BONUS RETREAT!
BONUS RETREAT!
BONUS RETREAT!
2026 Mentors
.jpg)
Natalia Vázquez Torres, Assistant Editor, Charlesbridge
Natalia is a Latine assistant editor at Charlesbridge, where she works on all sorts of children’s books in English and Spanish, such as Far, Far Away by Molly Beth Griffin; Turtles Heading Home! by Liza Ketchum, Phyllis Root, and Jacqueline Briggs Martin; and Ways Papi Says I Love You by Delia Ruiz. She holds an MFA in creative writing from Emerson College and resides with her husband and daughter.
Pronouns - she/her
Sean McCarthy, Agent, Sean McCarthy Literary Agency
Sean McCarthy founded his own full-service literary agency in 2013 after working at Overlook Press and Sheldon Fogelman Agency and represents authors and illustrators across all age ranges in children’s publishing. His clients include Hyewon Yum, Mark Fearing, Dana Wulfekotte, Ariel Bernstein, Margaret Chiu Greanias, and Junghwa Park, among others. Sean graduated from Macalester College with a degree in English-Creative Writing, and is grateful that he no longer has to spend his winters in Minnesota. He currently lives in Westchester County with his wife and two pet rabbits (who aren’t much help when it comes to reading manuscripts, though they are excellent at shredding them).
Pronouns - he/him
%20-%20Sophie%20Sheumaker.jpeg)
Sophie Scheumaker, Literary Assistant, BookEnds Literary
Sophie is the Global Rights assistant and literary assistant to Naomi Davis at BookEnds. She studied writing, literature, and publishing at Emerson College, graduating in the spring of 2023. In 2024 she began slowly but surely building up her kidlit list, primarily through referral. In the spring of 2025 Sophie opened up her QueryManager account and began actively building her list of authors and illustrators. Now, she represents clients ranging from illustrators and picture book authors to writers of adult fantasy and more.
Pronouns - she/her
Juan Botero, Assistant Editor & Coordinator of Spanish Language Publishing, Candlewick Press
Juan came into publishing after spending most of his childhood, teenage years, and early adulthood hiding behind library shelves. There was a brief and misguided attempt at becoming a scientist, but one too many classes with numbers brought him to his senses. Now Juan is an Assistant Editor and the Coordinator of Spanish Language Publishing at Candlewick Press. He has assisted on titles by authors like Megan McDonald, Kekla Magoon, and Juana Martinez-Neal, as well as books like The Princess in Black series. He is also the US editor for creators like Atinuke and for the Unicornia series. In the past year, Juan started acquiring books for his own list. This includes a chapter book series by New York Times Bestselling author Julie Kagawa and a middle grade graphic novel by Newbery honoree Rajani LaRocca.
Pronouns - he/they
Alex Wolfe, Editor, Penguin Workshop (part of Penguin Young Readers)
Alex is an editor at Penguin Workshop, where she works on picture books, middle grade, graphic novels, young adult, and everything in between. She is particularly passionate about fiction that emphasizes humor, faced-paced plotting, distinctive artwork, and anything weird, whimsical, and absurd! Alex is also the author of Parks and Recreation Mad Libs and Roald Dahl: Phizz-Whizzing Christmas Book. When not editing, you can usually find her listening to a comedy podcast, watching musical theater, or drinking copious amounts of coffee.
Pronouns - she/her