About Alexandra Penfold

A graduate of New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study, Alexandra Penfold began her career in publishing as a children’s book publicist at Simon & Schuster where she worked on media campaigns that appeared in USA Today, Newsweek, US News and World Report, and NPR’s All Things Considered. For eight years she served as an editor at Paula Wiseman Books/Simon & Schuster working on award-winning books for young readers of all ages. She is currently a literary agent with Upstart Crow Literary representing children book authors and illustrators as well as select adult projects.

Alex has been a food obsessive from her earliest days. She’s the co-author of New York a la Cart: Recipes and Stories from the Big Apple’s Best Food Trucks. Her writing has appeared on SeriousEats.com, Real Cheap Eats, InStyle Magazine and in Time Out New York. There are few things she loves as much as playing with food. She has developed recipes for companies and brands including Wal-Mart, Pillsbury, Nestle, Nabisco, and General Mills among others.

She is the author of several books for children: Eat, Sleep, Poop illustrated by Jane Massey, We Are Brothers, We Are Friends, illustrated by Eda Kaban,  Food Truck Fest, illustrated by Mike Dutton and The Littlest Viking, illustrated by Isabel Roxas, and All Are Welcome, illustrated by Suzanne Kaufman.

Alex is a popular speaker on all aspects of writing for children from drafting to pacing to revision. Her talks at writing conferences and retreats have given her the opportunity to criss-cross the country speaking to writers and illustrators in 24 states (and counting!) and she enjoys speaking to crowds of all sizes and all ages. If you’re interested in adding Alex to your upcoming conference or retreat, please contact her here.

When she isn’t writing and drinking strong iced coffee, she can be found perfecting her lattice crust. Follow her on Twitter @AgentPenfold and Instagram @bklynbrownie.