The Loft Lit Podcast

The Loft Literary Center

Welcome to The Loft Lit Pod, the official podcast from Minneapolis’s premier literary arts center, The Loft Literary Center. Join us for inspiring interviews, resources for readers and writers, and insider looks at new offerings emerging from the Loft. Whether you want to write a book or just find some great new ones to read, join us to connect with a vibrant community of poets and storytellers. https://loft.org/

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The Loft Lit Podcast

Episodes (8)

Yesterday Demystifying Agenting and Publishing with Literary Agent Matthew Valdez
Tue Oct 13th Literary Thunder: Welcoming Patricia Smith to the Loft with Arleta Little
Tue Oct 6th Inside The Loft’s Year-Long Writing Projects with Susan Schaars

The Loft Lit Podcast

Oct 20, 2026
45½ minutes
31 MB

In this episode, we step behind the scenes of the publishing industry with literary agent and Loft teaching artist Matthew Valdez. Highlighting the vital role of agent representation and the realities of the querying process, Matthew pulls back the curtain to share how authors and agents build successful long-term partnerships. We discuss the current state of Young Adult literature, the necessity of accessible writing, and why representation—particularly queer stories—is more crucial than ever. Matthew also breaks down what draws him to the fantasy genre, common pitfalls like query sample mistakes and trope oversaturation, and what catches an agen...

The Loft Lit Podcast

Demystifying Agenting and Publishing with Literary Agent Matthew Valdez

The Loft Literary Center

00:00 -44:33