The 2022 A&E Conference will include editors from a notable list of reputable publishing houses.
Harry Kirchner is an Acquisitions Editor at large for Counterpoint Press. His interests include literary fiction and nonfiction, mystery, memoir, and natural history. Born in Riverside, New Jersey he graduated from Rutgers University (B.A. Sociology) and The University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee (M.A. English Lit) before setting down roots in Washington state. Harry spent more than thirty years as a sales representative and National Accounts Manager for Publishers Group West and Ingram Publisher Services before founding Pharos Editions and moving into the editorial side of the business. He currently resides in the seaside town of Edmonds, WA with his wife Anne. When not knee deep in manuscript reviews, Harry can most likely be found sailing on Puget Sound. Harry’s acquisitions include Spells by Peter Rock, Heart Berries by Terese Marie Mailhot, Nature Matrix by Robert Michael Pyle, This Town Sleeps by Dennis Staples, The Elephant of Belfast by S. Kirk Walsh, The Houseboat by Dane Bahr, and Red Paint by Sasha taqwšəblu LaPointe.
Harry is actively seeking:
Adult Fiction: Literary; Adult Nonfiction: Narrative, Memoir
Wendy Wong (she/her) was a food writer for several years prior to her pivot into publishing. She worked at a small educational publishing company before joining HarperCollins, where she acquired titles for Harper and Harper Business such as The First, The Few, The Only by Deepa Purushothaman, a Financial Times business book of the month.
She is currently an associate editor at Ballantine in Penguin Random House, focusing on commercial and upmarket fiction in the areas of historical, contemporary, multigenerational, social horror, and the lightly speculative, along with narrative nonfiction in the areas of big think, memoir (especially blended with reportage), essay collections, and cultural criticism. She is drawn to work that dives into subcultures, social commentary, and cultural traditions; books that use an intimate focal point as a lens for a larger deep dive; and nuanced work that centers marginalized experiences, particularly at the intersection of race, gender, and class. Themes of interest include millennial issues, complex relationship dynamics of all stripes, liminal spaces, diaspora, belonging and community, and all things food.
Wendy is actively seeking:
Adult Fiction: High Concept Commercial, Women’s, Historical; Adult Nonfiction: Narrative, Current Events, Memoir, Pop Culture, Essays, Self-Help
To learn more about Wendy, read her interview here.
