Zoe Howard (Agent)
Zoe-Aline Howard joined Howland Literary while earning her BFA in Creative Writing and Publishing Certificate at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. She has had the privilege to work across publishing in multiple capacities, including an internship at Lookout Books and as as a literary publicist at Pine State Publicity. After five years in Wilmington, NC, she's looking for the next place to call home.
Zoe Howard's Availability During Manuscript Mart Week:
- Tuesday, May 13: 1:00–4:00
- Wednesday, May 14: 1:00–4:00
- Thursday, May 15: 1:00–4:00
- Friday, May 16: 1:00–4:00
Zoom Meetings with Zoe will be scheduled within these time periods (all EDT), but are subject to change. If Zoe must make a change to this schedule, we will arrange a mutually agreeable Zoom time outside of Manuscript Mart Week.
What I'm Looking For
In both adult literary and upmarket fiction and adult nonfiction, Zoe is interested in writing that centers place (and especially how place informs an author’s or character’s perspective); and voice.
In adult fiction, Zoe is looking for voice-driven and/or character-driven literary and upmarket projects, especially books which take familiar elements (whether structurally, thematically, or otherwise) and subvert them: girls who reveal something larger about the human experience (Dogs of Summer), speculative elements (Sharks in the Time of Saviors), surprising iterations on perspective and form, new representations of familiar settings, novels embedded in a subculture, broken archetypes. Surprise her! Other favorites include: Idaho (Emily Ruskovitch),Who Will Run the Frog Hospital (Lorrie Moore), Swamplandia! (Karen Russell), Cowboys Are My Weakness (Pam Houston), The Pisces (Melissa Broder), Girl Meets Boy (Ali Smith), see MSWL for more.
In adult nonfiction, Zoe is looking for deep dives. She’s especially interested in narrative nonfiction, research-driven books with memoir elements, and essay collections that blend cultural criticism and a sharp authorial perspective with other elements. She has a soft spot for nature writing, pop and material culture—what we engage with, and why—and the connections between people and the places they inhabit. Favorites include: Lesbian Love Story (Amelia Possanza), Wintering (Katherine May), Monsters (Claire Dedderer), The Ugly History of Beautiful Things (Katy Kelleher), Lying: A Metaphorical Memoir (Lauren Slater), M Train (Patti Smith).
Sample Titles or Authors
Lauren Haddad's FIREWEED (Astra House)
Sara Maurer's A GOOD ANIMAL (St. Martin's)
Maria Pinto's FEARLESS, SLEEPLESS, DEATHLESS (Great Circle).
Specializes In / Will Consider
FICTION: LGBTQIA+, Literary Fiction, Multi-Cultural/Global Fiction, Short Story Collections
NONFICTION: Cultural/Social Issues, Dating/Relationships, Investigative Journalism, LGBTQIA+, Current Affairs, History, Memoir, Multicultural/Global Perspectives, Music, Narrative, Nature/Ecology, Pop Culture, Women's concerns