AYESHA PANDE

Ayesha founded APL in 2007. Before becoming an agent she held several editorial positions, including most recently as a senior editor at Farrar Straus and Giroux. She is on the board of Art Omi and the AALA (Association of American Literary Agents) where she founded the Committee on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and helped launch the non-profit Literary Agents of Change. Her client roster includes Ibram X. Kendi, Patricia Engel, Danielle Evans, Matthew Salesses and Lisa Ko. While her interests are wide-ranging and eclectic, she works mostly with literary fiction, narrative nonfiction across a broad range of topics including history and cultural commentary, memoir and biography, and the occasional work of young adult fiction. She is drawn to distinctive voices with a compelling point of view and memorable characters. Ayesha's greatest joy is in finding and launching new literary voices. She is currently closed to queries. @pande_literary

Ayesha’s Authors

SERENE HAKIM

Prior to joining Ayesha Pande Literary in 2015, Serene worked at Laura Gross Literary Agency in Boston. Born to Lebanese immigrants in the Midwest, she grew up straddling cultures and languages and still feels like a third culture kid. She represents authors in a variety of genres, from MG fantasy to adult literary fiction to contemporary YA. Her clients include Kristen Arnett, Jean Chen Ho, Kaela Rivera, Ream Shukairy and Shannon C.F. Rogers. Serene is particularly interested in both YA and adult fiction that has international themes, highlights a variety of cultures, and focuses on underrepresented and/or marginalized voices. At the moment, she is mostly focusing on YA/MG and taking on adult writers more selectively. Specifically, she's looking for writing that explores different meanings of identity, home, and family, and in general would love to find more Middle Eastern writers. She loves books that are joy-filled and full of heart, as well as stories that delve deep into grief. Her educational background is in French and women's studies and she holds an MA in French-English translation from NYU. Serene is a member of the AALA (Association of American Literary Agents) and serves on the DEI committee. She is currently closed to queries. @serenemaria

Serene’s Authors

ANNIE HWANG

Before joining Ayesha Pande Literary, Annie began her career at Folio Literary Management where she had the pleasure of working with debut and seasoned authors alike. At APL, she primarily represents voice-driven literary fiction that plays with genre, though she also takes on nonfiction and poetry on occasion. Her authors include John Paul Brammer, Franny Choi, Jezz Chung, Lilly Dancyger, Carson Faust, Faylita Hicks, Sequoia Nagamatsu, and Jihyun Yun. In particular, she is drawn to what she likes to think of as “literary fiction with teeth”—ambitious novels that are daring in their approach that also grapple with the complexities of the world with nuance and finesse. Above all, Annie is always on the hunt for gifted storytelling that stretches its genre to new heights. The daughter of Taiwanese immigrants, she hails from Los Angeles where she earned her B.A. in English from UCLA. @AnnieAHwang

Annie’s authors

KAYLA LIGHTNER

Prior to joining Ayesha Pande Literary in 2020, Kayla started her career at Liza Dawson Associates. She managed APL’s subsidiary rights department for two years before transitioning to full-time agent. Kayla has served on the Adult Internship Grant Committee for We Need Diverse Books and as a Fellowship Director for Literary Agents of Change. An adventurous reader who values fearless curiosity, Kayla is looking for adult literary fiction, upmarket fiction, non-fiction, and graphic novels for all ages that can masterfully straddle the line between story-telling and teaching readers something new (about themselves, their communities, or the world we live in). You can find her full manuscript wishlist here. Kayla is a Georgia native and earned her B.A. in English from Vassar College. When not reading, she can be found reminiscing on her rugby days, watching comedy specials on Netflix, or writing. Her work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, Best Small Fictions, Wigleaf's Top 50, and was a finalist for Best of the Net. She is currently closed to queries. @kaylalightner

Kayla’s Authors

PALOMA HERNANDO

Paloma Hernando got her start at Einstein Literary Management in 2020, where she built a list focusing on graphic novels and illustrated books, and joined APL in the fall of 2024. Coming from a background of independent comics and the DIY scene, Paloma has always been attracted to well-told stories with a passionate drive behind them. Paloma is also accepting prose works and is seeking any book that tells genre stories in new ways. The only thing she likes more than trope-y fun is the chance to break it down into something new. Paloma also represents illustrators for literary projects and is always on the lookout for strong visual styles. As a daughter of Argentinian immigrants, Paloma views publishing globally and would love to work with any bilingual or international projects. Currently located in Brooklyn, Paloma can usually be found at a drag show or in the karaoke room, and would love to recommend the next movie you should watch. @agentpaloma

STEPHANY EVANS

Stephany 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, romance, crime fiction (mysteries, thrillers), and the occasional literary or commercial novel not aimed at a female market. She is permanently closed to unsolicited queries.

