Gwen Hawkes is an editor with St. Martin’s Press and St. Martin’s Essentials.

She acquires narrative nonfiction, thoughtful book club and upmarket women’s fiction, and prescriptive titles in the body, mind, spirit space. Her favorite thing about reading is the enchanting moment when you find yourself utterly transfixed by a single sentence and have to pause your reading to revel in it.

“I’m also in search of narrative nonfiction that reveals stories and places every bit as engaging as fiction. Untold histories, environmental and nature writing, and memoir are all favorites. Within SMP Essentials, I’m looking for body, mind, spirit titles that are geared to a younger, millennial audience—how to build a life (relationally, financially, spiritually, vocationally, etc.) that you love. Books that are direct and practical in their approach are ideal. I’m also interested in narrative nonfiction that could fall into the body, mind, spirit category.”

“My favorite books include Once Upon a River, The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock, The Overstory, The Plover, The Recovering, Educated, The Electric Woman, Advice for Future Corpses, American Wolf.”