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Reposted by M. Stevenson

Round Table Mentor @roundtablementor.bsky.social · 1d

We are SO excited to announce our 2025-2026 Round Table Mentors! The talent, dedication, and energy of this team is simply incredible.

Full bios and wishlists will be up on our website soon!

📢🗓️For interested parties—mentee applications open Nov. 6, so mark your calendars!

Mentors Part 1:
Molly McDonough
Deena Helm
Julie Lew
Megan Bontrager
Seren Kilig
Natalie Kikić
Deandra Davis
Christie Curry
Eunice Kim
Carmeline Melchior
Corvin A. Doupagne
Rachel Kitch
Samantha Chong
Fatiha Rais
Shepard DiStasio
Thea Liu
Damara Allen
Karis Rogerson

Mentors Part 2:
Julie Hafsa Derbal
Tali Shammas
Lilly Lu
Cassy Klisch
Camille Chong
Bayley Mae
Amanda Helander
Libby Kennedy
Taylor Pitts
Shaina Cordas
J.D. Myall
Asia Murphy
Grace Morrow
Meredith Mooring
Ellen Mulholland
Chantel Pearson
Stephanie Kim Johnson
Caitlyn Averett
Sabina Martin

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Classical Studies Memes for Hellenistic Teens @csmfht.bsky.social · 2d

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Danai Christopoulou | Pre-order VILE LADY VILLAINS @danaiwrites.bsky.social · 2d

In which @mstevensonbooks.bsky.social had incredibly kind words for VILE LADY VILLAINS! One of the most bizarre, brilliant experiences of this whole thing so far has been getting amazing authors to somehow agree to read my book, and many of them seeming to enjoy it
🥺
Go buy Behooved if you haven’t!

Early praise for Danai’s book:

"I was enthralled from the first lush sentence to the final page. Blending familiar stories into new and wondrous forms, Vile Lady Villains is a powerful sapphic love story—and also an action-packed romp that theater nerds will find an utter delight. With spellbinding prose and deftly written, deeply compelling characters, this is a love letter to the classics that finally gives two of literature’s most notorious queens the stories they deserve."

-M. Stevenson, author of Behooved

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OTHERSIDE - Kickstarter is LIVE! @othersidespec.bsky.social · 4d

We're steadily ticking up, up, up towards our $13,000 MORE ART!! stretch goal. Help us add interior art type pieces such as fun dividers and headers to each story per issue! Which allows us to hire more queer artists!!

www.kickstarter.com/projects/hyb...

OTHERSIDE - Kickstarter is LIVE! @othersidespec.bsky.social · 6d

YOU ALL DID IT! WE HIT OUR REPRINT STRETCH GOAL! Our next stretch goal is MORE ART!! This is so much more than we dared hope possible so thank you 💜

Beyond more art we also have nonfiction followed by an additional reprint per issue!

www.kickstarter.com/projects/hyb...

Over a hazy purple background, there's the header "stretch goals." Five goals, of $6900, $8300, $9700, $11000, $12000 are now illuminated in rainbow with a picture of an open lock next to them. The remaining goals of $13000 (More Art!) and $14000 (Nonfiction) and $15000 (+1 Reprints!) show a closed lock next to them.

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M. Stevenson @mstevensonbooks.bsky.social · 5d

Mark your calendars! My mentees have been working hard on their books and I am so freaking proud of them

Round Table Mentor @roundtablementor.bsky.social · 5d

Three more weeks left until our #roundtablementor mentee pitch party. Are you ready? Start revving your engines!

A calendar graphic for Round Table Mentor’s Mentee Pitch Party, with Oct 27 circled. Big numbers note that there are 21 days left.

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Helena Greer @blumagaincurios.bsky.social · 5d

My feelings about Banned Books Week are that no indeedy parents do NOT have the right to decide what their own children read, because children are human beings with the right to dignity and privacy.

Agreeing w the parents rights premise shifts the Overton window in the wrong ass direction.

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M. Stevenson @mstevensonbooks.bsky.social · 5d

My latest newsletter is live, and I think this is my favorite post I've written yet! marinastevenson.beehiiv.com/p/issue-22?l...

Issue 22

All about layers

marinastevenson.beehiiv.com

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OTHERSIDE - Kickstarter is LIVE! @othersidespec.bsky.social · 7d

We're $301 from our reprints stretch goal! If we hit that, every issue will include a reprint of a queer story no longer available online. Help us archive queer stories and support queer creators in a time of censorship!

Learn more about our plans here: www.kickstarter.com/projects/hyb...

OTHERSIDE 2026: A New Magazine of Queer SFF!

