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Round Table Mentor @roundtablementor.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

AND WE’RE LIVE! Welcome to our #roundtablementor mentee pitch party! From 8 am to 8 pm EST today, you can browse the #roundtablementor hashtag across Bluesky, Twitter, and Instagram to see what our mentees have been up to. (Spoiler: They’ve been writing amazing stories! 👏)

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Round Table Mentor @roundtablementor.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Mentor applications four our upcoming 26-27' cycle close TOMORROW at noon! Be sure to apply before the deadline: ➡️https://roundtablementor.com/apply⬅️

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Round Table Mentor @roundtablementor.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

We’re throwing a mentee pitch party, and YOU’RE INVITED! Come by and see what our mentees have been working on all year! On Oct 12, you’ll find the party on Instagram, Twitter and Bluesky; our mentees will be using the hashtag #roundtablementor to pitch from 8am to 8pm EST!

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Round Table Mentor @roundtablementor.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Interested in becoming a mentor? Our applications close in just a week! Here are some commonly asked questions if you were feeling on the fence. Full timeline, other information, and requirements to apply can be found on our website! ➡️https://roundtablementor.com/apply⬅️

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Round Table Mentor @roundtablementor.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Round Table Mentor will be embarking on its fourth year very soon! 🥳🥳🥳 & what better way to celebrate than opening Mentor Applications! If you're an agented author or an established indie author, we hope you'll consider applying! ➡️https://www.roundtablementor.com/apply⬅️

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Round Table Mentor @roundtablementor.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

Join 25-26 RTM mentors RTM mentors Cassy Klisch, DeAndra Davis, Eunice Kim, and Shaina Cordas, along with moderator Karis Rogerson, as they discuss the ins and outs of querying! See you on our YouTube channel on May 16 at 5pm eastern! #amquerying #writingcommunity

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Round Table Mentor @roundtablementor.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

Check out this week's blog post on building character in your first chapter, featuring author Lilly Lu! #roundtablementor #writingadvice #writingcommunity

Author feature: Lilly Lu
Building character in the first chapter
Read now on Substack

Lilly Lu
Building character in the first chapter
I've always struggled with the question: "What does your character want?" It seems so vague, especially since, as humans trying to navigate the vicissitudes of life, we don't often know what we want. Peace? Rest? Stability? These seem too vague and not hook-y enough for a fiction character, right?

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Round Table Mentor @roundtablementor.bsky.social · 13/03/2026

Check out our next blog post on organization and keeping creativity alive, featuring author Samantha Chong! #roundtablementor #writingadvice #writingcommunity

Author feature: Samantha Chong. How to stay organized and keep creativity alive. Read now on substack.

Samantha Chong
How to stay organized and keep creativity alive
Organization doesn't have to be the mortal enemy of creativity. It's ideally a tool to help you evaluate your own creative processes, keep your head on straight, and reduce the stress that comes with creating in tight timelines.

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Round Table Mentor @roundtablementor.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

Check out our next Substack post on creating moodboards for your stories, featuring Solar Hoàng! #roundtablementor #writingcommunity

Author feature Solar Hoàng Moodboard: an approach to making visual representations of your book that stand out. Read now on substack

Solar Hoàng Moodboard: an approach to making visual representations of your book that stand out. "Creating a great moodboard may not make you a great writer, but in the process of doing so, you are branching out to other media to learn their way of storytelling and looking at your own manuscript through a different lens."

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Round Table Mentor @roundtablementor.bsky.social · 28/02/2026

Put on your editing hats! Join us for a live presentation and Q&A on all things revising on the RTM YouTube channel (@RoundTableMentor) on March 14 @ 1 p.m. ET. And don't stress if you can't make the live event. The panel will be recorded for future access. See you then!

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Round Table Mentor @roundtablementor.bsky.social · 27/02/2026

We're so excited to share our second blog post! Today's features Holly Riddle's advice on tightening pacing to help get your story to an industry-acceptable word count. Read now on Substack and subscribe for more articles on writing craft and industry insights!

Author feature: Holly Riddle. How to tighten up your pacing as an overwriter. Read now on substack.

