WriterFest Team

Ami McConnell is an author, writer, and editor with over 20 years of experience in-house at major trade book publishers. She formerly served as Editor-in-Chief and VP of Howard Books/Simon & Schuster and as an acquiring editor at HarperCollins. Having edited numerous New York Times bestsellers and award winners, she now works with authors of all stripes to create bestselling books. She’s a USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestseller having collaborated with singers, songwriters, psychologists, doctors, therapists, film/tv actors, and artists. She serves on the board of Women’s National Book Association/Nashville Chapter and lives in the Nashville area with her family.

Find Ami on Instagram, Facebook, or at amimcconnell.com.

Sara Wigal is an Assistant Professor and Director of Publishing at Belmont University, a unique undergraduate degree that equips students with necessary skills and knowledge to enter the book world. She serves on the leadership council of Next Chapter Society, a section of the Nashville Public Library Foundation. Over her multi-year tenure with NCS she has led the organization as a co-chair, as Fundraising Chair, and most recently as the originator of the Author Ambassador program and a member of the Membership Committee.

She is the Executive Director of the WriterFest Nashville conference for writers of book, song, and screen, and of WriterFest Literary Services. She is the founder of the Nashville Publishing Meetup, a group for industry contacts to network without being client-facing, which has since become WriterFest Pros. In her capacity with WFLS she acts as a literary agent, manages staff, designs and co-hosts event series, and runs A Dolly Good Time, an annual benefit for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library.

Wigal has been published by Library Journal, The Tennessean, Publishers Weekly, Writer's Digest and various literary journals. She is an aspiring historical fiction novelist and writer of the personal essay. Find her frequently on Instagram.

Risha Chesterfield is the owner of Sow Good Creative, a business that helps Christian music artists and brands through brand strategy, marketing, and web design. In addition, she designs and builds websites for business owners through Sow Good Websites. She loves helping others see the full potential they have in them. Her goal is to make everyone she comes into contact with know that they matter, and their story matters.

Follow Risha on Instagram, Twitter, or at rishachesterfield.com.

Olivia Walker has worked with WriterFest since 2022 as an intern, freelancer, and now as the administrative coordinator. Olivia graduated from Belmont University in 2023 with a degree in publishing and journalism, interned at Melville House Publishing in New York City, and currently works as a bookseller and operations lead at Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Cincinnati, OH. Olivia is a freelance editor and has helped publish multiple books across various genres. Through her job at Joseph-Beth, Olivia has worked closely with authors such as Emily Henry and Ashley Poston, has reviewed advanced copies of books for publishers, and hand-sells her favorite titles: Anxious People by Frederik Backman and Happy Place by Emily Henry (among others).

Find Olivia on Instagram & LinkedIn, or reach out at oliviakwalker.com for reviews and editorial requests.

Jennifer Sellers is new to WriterFest this year. With a background in event management through her work and volunteering she is excited to put her skills to use toward something she is passionate about: WriterFest! Jennifer currently serves on two boards: Lipscomb’s College of Business Alumni Board where she is the Event Chair, and the Women’s National Book Association where she is the Coffee with Authors Chair. She also serves as the event and finance chair for MSAG (Military Support and Assistance Group of TN) which is an internal employee group where she works. Needless to say, she likes to stay busy but still finds time to write. Her first publication was in HomeLife Magazine in 2014. She is an aspiring romance novelist and poet.

Please know, she has zero chill when talking about books or theatre, so be warned if you knowingly bring up anything from her Goodreads or her Instagram. Showtunes may be involved.

Kaylin Moore is an Honors junior at Belmont University studying publishing and public relations. When she’s not hitting the books, Kaylin loves reading fiction and drinking copious amounts of coffee. She also freelance copyedits.

Find her on LinkedIn!