8th Annual Bronx Book Festival - Speed Dating with Literary Agents

Are you ready to pitch your book to top literary agents? Join our Speed Dating with Literary Agents session at annual Bronx Book Festival!

In this fast-paced, speed-dating-style session, you'll have the unique opportunity to pitch your story tosixliterary agents, infiveminute intervals. This is your chance to make a great first impression, receive feedback on your pitch and potentially spark interest in your manuscript.
Come prepared with a polished pitch, a compelling hook, and your best energy! If you've been struggling to get closer to publication, this is the perfect opportunity to connect and network with industry professionals.
Limited Spots Available, secure your ticket before they sell out!
LITERARY AGENTS
Marin Takikawais an agent and foreign rights director at The Friedrich Agency. Born in Tokyo and raised in Singapore and NYC, she joined TFA in early 2021 and now handles selling international rights for authors like Alison Espach, Jane Smiley, the Estate of Frank McCourt, in addition to representing her own list. She's looking for subversive, genre-bending literary fiction, intersectional narrative nonfiction, and voice-driven and literary-leaning YA. Her clients include National Endowment for the Arts, We Need Diverse Books, Tin House, Asian American Writers' Workshop, and New York Foundation for the Arts fellows.
Paula Weiman (they/them) joined the ASH Literary team in 2023 as an agent after a career in literary scouting and educational publishing. Based in New York and with a background in foreign rights, they bring an international approach to selling their clients’ work. They represent authors and illustrators across a wide range of children’s categories, from picture book through young adult, as well as speculative fiction for adult audiences. Their goal is to help as many children as possible to see their experiences represented on the page for the first time.
Roma Panganibanbegan her publishing career at The Gernert Company before moving to Janklow & Nesbit in 2019, where she began representing literary and upmarket fiction and nonfiction across the adult and children’s markets. She joined the Azantian Literary Agency in 2025 to continue championing fresh, unexpected perspectives, particularly those of writers from underrepresented communities. Her taste leans literary, but she is open to fiction that incorporates genre elements, as well as work that defies categorization altogether. She is also interested in narrative nonfiction that reorients our understanding of history, culture, science, society, and ourselves, and creative nonfiction that appeals equally to the heart, mind, and sense of humor. Roma is a member of the American Association of Literary Agents (AALA) and an ambivalent Bluesky user (@romapancake).
Shannon Lechonis an associate agent with Azantian Literary Agency. She began her career with literary agency internships at P.S. Literary and Cake Creative, as well as an editorial internship with Penguin Random House. She holds dual bachelor's degrees in criminology and English from Florida State University and a master's in publishing from New York University.
Shelly Romero(she/her) is an Associate Agent at Azantian Literary. Shelly began her publishing career in 2017 at Scholastic where she rose up the ranks from editorial assistant to associate editor, acquiring her own titles and assisting on series publishing forThe Bad GuysandGoosebumps. She later joined Cake Creative as Lead Editor and was most recently a freelance editor. She graduated from Stephens College with a bachelor’s degree in English and attended the 2017 NYU Summer Publishing Institute. Shelly was selected as a 2020Publishers WeeklyStar Watch Honoree and is a member of Latinx in Publishing & People of Color in Publishing. Born and raised in Miami by Honduran parents, she now resides in New York City.
Saribel Pages(she/her/ella) is a Literary at Gallt and Zacker Literary Agency. Prior to her position there, she held roles at Penguin Random House and W.W. Norton, where’s she’s worked on everything from international rights to sales to marketing. Now at Gallt and Zacker, she loves working with creators from marginalized backgrounds who are passionate about telling stories that spark delight and curiosity in the world around them.
Speed Dating with Literary Agents