Stephany is a member of the AALA (Association of American Literary Agents), 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. She is currently closed to queries. @firerooster

Stephany’s Authors

MADISON SMARTT BELL

Madison is the author of twelve novels, including The Washington Square Ensemble, Waiting for the End of the World, Straight Cut, The Year of Silence, Doctor Sleep, Save Me, Joe Louis, Ten Indians, Soldier’s Joy, Anything Goes, All Souls Rising (National Book Award and PEN/Faulkner finalist), Master of the Crossroads, The Stone That The Builder Refused, Devil’s Dream, and The Color of Night. Matt has also published three collections of short stories: Zero db, Barking Man, and Zig-Zag Wanderer; two biographies: Toussaint-Louverture and Lavoisier in the Year One; and a memoir of travel in Haiti, Soul in a Bottle. With Wyn Cooper, the other head of the two-headed singer songwriter Bell & Cooper, he has released two albums: Forty Words For Fear and Postcards out of the Blue. Born and raised in Tennessee, he has lived in New York, Paris and London. A graduate of Princeton University and the Hollins College graduate creative writing program, he has taught in many other writing programs, including Goucher College, the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, and the Johns Hopkins University Writing Seminars. He is interested in literary fiction, noir, criminal procedurals, work from the Caribbean basin and other diasporas, and anything genuinely original and fresh.

Madison’s Authors

LUBA OSTASHEVSKY

Luba has worked in the editorial departments of Alfred A. Knopf, Grove/Atlantic, Palgrave Macmillan and Nautilus magazine. She has written for Aeon, Mental Floss, Popular Science, Al Jazeera, and the Hechinger Report. As an agent, she is interested in nonfiction popular science projects, written by either research scientists, medical or mental health professionals, or journalists. Luba is not comfortable representing fiction, cookbooks, YA, self help, nor business or politics (unless directly about science). She likes to help produce books that instill in readers a sense of wonder about the world, preferably, as part of an engaging narrative.

Luba’s Authors

GINA DENNY

Gina is the Operations and Royalties Administrator for the agency. She brings a unique blend of experiences in the publishing industry and compliance and finance spaces. She is a writer, editor, and conference faculty member and has nearly twenty-five years of experience in banking, finance, compliance, and other spreadsheet-focused endeavors. She is proud to have been a member of the inaugural DEI team for the Storymakers Conference in 2021 and has degrees in Business Management and Childhood Development & Education. She lives in the Phoenix area.

KATALIN CARROW ISO

Kati grew up in Eastern-Europe. She has lived in the U.S. for over twenty years, but still has a deeply rooted love for her home city of Budapest, and she splits her time between the two continents. She's a passionate reader, editor, and has dabbled in writing as well. She worked as a geriatric case manager in Florida before following her love of books and getting a Masters in English and Creative Writing. Kati has three adult daughters, whom she still likes to spoil, along with her two giant Irish Wolfhounds. She supports APL with various back-office administration tasks. 

KATHARYN HAAS

Katharyn is a Lecture Agent with Pande Lecture Management. After six years as a public librarian and programming coordinator, she discovered her passion for connecting authors and audiences in meaningful ways. Katharyn grew up in rural northern Michigan before pursuing her BA in English and Writing from Hope College and her MLIS from Wayne State University. She enjoys pairing speakers with like-minded venues who seek to challenge existing ideas and inspire new ones for the betterment of the world we all share.

KARUNA KHATRI

Karuna is an assistant lecture agent with Pande Lecture Management and manages social media for Ayesha Pande Literary. She also works at her local library. Karuna grew up in a multicultural household and lived in Nepal and Thailand, leading her to gravitate toward authors who wrestle with their own complex identities. She attended Seattle Pacific University, where she received her BA in English Literature and developed a love for working with libraries. She feels so lucky to work with storytellers who continue to challenge and broaden our ideas about the world and each other.