Tamar Rydzinski is the President of Context Literary Agency and a character-first agent who gravitates toward emotionally resonant, "epic" storytelling across commercial and literary fiction, select nonfiction, and children's/YA, with a particular eye for protagonists who understand—or discover—their own worth.
In brief
Tamar is a career-long publishing insider: she trained at Sanford Greenburger Associates and rose to VP and Director of Subrights at Laura Dail Literary Agency before founding Context Literary Agency, where she now serves as President.
Her stated wishlist is broad—MG through adult, commercial to literary, fiction to nonfiction—but her single most consistent filter is character: she needs to feel an emotional connection to the protagonist before anything else lands.
She explicitly describes herself as NOT the right agent for humor-forward books, even though she enjoys books that are funny; writers should not pitch pure comic novels or comedic voice-driven projects.
Her vision of 'epic' is not about scale—it's about intensity. She will champion a story about a sibling rivalry or an after-school job just as readily as a sweeping saga, provided the emotional stakes feel enormous.
Tamar accepts email queries directly, which is relatively uncommon among agents at her level; a tight, enthusiastic query letter with up to 10 pages is the correct opening move.
Lately
Tamar has articulated that her single most important criterion when reading a manuscript is feeling a genuine connection to the protagonist—specifically characters who know their own worth or discover it over the course of the story. This applies uniformly across all age categories she represents.
What Tamar is looking for
Tamar is open to the full range of MG, but the project must center a protagonist she can genuinely connect with—ideally a character who is figuring out their own value in the world. Interesting, distinctive settings earn extra attention, as does any book that reframes an everyday experience as something epic.
YA is a core strength. She is drawn to stories with emotional magnitude—whether that comes from romance, adventure, identity, or even something apparently mundane made to feel enormous. LGBTQ voices and perspectives are explicitly welcome. Suspense elements within YA raise her interest.
Women's fiction, romance, family sagas, and LGBTQ fiction all fall within her wheelhouse. She responds to books where relationships—romantic or otherwise—are built on mutual respect. 'Epic' emotional arcs in commercial packages are a sweet spot.
Literary fiction is welcome as long as the protagonist is emotionally accessible and the book offers a genuinely fresh perspective on its subject. Pure experimental or plotless literary work is less likely to land; she needs a character to root for.
Fantasy is listed as an active interest for both adult and younger readers. She is drawn to imaginative world-building that serves a character-driven story rather than overwhelming it. Suspense-inflected or romantic threads within fantasy are a plus.
Her nonfiction appetite spans several categories where rigorous reporting meets compelling narrative. True crime and psychology both connect to her love of books that make readers think about a topic in a completely new way. LGBTQ nonfiction is also explicitly sought.
Not the right fit
Taste fingerprint
How to query Tamar
Send directly to querytamar@contextlit.com — she accepts email queries, which is her own preferred channel.
Include a query letter that tells her about the book and convinces her she needs to read more; a synopsis and up to 10 sample pages are optional but welcome.
Lead your query with the protagonist and what is at stake for them emotionally — this is her number-one filter; plot logistics come second.
If your story has an 'epic' quality — even in a small-scale, everyday situation — name it explicitly. Help her see the emotional magnitude before she reads a word of the sample.
Mention any fresh, unusual setting or the new angle your book takes on a familiar topic; both are noted triggers of her interest.
Do NOT pitch your book primarily as a comedy or humor novel, even if it has funny moments. Frame those moments as texture, not the central selling point.
If you are writing LGBTQ fiction or nonfiction, flag it clearly — she actively seeks it and it is worth surfacing early in the query.
Keep the email professional but direct; she is asking to be convinced, which means enthusiasm and specificity about your story will serve you better than vague genre labels.