Erin was born and raised in Arizona, and founded EMLA in Flagstaff in 1999. She works with publishers of all sizes all over the U.S., and has placed clients' books with every major children's house in New York and Boston, but she cut her teeth in regional publishing. She began her career at Northland Publishing/Rising Moon Books for Young Readers (a beloved decades-old Flagstaff company that was bought out in 2007), eventually becoming editor-in-chief, and was a member of the board of directors of PubWest, a professional development organization for small and mid-sized publishers in the West.

Erin represents writers and writer-illustrators of picture books, novels for middle-graders and young adults, and select nonfiction. She is especially drawn to strong characters and heart-centered stories. In her spare time she loves walking, baking, kayaking, knitting, traveling, reading (often audiobooks), and powering through her Netflix queue. You can read more about Erin's tastes and background in interviews here and here.

Erin will be speaking at the following upcoming events and conferences:
• Jan. 14-16, 2011—SCBWI Florida Midwinter Conference in Miami
• Sept. 16-18, 2011—SCBWI Midsouth Fall Conference in Nashville

Joan joined EMLA in spring 2009 as an associate agent after working in the editorial area of educational software development. In her first year as an agent, she placed a dozen manuscripts with editors. She is also the author of the picture book The Tiptoe Guide to Tracking Fairies and other forthcoming projects, and is an EMLA client.

Following a rather unconventional, nomadic youth, Joan settled with her husband and daughters in Massachusetts. She works out of her home there with long-distance support from the Flagstaff office. She represents all forms of children's and young adult literature, but is most excited by a strong lyrical voice, tight plotting, and stories told with heart and humor. Joan likes to spend her spare time doing a lot of reading (her library check-out list is seldom below 50), scrapbooking photos of her adorable daughters, and baking delicious unhealthy treats. See more about Joan's writing and agenting process here.

Joan will be on the faculty at the following upcoming conferences and events:
• Oct. 23, 2010—Oakland SCBWI conference, California
• March 25-27, 2011—Whispering Pines retreat, Rhode Island

Dennis is Erin's right-hand man in her Flagstaff office, assisting with accounting, organization, and development. He likes to claim the title of "bon vivant."

Co-agency for foreign and translation rights. Contact Alexandra Devlin with inquiries, alexandradevlin@rightspeople.com.

Co-agency for dramatic and performance rights. Contact Eddie Gamarra (eddie@gotham-group.com) and Luke Sandler (luke@gotham-group.com) with inquiries, 310-285-0001.