From our 2021-2022 Managing Director, Ayana Gray …
Hello there! Hi! I’m so excited to say that the Class of 2021-2022 Pitch Wars Agent Showcase is HERE!! Huzzah!
In the midst of yet another challenging year, our mentors and mentees worked harder than ever to craft and refine so many beautiful stories that I can’t wait to find out in the world and someday on bookshelves for all to read and enjoy. I am so awed and so proud of everyone for the effort put in on all sides.
My heartfelt thanks to the incredible, fabulous, incomparable Pitch Wars volunteers who stay backstage to make the magic look easy. Thank you to the Pitch Wars board, and to our new and returning committee volunteers. To be blunt, Pitch Wars would not happen without these people, who balance personal and professional obligations all while volunteering their time, talents, and energy (for free!) to uplift aspiring authors.
How can you show your support to the people who keep the Pitch Wars world spinning? Well, you can buy our books! You can uplift us on social media! You can offer compassion because, particularly in these times, a kind word can save a life, keep someone going, or act as the little push they need to cross the finish line.
For those who are seeing the #PitchWars hashtag online and may be curious: Pitch Wars is a writing mentorship program in which published/agented authors, editors, or industry professionals may choose one writer to mentor for several months. Mentors read the entire manuscript and offer suggestions on how to make the manuscript shine for the Agent Showcase, which comes at the end of the program each year.
During the Agent Showcase, each participating mentee has the opportunity to post a short snippet of their work online (usually as a pitch of their book alongside the first page of their manuscript) for agents to review and possibly make requests to read! Over the last decade, Pitch Wars has changed so many authors’ lives. More importantly than that though, Pitch Wars has created and fostered friendships and a wonderful community of support for people on this author journey.
The Agent Showcase entries for the Class of 2021 Pitch Wars mentees are now LIVE on the showcase site, which you can find HERE.
Agent requests will remain private (meaning only the mentor and mentee will be able to see their own requests), until the conclusion of the Showcase. We do this to mitigate some of the stress tied to such a highly-anticipated event.
Here is the showcase schedule …
- February 09: Adult entries go live at 12:01 am ET
- February 10: MG entries go live at 12:01 am ET
- February 11: YA entries go live at 12:01 am ET
- February 14: Showcase ends at 9:00 pm ET
- February 15: All agent requests are made visible.
Ayana Gray is an author of speculative works and lover of all things monsters, mythos, and #MelaninMagic. Originally an Atlanta native, she now lives in sunny Florida where she reads avidly, follows Formula 1 racing, and worries over her adopted baby black rhino, Apollo.
Her highly anticipated young adult debut, BEASTS OF PREY, is forthcoming and will be published on September 28, 2021!
Ayana has worked behind the scenes as a committee member and on selection teams, and she’s been a mentee and a mentor. We know she will do a spectacular job managing Pitch Wars, and we hope you’ll take the time to congratulate and thank her for volunteering.
You can find Ayana online: