tao, won the Young Adult Library Services Association Alex Award.
Chu is an accomplished martial artist and a former member of the Screen Actors Guild. He has acted in film and television, worked as a model and stuntman, and summited Kilimanjaro. He currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife, Paula, and two boys, Hunter and River.
At the event, Wesley is offering add-on virtual manuscript critiques for attendees.
Eve Porinchak is an author, as well as a former literary agent.
At the workshop, Eve is offering add-on manuscript critiques for attendees.
Since earning degrees in Biology and Psychology from UCLA, Eve has lived all over the planet and spent much of her time in and out of jail – as a creative writing teacher for teen inmates. A former agent with Jill Corcoran Literary Agency, Eve also attended medical school, served as a social worker with foster youth and homeless populations, and taught everything from first grade to college courses.
Eve writes stories featuring youth she feels have been underrepresented in children’s literature, such as those born into gang life, the abandoned, and the incarcerated who – ironically – have the most fascinating tales to tell. Her first book, the critically acclaimed ONE CUT – a haunting nonfiction story with a juvenile justice bent – launched Simon and Schuster’s new young adult true crime line, Simon True.
Swati Hegde is a romance and YA author, as well as a freelance editor, mindset coach, and self-proclaimed coffee shop enthusiast. She lives in Bangalore, India, and can often be found at the nearest café with a hot mug of tea or singing her favorite songs off-key at karaoke night. She looks forward to a long career bringing Indian stories and voices to light.
Swati is represented by Rachel Beck at Liza Dawson Associates. Her debut romance novel Match Me If You Can is out now from Penguin Random House, with forthcoming books Can’t Help Faking in Love releasing in February 2025 and As Long as You Loathe Me releasing in 2026.
Find her on Instagram @SwatiHegdeAuthor and Twitter @SwatiHWrites.
At the workshop, Swati is offering add-on virtual manuscript critiques for attendees.
Tayler Hill is an editor, author, and publishing professional based in Toronto, Ontario. She works with Inimitable Books, Rising Action, and also runs her own editing company, where she help authors bring their stories to life across Adult, Middle Grade, and Young Adult genres.
“I have a background in both creative writing and publishing, and I’ve also spent time working at a literary agency, which gave me great insight into what makes a manuscript stand out in today’s market. Whether a writer is submitting to agents or planning to self-publish, I love helping them shape their work into the strongest version it can be.
“For me, editing is about more than just fixing grammar or tightening prose — it’s about partnering with the author to make sure their voice shines. I know how personal and vulnerable sharing your writing can be, and I approach every project with care, compassion, and a deep respect for the story you’re trying to tell.”
At the 2026 event, she is offering add-on critiques to attendees.