Cecilia Lyra

Literary Agent

P.S. Literary Agency

Storyteller & Storyseller / Associate Literary Agent @PSLiterary ✍🏽 Co-host of @TSNOTYAW podcast 🎧 Feminist. Latinx. Immigrant. Reader.

Cecilia Lyra
@ceciliaclyra
Literary Agent
Storyteller & Storyseller / Associate Literary Agent @PSLiterary ✍🏽 Co-host of @TSNOTYAW podcast 🎧 Feminist. Latinx. Immigrant. Reader.
142 MSWL
58 AskAgent
2 Tips

MEMOIR: exists at the intersection of fic and nonfic, i.e., good memoir reads like a novel. (See reviews of your fave memoir and be surprised at how many ppl didn’t know it was a real story!) I welcome both proposals with sample chapters or full manuscripts from memoirists.

Cecilia Lyra
@ceciliaclyra
Literary Agent
Storyteller & Storyseller / Associate Literary Agent @PSLiterary ✍🏽 Co-host of @TSNOTYAW podcast 🎧 Feminist. Latinx. Immigrant. Reader.
142 MSWL
58 AskAgent
2 Tips

I consider memoirs to be a blend of fiction and nonfiction. AFTERSHOCKS by Nadia Owusu, WILD GAME by Adrienne Brodeur, and MY BROKEN LANGUAGE by Quiara Alegría Hudes are my all-time favorites. A good memoir reads like a novel and is packed with conflict, tension, and stakes.

Cecilia Lyra
@ceciliaclyra
Literary Agent
Storyteller & Storyseller / Associate Literary Agent @PSLiterary ✍🏽 Co-host of @TSNOTYAW podcast 🎧 Feminist. Latinx. Immigrant. Reader.
142 MSWL
58 AskAgent
2 Tips
Cecilia Lyra
@ceciliaclyra
Literary Agent
Storyteller & Storyseller / Associate Literary Agent @PSLiterary ✍🏽 Co-host of @TSNOTYAW podcast 🎧 Feminist. Latinx. Immigrant. Reader.
142 MSWL
58 AskAgent
2 Tips

AFTERSHOCKS by @NadiaOwusu1 is officially my favorite memoir ever— #amquerying writers this is the perfect example of how to share stories with specificity, vulnerability, and, of course, beautiful writing. And I love the world history woven into the protagonist's journey. #MSWL

Cecilia Lyra
@ceciliaclyra
Literary Agent
Storyteller & Storyseller / Associate Literary Agent @PSLiterary ✍🏽 Co-host of @TSNOTYAW podcast 🎧 Feminist. Latinx. Immigrant. Reader.
142 MSWL
58 AskAgent
2 Tips

For memoir, LONG LIVE THE TRIBE OF FATHERLESS GIRLS by T. Kira Madden blew me away, and two all-time favorites are EDUCATED by @tarawestover and WILD GAME by @adriennebrodeur

Cecilia Lyra
@ceciliaclyra
Literary Agent
Storyteller & Storyseller / Associate Literary Agent @PSLiterary ✍🏽 Co-host of @TSNOTYAW podcast 🎧 Feminist. Latinx. Immigrant. Reader.
142 MSWL
58 AskAgent
2 Tips

I also adore memoirs — please see my fiction guidelines for these stories because (a) I’m drawn to the same themes in novels as I am in memoirs; and (b) a good memoir reads like a novel.

Cecilia Lyra
@ceciliaclyra
Literary Agent
Storyteller & Storyseller / Associate Literary Agent @PSLiterary ✍🏽 Co-host of @TSNOTYAW podcast 🎧 Feminist. Latinx. Immigrant. Reader.
142 MSWL
58 AskAgent
2 Tips