Holly Riddle. How to tighten up your pacing as an overwriter. "However, when I say, "editors want shorter books," they're not just weeding out the major doorstoppers. More and more genres are trending downward, with a lot of authors (and agents) feeling most comfortable going out on sub with a book that's less than 100,000 words."

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Round Table Mentor @roundtablementor.bsky.social · 20/02/2026

RTM's blog is moving to Substack! Our first post is a feature by horror author Taylor Grothe as they deconstruct four examples of good prose and explain just what makes them so effective. You can read now on Substack as well as subscribe for more articles on writing craft and industry insights!

Author feature: Taylor Grothe. Is this descriptive or is this purpose? Four case studies of beautiful prose. Read now on substack

Taylor Grothe: Is this descriptive or is this purple? Four case studies of beautiful prose. And while descriptive, breathing prose is a welcome read, a scene heavy with obscuring description is distracting at best, and DNF-worthy at worst. So, this begs the question: how can you craft a beautiful book without falling into some of the more common pitfalls?

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Round Table Mentor @roundtablementor.bsky.social · 12/01/2026

And of course, our 2026 mentees! RTM strives to ensure at least 50% of both our mentors and selected mentees are People of Color, and we're proud to announce we've reached that goal for yet another year.

mentees by age group
adult 57% middle grade 11% new adult 3% young adult 29%

mentees by genre
contemporary 3% fantasy 54% horror 18% mystery 3% romance 16% sci-fi 3% women's fiction 3%

mentees by race
asian 24% black or african american 21% hispanic or latino 5% middle eastern or north african 5% white 47%

percentage of BIPOC mentees
BIPOC 53% white 47%

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Round Table Mentor @roundtablementor.bsky.social · 12/01/2026

Take a look at the stats for our 278 applicants!

applicants by age group
adult 56% middle grade 6% new adult 10% young adult 28%

Applicants by genre
Contemporary 7% fantasy 51% graphic novel .5% historical 1% horror 10% literary fiction 2% mystery 1% romance 15% sci-fi 6% thriller 2% women’s fiction 1% non-fiction .5% short story .5% upmarket 2.5%

Applicants by race
American Indian or Alaska native .7% Asian 20% black or African American 9% Hispanic or Latino .7% middle eastern or North African 3% white 65% other 4% prefer not to say 2%

Applicants by marginalized community
Autistic 10% chronically ill 18% chronic pain 12% deaf/hoh .7% disable (other) 2% gender-expansive 2% gender-fluid 4% lgbtq+ 46% mentally ill 21% neurodivergent 34% non-binary 7% other 7% physically disabled 3% prefer not to say 4% queer 26% transgender 5% visually impaired 1%

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Round Table Mentor @roundtablementor.bsky.social · 12/01/2026

With the 2026 mentorship officially kicked off, we thought it would be fun to share some numbers for this year's applicant and mentee groups. See below for the stats! 👀👇 #roundtablementor #writingcommunity #writingmentorship

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Round Table Mentor @roundtablementor.bsky.social · 05/01/2026

IT’S HERE! 🎉 Congratulations to the 2026 Round Table Mentor mentees! Our mentors are SO excited to get started and will be personally reaching out to their chosen mentee via email to kick things off, so keep an eye on those inboxes! **See more details below 👇**

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Round Table Mentor @roundtablementor.bsky.social · 04/01/2026

ONE MORE SLEEP! 🤩 We are so excited to announce our 2026 mentees TOMORROW at 12 p.m. EST!!!

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Round Table Mentor @roundtablementor.bsky.social · 02/01/2026

Are we vibrating with excitement yet?! Our mentee announcement goes live in THREE DAYS on January 5 at 12 p.m. EST!!

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Round Table Mentor @roundtablementor.bsky.social · 31/12/2025

IT'S ALMOST HERE!!! It's hard to believe, but we are only FIVE days away until our 2026 mentees are announced on our socials on January 5 at 12 p.m. EST!

