Philomel Books Team Archives - Penguin Books

Ellice Lee, Senior Art Director

Talia Benamy — Wed, 17 May 2023 17:15:16 +0000

Ellice Lee, senior art director of Philomel, joined the team in 2017. She holds a BA in sociology from UCLA and a BFA from Art Center College of Design. Ellice has worked with award-winning talent including Alexandra Boiger, Rafael López, Loren Long, LeUyen Pham, Christian Robinson, Kadir Nelson, Ed Young, and Floyd Cooper. Titles she has worked on have appeared on the New York Times bestseller lists (most recently, Just Ask! by Sonia Sotomayor and Rafael López and She Persisted by Chelsea Clinton and Alexandra Boiger), been featured in New York Magazine and TIME, and have won Caldecott Honors and Coretta Scott King Awards, as well as been a finalist for the National Book Award. Ellice loves working with talent who have a compelling story to share—from the political to the social to the inane.

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Talia Benamy, Editor

Talia Benamy — Thu, 23 Sep 2021 19:14:18 +0000

Talia Benamy, editor at Philomel Books, joined Penguin Random House as an editorial assistant in 2013. She graduated with a BA in English from Cornell University. Talia is the editor of Cramm This Book: So You Know WTF Is Going On in the World Today by Olivia Seltzer, My Love for You Is Always by Gillian Sze and Michelle Lee, You Can Be ABCs by Robert Samuel White II, Robert Samuel White III, and Robert Paul Jr., The Life and Crimes of Hoodie Rosen by Isaac Blum, and the Airi Sano, Prankmaster General series by Zoe Tokushige, and she co-edits the She Persisted chapter book series with Jill Santopolo. She is constantly on the lookout for books that will help readers understand the world around them and their ability to impact it, as well as books that embrace feminism, celebrate wordplay, and focus on Judaism, politics, or space. When she’s not editing books, Talia can be found engaging in political activism, winning bar trivia nights, eating all the pizza, and planning her next trip. Follow her on Twitter @taliabenamy.

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Jill Santopolo, Vice President & Publisher

Talia Benamy — Thu, 23 Sep 2021 18:30:00 +0000

Jill Santopolo is the vice president and publisher of Philomel. After seven years at HarperCollins, she joined Penguin Random House in 2009 and became associate publisher in 2018. She holds a BA in English literature from Columbia University and an MFA in writing for children from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. Jill is best known for editing books that empower young readers, including the #1 New York Times bestsellers She Persisted by Chelsea Clinton and Alexandra Boiger, Just Ask! by Sonia Sotomayor and Rafael López, Girling Up by Mayim Bialik, and Superheroes Are Everywhere by Kamala Harris and Mechal Renee Roe. She also edited the National Book Award nominee A Tangle of Knots by Lisa Graff, the Amelia Bloomer winner The Secret Sky by Atia Abawi, the USA Today bestseller Peanut Butter & Cupcake! by Terry Border, and the LA Times bestseller Carnival Magic by Amy Ephron, as well as award-winning and bestselling books by Temple Grandin, Andrea Robertson, Jane Yolen, and many others. Jill loves publishing books that challenge readers to think more deeply about the world around them. When she’s not editing, Jill is a New York Times bestselling novelist herself. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram @jillsantopolo.

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Kenneth Wright, President & Publisher

Talia Benamy — Sun, 01 Aug 2021 18:38:00 +0000

Kenneth Wright is the president and publisher of the Philomel Books and Viking Children’s Books imprints. After graduating with a BA in English from the University of Colorado at Boulder, he worked his way up the editorial ladder to become an editorial director at Scholastic in 2001. In 2006 he joined Writers House as a literary agent, where he represented many award-winning and bestselling creators, including the award-winning and New York Times bestselling authors Ruta Sepetys, Steve Sheinkin, and Deborah Heiligman.

After six years as an agent, he returned to the editorial side of publishing as the VP and associate publisher of Viking Children’s Books. In 2018, he became the president and publisher of both Viking and Philomel. While running these groups, Ken also makes time to edit a few select authors, including Oliver Jeffers, Arvin Ahmadi, and Gayle Forman. When he’s not working on books, you can find him gardening, traveling, and reading back issues of The New Yorker. You can follow him on Instagram @kenwright212.

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