For months leading up to this announcement, tons of work has gone on behind the scenes to bring you Pitch Wars 2021. We are an organization run solely by volunteers, and we couldn’t put this mentorship program on with out our amazing board and committee members. Everyone involved gives so much of their time to help other writers. We are truly blessed to have each of them.
Pitch Wars has had many successes with mentees making agent matches, snagging publishing deals, and receiving awards. We also couldn’t do this without the generosity of our mentors who dedicate their time and knowledge to our community.
We were amazed at all the talented people who applied to mentor this year. It’s always so difficult to choose our list of mentors each year because of it. Thank you to those of you who did apply. If you weren’t selected, please know that in no way does it mean you weren’t worthy. There are many variables that go into selecting mentors. Category popularity, genres needed, and how many different ones an applicant will consider come into play during the decision process. We want to thank the members of our selection committee for their hard work in putting together our mentor list for 2021. We greatly appreciate your hard work!
First, let me introduce you to Ayana Gray, our Managing Director this year. Ayana has been part of the Pitch Wars family for three years as a mentor and a committee member.
Ayana Gray
MANAGING DIRECTOR
Ayana is a young adult fantasy author with a passion for stories steeped in #blackgirlmagic in all its forms. An Atlanta native now living in the Sunshine State, when she’s not reading or writing, you can probably find her portrait sketching, watching a documentary about something dark, or traveling the world with her husband! She is currently represented by Pete Knapp of Park & Fine Literary and Media.
You can find Ayana online:
Website | Twitter | Instagram
A message from Ayana:
The time has come for a new season of Pitch Wars to kick off! Firstly, I want to thank everyone who applied to be a mentor this year. As always, we received so many fantastic applicants this year and the hardest part is always narrowing it down! If you weren’t invited to mentor this year, we absolutely welcome all of you to apply again next year. To Class of 2021’s new and returning mentors: congratulations and welcome (or welcome back)! Pitch Wars is a 100% volunteer-run program, and it simply couldn’t happen without you. Thank you for offering your time and expertise to this year’s mentees. We appreciate you! Things are just getting started, but I’m so excited for another incredible year!
Don’t know what Pitch Wars is? Peruse our site and learn more about our mentoring program. You could start HERE.
To learn more about each mentor, check out their bios on our site. We also have a twitter list of all the mentors here.
AND COME BACK WEDNESDAY to enter our critique workshop giveaway. Our current and past mentors will be giving away query and first page critique packages for our workshop. I’ll have more details in my post Wednesday.
Mentor wishlists will go live on September 11. Please review the wishlists to help you decide which four mentors you will submit an application to when the entry window opens on September 26.
I’m sure you all are excited to meet the 2021 Pitch Wars mentors, so without further delay, here they are!
Adult Mentors
| Mentor | Co-Mentor | |
| Alexandria Bellefleur | ||
| Alexia Gordon | ||
| Alicia Thompson | Amy Lea | |
| AM Kvita | ||
| Amanda Elliot | ||
| Anna Kaling | ||
| Ashley Winstead | ||
| Brooke Abrams | Falon Ballard | |
| Carolyne Topdjian | ||
| Charish Reid | Denise Williams | |
| Clay Harmon | ||
| Cole Nagamatsu | Sequoia Nagamatsu | |
| Courtney Kae | Jenny L. Howe | |
| Cynthia Pelayo | ||
| E.A. Aymar | ||
| Farah Heron | Namrata Patel | |
| Grace K. Shim | Jesse Q. Sutanto | |
| Heather Van Fleet | Jessica Calella AKA Jessica Calla | |
| Hudson Lin | ||
| Ian Barnes | ||
| J.A. Crawford | ||
| Jackson Ford | ||
| Jake Nicholls | ||
| Katherine Lim | ||
| Keena Roberts | Molly Steen | |
| Kelly Siskind | ||
| Laura Elizabeth/Laura Adams | Mary Ann Marlowe | |
| LL Montez | Nanci Schwartz | |
| Lyn Liao Butler | ||
| Marith Zoli | Yvette Yun | |
| Mary Keliikoa | ||
| Melissa Colasanti | ||
| Mia P. Manansala | ||
| Michella Domenici | ||
| N.E. Davenport | ||
| Natalka Burian | ||
| Nikki Payne | Regina Black | |
| Noreen | Stephenie Magister | |
| Paris Wynters | ||
| Peggy Rothschild | ||
| Preslaysa Williams | ||
| Rob Hart | ||
| Rochelle Karina | ||
| Rosalie M. Lin | Sari Coritz | |
| Rosie Danan | Ruby Barrett | |
| Saara El-Arifi | ||
| Samantha Rajaram | ||
| Sarah Mughal | Vaishnavi Patel | |
| Sarah Remy | ||
| Swati Hegde |
Young Adult Mentors
| Mentor | Co-Mentor |
| Aaron Cole | Tamara Cole |
| Aashna Avachat | |
| Abigail Johnson | |
| Alex Brown | Skyla Arndt |
| Allison Saft | |
| Amelia Diane Coombs | |
| Angelica Monai | Natalie Crown |
| Anna Sortino | Annika J. Cosgrove |
| Aty S. Behsam | Maedeh B. Saaina |
| Bethany Mangle | |
| Brianna Bourne | |
| Carly Heath | |
| Carlyn Greenwald | |
| Carrie S. Allen | Sabrina Lotfi |
| Charity Alyse | Cimone Watson |
| Dante Medema | Liz Lawson |
| Diana Urban | |
| Em X. Liu | Grace D. Li |
| Emery Lee | |
| Emily Grey | Rosiee Thor |
| Emily Thiede | Lauren Blackwood |
| Fiona McLaren | |
| Gabi Burton | |
| Hannah V. Sawyerr | Olivia Liu |
| Heather M. Herrman | |
| Hoda Agharazi | Lyssa Mia Smith |
| Jamie Howard | Meredith Tate |
| Jamie McHenry | |
| Jennifer Yu | |
| Jenny Perinovic | Kyrie McCauley |
| Jessica Lewis | |
| Joel Brigham | |
| Justine Pucella Winans | |
| Kat Dunn | Sarah Underwood |
| Kiana Krystle | |
| KL Burd | |
| Kylie Schachte | |
| Lane Clarke | |
| Laura Weymouth | |
| Laurie Dennison | |
| M.T. Khan | |
| Margie Fuston | |
| Mary E. Roach | |
| Meg Long | Rochelle Hassan |
| Molly X. Chang | Zoulfa Katouh |
| Sarvenaz Tash | |
| Sonora Reyes | |
| Sunya Mara | |
| Susan Bishop Crispell | |
| TJ Ohler |
Middle Grade Mentors
| Mentor | Co-Mentor |
| A.J. Sass | Nicole Melleby |
| Adrianna Cuevas | Sarah Kapit |
| Cindy Baldwin | Amanda Rawson Hill |
| Darlene P. Campos | |
| Eric Bell | |
| George Jreije | LQ Nguyen |
| Graci Kim | Karah Sutton |
| Jennifer L. Brown | Kim Long |
| Julie Artz | |
| Rebecca Petruck | |
| Sandra Proudman | Shannon A. Thompson |
| Shakirah Bourne | |
| Sofiya Pasternack | |
| Sylvia Liu | |
| Tracy Badua |