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Round Table Mentor @roundtablementor.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

Our fifth and final day of prompts and also the last day to get those applications in!!! Our mentors want to know: What do you hope to learn from RTM? APPLICATIONS CLOSE TODAY AT 12 PM ET! #RTM #roundtablementor #writingcommunity #mentorship #amwriting #amquerying

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Round Table Mentor @roundtablementor.bsky.social · 20/11/2025

Day 4! What is your favorite part of the writing process? Drafting? Revising? Creating playlists or gathering inspo pics? There are only 2 days left to get your applications in! #RTM #roundtablementor #writingcommunity #mentorship #amwriting #amquerying #writersoftwitter

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Round Table Mentor @roundtablementor.bsky.social · 19/11/2025

Day 3! What are you reading? Are you in the midst of an epic fantasy? A dark, twisty thriller? Did you just finish something that kept you up until the wee hours of the night? Tell us everything!! There are 3 days left to get your applications in! #RTM #roundtablementor

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Round Table Mentor @roundtablementor.bsky.social · 18/11/2025

Day 2! We cannot wait to see your story aesthetics!! Have some character art you’ve been dying to share? A mood board that captures the captivating vibes? We want to see it all!! There are 4 days left to get your applications in! #RTM #roundtablementor #writingcommunity

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Round Table Mentor @roundtablementor.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

Hello #RTM Hopefuls! There are officially FIVE days left to get your applications in! We thought we’d count down the final days with some community prompts! Prompt 1: We want to get to know you and your MC! #roundtablementor #writingcommunity #mentorship #amquerying #amwriting

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Round Table Mentor @roundtablementor.bsky.social · 06/11/2025

The time has come🥳Mentee applications are now open until November 21st! Interested parties should head over to www.roundtablementor.com/apply and feel free to DM for any questions! We can't WAIT to dive into your submissions!!!! ❤️

A white and blue poster that says, "MENTEE APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN NOW UNTIL NOV 21!". In the background are book graphics and at the bottom is a line that reads, "To apply, please visit: www.roundtablementor.com/apply."

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Round Table Mentor @roundtablementor.bsky.social · 03/11/2025

Today’s the day! Have a question about the program, application process, or our mentors? Ask it below! #writingmentorship #roundtablementor #writingcommunity

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Round Table Mentor @roundtablementor.bsky.social · 01/11/2025

Attention applicants! We're hosting an AMA on the RTM socials on 11/3 starting at 8 a.m. EST! We'll be answering questions about the program or anything specific you have for our mentors. (Some will also have AMAs on their personal pages, so keep an eye out!) See you then!

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Round Table Mentor @roundtablementor.bsky.social · 27/10/2025

AND WE’RE LIVE! Welcome to our #roundtablementor mentee pitch party! From 8am EST until 8pm EST, you can browse the #roundtablementor hashtag across Twitter and Bluesky to see what our mentees have been up to. (Spoiler: They’ve been writing amazing stories 💅)

Center text reads MENTEE PITCH PARTY. In the upper left are the words Round Table Mentor. In the bottom right are the words Starting Now, 8am- 8PM EST, and the URL www.roundtablementor.com

White box with the words: Showcase rules. 8am - 8pm EST, Hosted on Twitter and Bluesky, Up to 3 pitches, Mood boards allowed, Use #roundtablementor hashtag for visibility, Include age group and genre tags, Only RTM mentees may pitch, but everyone is encouraged to boost and like pitches!

White box with the words: Showcase hashtags. Age group tags: PB | MG | YA | NA | A
#Con = contemporary
#F = fantasy
#GN = graphic novel
#HI = historical
#H = horror
#L = literary
#M = mystery

White box with the words: Showcase hashtags. Age group tags: PB | MG | YA | NA | A
#NF = nonfiction
#MEM = memoir
#R = romance
#SF = sci-fi
#SP = screenplay / play
#SH = short story collection
#T = thriller
#UP = upmarket / book club
#W = women’s fiction
#AG = agented
#UN = unagented

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Round Table Mentor @roundtablementor.bsky.social · 26/10/2025

Don’t forget, TOMORROW, 10/27 is our #roundtablementor mentee pitch party! From 8am - 8pm EST, tune in on X and Bluesky to see what our mentees have been working on all year. Let’s celebrate them together!

A calendar graphic for Round Table Mentor’s Mentee Pitch Party, with Oct 27 circled. The bottom notes that the event is happening tomorrow.

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Round Table Mentor @roundtablementor.bsky.social · 25/10/2025

Only two more sleeps… we’re very excited about the #roundtablementor mentee pitch party happening on October 27!