A new queer-led literary magazine devoted to speculative fiction, poetry, and art by 2SLGBTQIA+ authors and artists.

www.kickstarter.com

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Round Table Mentor @roundtablementor.bsky.social · 8d

Stay tuned for the reveal of our 2025-26 mentors! If you applied, please keep an eye on your inbox in the coming days 👀

We originally said 10/6, but we will actually be posting our cohort on socials on 10/10 to give our mentors a bit more time!

Thanks to all who applied 🩷

A blue and cream infographic that says in big, bold letters: "ROUND TABLE MENTOR." Beneath it, in two blue bubbles, it says "Mentor Reveal!" and "10/10". There are graphics of books, and then at the bottom, a line that reads, "Stay tuned for the reveal of our 2025-2026 Mentor Cohort!"

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Makkon @makkon.bsky.social · 9d

a flow-chart with 2 islands. "Do I need AI?" that flows into a final island saying "No"

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M. Stevenson @mstevensonbooks.bsky.social · 10d

Super excited to listen to this!

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OTHERSIDE - Kickstarter is LIVE! @othersidespec.bsky.social · 11d

UM WHAT our campaign is officially a Kickstarter "Project We Love"! Now more than ever supporting queer speculative art, poetry, and stories is so important—it means a lot that our want to create space for queer artists, poets, and writers resonates so strongly!

www.kickstarter.com/projects/hyb...

OTHERSIDE 2026: A New Magazine of Queer SFF!

A new queer-led literary magazine devoted to speculative fiction, poetry, and art by 2SLGBTQIA+ authors and artists.

www.kickstarter.com

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M. Stevenson @mstevensonbooks.bsky.social · 12d

I'm afraid I don't have time right now, but best of luck!

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M. Stevenson @mstevensonbooks.bsky.social · 12d

Oh interesting! For the purposes of pitching I might pick one character to focus on and then explain in your query where you have more space.

M. Stevenson @mstevensonbooks.bsky.social · 12d

This is really strong! Good luck!

M. Stevenson @mstevensonbooks.bsky.social · 12d

The way you've phrased this makes it sound like the soap opera is the MC. I'd rewrite so it's all from your MC's perspective instead. Good luck!

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M. Stevenson @mstevensonbooks.bsky.social · 12d

I don't think your rhetorical question at the beginning is doing enough for this pitch, and IMO it makes it sound like fantasy. I'd use that space to expand on your characters' stakes instead.

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M. Stevenson @mstevensonbooks.bsky.social · 12d

This sounds fun! I feel like it would be a bit stronger with a sense of personal stakes, but the voice is great.

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M. Stevenson @mstevensonbooks.bsky.social · 12d

There's a lot of interesting world building in this pitch, but no MC. Pitches are most effective if you give us a character to root for!

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M. Stevenson @mstevensonbooks.bsky.social · 12d

This sounds great! Minor note that the repetition of curse in the second sentence tripped me up a little. Good luck!

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M. Stevenson @mstevensonbooks.bsky.social · 12d

I'm a bit confused by who the MC is here, and if it's not "the human," what race/entity/etc is the MC? I would also love to see a bit more of the plot--eg Tai must do x or else y.

Also, maybe Of Monsters and Mainframes as a comp?

M. Stevenson @mstevensonbooks.bsky.social · 12d

I find the second sentence in particular a bit difficult to parse. What are the actual hopes Beryl had, instead of just saying what they're not? I think you can rephrase this to make the central conflict clearer.

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M. Stevenson @mstevensonbooks.bsky.social · 12d

This sounds really cool! Instead of the list at the bottom, I think you could get more mileage out of this pitch by bringing in the personal stakes for your MC.

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M. Stevenson @mstevensonbooks.bsky.social · 12d

Dropping in to critique a few today in defiance of my looming deadline 🫡

#DVpit - Diverse Voices Pitch @dvpit.bsky.social · 13d

#preDV is tomorrow, MONDAY, September 29, 2025 from 8AM to 8PM Eastern Time!
Marginalized Creators join us to practice your pitches for #DVpit, get feedback from agented authors, give each other feedback & encouragement!
Make friends, polish your pitches & get excited for #DVpit! #writersky #booksky

#preDV
September 19th, 2025
8AM - 8PM ET

Join us for our practice event, #preDV on Bluesky!
Come with your best pitches and receive feedback from agented authors.

All participants are welcome to also give feedback and make friends during the community event before October 8th's #DVpit.

More info at dvpit.carrd.co

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M. Stevenson @mstevensonbooks.bsky.social · 12d

Love the vibes! I don't really see how this ties together into a plot since it's just a list of elements. IMO this pitch style works best when the final line ties it all together.

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