SERENE HAKIM
Serene Hakim is an agent at Ayesha Pande Literary. She represents authors in a variety of genres, from MG fantasy to adult literary fiction to contemporary YA. Serene is particularly interested in both YA and adult fiction that has international themes, highlights a variety of cultures, and focuses on underrepresented and/or marginalized voices. Specifically, she’s looking for writing that explores different meanings of identity, home, family and parenthood/motherhood and is currently prioritizing projects in the kids' space, though she is still selectively taking on adult writers. Her educational background is in French and women’s studies, and she holds an MA in French-English translation from New York University.
WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR
Currently prioritizing taking on projects in the Young Adult and Middle Grade spaces, with a focus on contemporary stories, though I tend to really like books with speculative or genre elements, such as fantasy, magical realism, and a bit of horror. On the adult side, I like literary fiction with multicultural or international elements. Across all ages, I am prioritizing writers of color and writers from marginalized backgrounds.
SAMPLE TITLES OR AUTHORS
Mostly Dead Things, by Kristen Arnett
Cece Rios Trilogy, by Kaela Rivera
The Next New Syrian Girl and the forthcoming Six Truths and a Lie, by Ream Shukairy
SPECIALIZES IN
FICTION: Literary Fiction, Multi-Cultural, Short Story Collections, Young Adult, Middle Grade
NONFICTION: Narrative
CONSIDERS
FICTION: GLBT, Middle Grade, Upmarket Women's Fiction, Short Story Collections, Family Saga, Literary Fiction, Children's, Young Adult
NONFICTION: Cultural/Social Issues, Multi-Cultural, Narrative, Women's Concerns