This page will be updated as more faculty members are
confirmed for the 2026 Minnesota Writing Workshop.
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Chuck Sambuchino (@chucksambuchino) is a freelance editor, bestselling book author, and former longtime staffer for Writer’s Digest Books. 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 co-director of Writing Day Workshops writers conferences, and he has taught at more than 175 writers conferences throughout his career. He is the co-coordinator of the Minnesota Writing Workshop.
His humor book, HOW TO SURVIVE A GARDEN GNOME ATTACK, was optioned by Sony Pictures. Chuck’s books have been mentioned in Reader’s Digest, USA Today, the New York Times, The Huffington Post, Variety, New York Magazine, Buzzfeed, Mental Floss,New York magazine, and many more media outlets. 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, 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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Aimee Hardy is an editor for Running Wild Press and the author of Pocket Full of Teeth, which won a Silver Falchion in 2025.
She has a passion for storytelling and has been published in various literary magazines, including Writer’s Digest, Killer Nashville Magazine, and Stone Coast Review.
She has a B.A. and M.A. in English from National University. When she’s not editing or writing, she loves traveling and hanging out with her family.
At the 2026 event, Aimee is offering add-on manuscript critiqued for attendees.
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Joel Brigham is the founder of Brigham Editorial, a fiction editing service that has helped writers find agents and agented authors prepare for submission and publication.
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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Sarah Ahiers is an author. (See all her books here.)
Sarah has an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Hamline University. Her thesis was a study of monsters and monstrous characters in middle grade and young adult fantasy fiction. She writes young adult and middle grade novels and occasionally dabbles in picture books. Fantasy is her favorite genre, though she sometimes can be found playing around with Horror and other things that go bump in the night.
Sarah is the author of the ASSASSIN’S HEART duology (HarperTeen, 2016, 2017) comprising of ASSASSIN’S HEART and the companion sequel THIEF’S CUNNING. Both books were finalists for the Minnesota Book Awards, and have received starred and glowing reviews from Booklist, Publisher’s Weekly, School Library Journal, and Kirkus. The duology is a world of dark fantasy, assassins, literal gods, vengeance, and finding one’s place in the world.
Sarah lives in Minnesota with her dogs and a house full of critters. She has a collection of steampunk hats and when she’s not writing she fills her time with good games, good food, good friends, and good family.
She is represented by Michael Bourret at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret LLC.
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Kate Hopper is an author, editor, teacher, and the founder of Motherhood & Words®.
Kate is the author of Use Your Words: A Writing Guide for Mothers, Ready for Air: A Journey Through Premature Motherhood, winner of a Midwest Independent Publishing Award, and she’s co-author of Silent Running, a memoir of one family’s journey with autism and running.
She’s currently writing a three-book rom-com series, and has fallen head over heels with the genre.
Kate has an MFA in creative writing form the University of MN and has been teaching and leading writing retreats for 25 years. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, Poets & Writers, Brevity, Longreads, and Los Angeles Review of Books. For more information about her work, visit http://www.katehopper.com.
At the 2026 event, Kate is teaching a class and also offering add-on manuscript critiques for attendees.
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Krista Van Dolzer is a literary agent at The Unter Agency.
At the event, Krista is teaching a class and meeting writers one-on-one.
Krista has worked in and around the publishing industry for more than a decade. Her middle grade fiction has been published by Penguin Random House, Sourcebooks, Capstone, and Bloomsbury USA, and she’s hosted many query contests and pitch events for aspiring authors over the years. She currently lives in central Iowa with her husband and four kids and holds degrees in Mathematics Education and Economics from Brigham Young University.
Krista is looking for all things middle grade and young adult, as well as several flavors of adult nonfiction: narrative, sports, applied but accessible science (especially in mathematics, economics, or psychology), and journalistic narrative (think Susan Cain, Malcolm Gladwell, or David Brooks).
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Michaela Whatnall is a literary agent with Dystel, Goderich & Bourret, where they have worked out of the West Coast office since 2019.
At the event, Michaela is teaching a class and meeting writers one-on-one.
They have a degree in English and linguistics from Emory University, completed the Columbia Publishing Course, and in 2023 they were selected as a Publishers Weekly Star Watch Honoree.
Michaela’s background in school and library marketing accounts for their strong interest in children’s literature, particularly middle grade and young adult fiction of all genres, including contemporary, fantasy, science fiction, historical, adventure, horror, and romance. In the adult fiction space, they are particularly seeking contemporary, speculative, and historical upmarket fiction, as well as character-driven, grounded fantasy and romantasy. They are also open to select narrative nonfiction for both children and adults, graphic novels, and picture books.
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Cathie Hedrick-Armstrong is a literary agent at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency and a member of the Association of American Literary Agents (AALA).
At the event, Cathie is teaching a class and meeting writers one-on-one.
A life-long lover of books, she enjoys vivid memories of the exact moment she unlocked the secret code behind letters that, when combined, form words. Since those early days, it’s the rare occasion when you’ll find her without a book in her hand, a Kindle in her purse, or a pair of AirPods in her ears while she devours the works of whatever author she’s selected as her new favorite of the month.
Cathie’s journey in the publishing industry was born in 2014 after her oldest child left for college. With newfound time on her hands, she set about writing The Edge of Nowhere, a work of adult historical fiction inspired by her grandmother’s life as a widow raising fourteen children during the one-two punch of the 1930s Dust Bowl and The Great Depression. Three years later, she followed up with her sophomore novel, Roam, a young adult title inspired by the homeless community that resides in the town where she currently lives. The release of this second book coincided with Cathie’s first job as a literary agent where she spent eight years learning the industry before joining the team at Marsal Lyon in May 2024.
Born and raised in Oklahoma, Cathie is a 1992 graduate of the University of Oklahoma where she received a B.A. in Journalism and a minor in history. Not suprisingly, she’s a rabid OU Sooners football fan. During NFL season, Cathie divides her loyalties between the Kansas City Chiefs, the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Minnesota Vikings. Currently, she resides in Minnesota where she and her husband of 32 years share and two grown children, a son-in-law, and the most loved dog in the whole world, Koda.
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Broadleaf Writers Association Founder & Executive Director Zachary Steele is the author of four novels, including The Weight of Ashes, nominated for Georgia Author of the Year in 2021, and Perfectly Normal (March 2024).
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 MWW, Zachary is serving as WDW’s onsite facilitator. Meet him at the registration area. He is also teaching a class.
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Laura Zats is a literary agent with Headwater Literary.
At the 2026 event, Laura is teaching a class. She is also meeting with attendees one-on-one. (See her wishlist here.)
(Note: Concerning the 10-minute “pitch” appointments at the event, Laura’s agency handles these opportunities in a specific way. In her own words: “Headwater, as a policy doesn’t do traditional pitch sessions, but we DO perform consultations, where we meet with anyone and answer questions & give feedback, rather than just give a yes/no.”)
For over a decade, Laura has worked with books in every way from bookselling to editing to self-publishing. A literary agent since 2014, she finds the most joy in working closely with authors to build their long-term careers in ways that contribute positively to their financial and mental health, as well as the greater community. Since 2016, Laura has hosted Print Run, a publishing podcast, with Erik Hane and is increasingly passionate about teaching, mentorship, and the role books play in the fight for social justice.
In her spare time, Laura plays tabletop role-playing games, cooks elaborate meals, follows long-distance dogsled racing, and drinks a lot of tea. Connect with her on twitter @LZats.
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.
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.
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.