Roma Panganiban

And if your novel is completely realistic, GREAT. I'd be thrilled to see more fiction submissions that engage with our fractured society exactly as it exists and hopefully find something new, thought-provoking, moving, and true to say about it. #MSWL

More details on the kind of speculative fiction that would be most at home on my list:
YES - near future, primary world, humans or mostly humans, plausible tech, the supernatural
NO - alien races, fantasy creatures, swords & sorcery, invented languages, magical kingdoms, intergalactic anything
#MSWL

There's a difference between a "Renaissance-era historical novel with fantasy elements" and a "fantasy novel set in a kingdom inspired by the Italian Renaissance." The first is likely to pique my interest; the second is likely a pass. #MSWL

The border between speculative literary fiction and SFF genre fiction is porous, but in general, if the very first word you'd use to describe your project is "sci-fi" or "fantasy," it's unlikely to be a fit for me at this time. #MSWL

I'm currently most interested in contemporary or deeply researched historical literary/upmarket fiction by BIPOC writers and nonfiction from authors with existing platforms or previous publications (including academics), and I'm closed to kidlit except by referral or request #MSWL

If any authors are inclined to grant my #MSWL wishes today, though: reading Dracula rekindled my love for the epistolary format, so if anyone wants to send me a novel written in letters, emails, ship's logs, Wiki articles, tweets, grocery lists, etc., I want to read it!

An imperfect metric, but when determining if your book is literary/upmarket speculative fiction or commercial genre fiction, the amount of jargon is usually an indicator. I love new or redefined words to describe original concepts but anything w/ a glossary, prob not for me #MSWL

I've gotten a lot of SFF queries lately, so please keep in mind:
YES - near future, primary world, humans or mostly humans, plausible tech, the supernatural
NO - alien races, fantasy creatures, swords & sorcery, invented languages, magical kingdoms, intergalactic anything
#MSWL

Send me speculative fiction in translation!!! #MSWL

I'm not otherwise actively seeking rom-coms, but if you're writing one specifically about pro soccer/football, I wanna see. #MSWL

In that nebulous category of "literary/upmarket fiction," I favor character-driven narratives in which identity is the unique lens through which the character engages with society, but it's not the story in itself. Trauma, turmoil—these should be vehicles for understanding

I'm also redoubling my efforts to scout out sharp, voice-y narrative nonfiction—journalism, arts & pop culture, hidden history, accessible but expertly researched social science, unconventional essays/memoir, anything with a progressive slant and a sense of humor #MSWL

Always a challenge to define what I'm looking for, but some recent fave reads:

Natural Beauty - Ling Ling Huang
Hell Bent - Leigh Bardugo
I Have Some Questions for You - Rebecca Makkai
Black Buck - Mateo Askaripour
Big Girl - Mecca Jamilah Sullivan
Yolk - Mary H.K. Choi

#MSWL

It pains me to do this, but I'll be closing to YA/MG queries for a while starting at the end of this month. My focus right now is on signing adult literary/upmarket fiction & nonfiction, and I want to give fair consideration to my existing backlog of kidlit queries. #MSWL

I won't be able to drop by #moodpitch before this too-short week ends, but my queries are open for work that aligns with my #MSWL, and feel free to include your mood board if you have one: manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/roma…

(I'm strongly prioritizing adult submissions at the moment!)

But please DON'T send me novels where someone dies with their inner turmoil tragically unresolved! I'm here for moral/emotional struggles that lead toward hope, if not happiness; not into screeds about the futility of existence and the impossibility of being truly good #MSWL

Send me your novels about guilt, shame, regret, seeking atonement, earning forgiveness; redemption arcs for someone who isn't necessarily a villain, but who has made choices with irrevocable consequences and has to find a way to live with their actions and keep going. #MSWL

Obligatory #MSWL tag, but keep in mind these are "classics" as defined by my American education in the white Western canon; I'd love to see novels or narrative nonfiction engaging with similar themes and historical eras, but with a more expansive, inclusive worldview

#MSWL: Adult literary fiction inspired by Frances Hodgson Burnett's A Little Princess (but anti-imperialist). I have no idea how one would execute that premise, but if you do, send it to me.

Send me your haunted French fantasy novels!! Contemporary, historical...or speculative 👀 #MSWL