A calendar graphic for Round Table Mentor’s Mentee Pitch Party, with Oct 27 circled. Big numbers note that there are 2 days left.

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Round Table Mentor @roundtablementor.bsky.social · 24/10/2025

Manuscript wishlists are live! We recommend popping over to our website to peruse mentor profiles before mentee applications open on Nov 6th 👀 Important note: Contrary to previous rounds, we are only accepting complete manuscripts this year! www.roundtablementor.com/mentors

A blue circle that says, "MSWLS ARE UP!" Around it are graphics of books, and then a line at the bottom reads, "MENTEE APPLICATIONS OPEN ON NOVEMBER 6TH."

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Round Table Mentor @roundtablementor.bsky.social · 24/10/2025

Three more days—count ’em! Mentees, are you ready?

A calendar graphic for Round Table Mentor’s Mentee Pitch Party, with Oct 27 circled. Big numbers note that there are 3 days left.

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Round Table Mentor @roundtablementor.bsky.social · 20/10/2025

ONE MORE WEEK until our favorite time of year: our #roundtablementor mentee pitch party! Let’s hear it for our mentees!

A calendar graphic for Round Table Mentor’s Mentee Pitch Party, with Oct 27 circled. Big numbers note that there are 7 days left.

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Round Table Mentor @roundtablementor.bsky.social · 13/10/2025

Two more weeks until our #roundtablementor mentee pitch party. We’re busy getting our best party supplies ready… you should, too!

A calendar graphic for Round Table Mentor’s Mentee Pitch Party, with Oct 27 circled. Big numbers note that there are 14 days left.

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Round Table Mentor @roundtablementor.bsky.social · 10/10/2025

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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Round Table Mentor @roundtablementor.bsky.social · 06/10/2025

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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Round Table Mentor @roundtablementor.bsky.social · 04/10/2025

We’re throwing a mentee pitch party! On 10/27, you’ll find the party on X + Bluesky; our mentees will be using #roundtablementor to pitch from 8am to 8pm EST. While only mentees may pitch, we do encourage everyone to boost and like their pitches! Rules here:

A calendar graphic for Round Table Mentor’s Mentee Pitch Party, with Oct 27 circled. Bottom text reads “Come see what our RTM mentees have been working on all year long!”

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Round Table Mentor @roundtablementor.bsky.social · 03/10/2025

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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Round Table Mentor @roundtablementor.bsky.social · 03/10/2025

Something exciting is coming… stay tuned for the reveal tomorrow, October 4, at 12pm ET. What could it possibly be? 👀

A white progress bar takes up the center of the page. At the top, it reads “Coming soon.” Bottom text reads “Something shiny is coming! All will be revealed, tomorrow, Oct 4.”

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Round Table Mentor @roundtablementor.bsky.social · 10/09/2025

Round Table Mentor will be embarking on its third year very soon! 🥳 & what better way to celebrate than opening mentor applications! If you're an agented author or an established indie author, we hope you'll consider applying! ➡️http://roundtablementor.com/apply⬅️

A blue Canva graphic that says: "Mentor Applications OPEN NOW!" Beneath that, a line reads: "September 8-22" and the URL: "www.roundtablementor.com/apply."

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Round Table Mentor @roundtablementor.bsky.social · 12/06/2025

Join a selection of RTM mentors next Tuesday, June 17 at 5pm EDT for a panel on navigating publishing while marginalized! The panel will be livestreamed on our YouTube channel, with the recording posted afterwards.

Graphic of an open envelope with a letter promoting an event. Text: You're invited! Round Table Mentor Panel: navigating publishing while marginalized. YouTube, June 17, 5pm ET. Graphic includes the URL for the RTM YouTube channel, @RoundTableMentor.

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Round Table Mentor @roundtablementor.bsky.social · 04/05/2025

As we approach another quarter of Round Table Mentor, we’re taking a look at who applied for our program! As a reminder, here at RTM, our goal is to ensure that at least 50% of mentees and mentors are People of Color. Here’s how the numbers shook out for applicants.

Pie chart with breakdowns of age demographics:
Adult: 47.8%
Middle grade: 8.9%
New Adult: 10.4%
Picture Book: 1.5%
Young Adult: 31.5%

Pie chart with breakdowns of genre:
Fantasy: 49.6%
Historical: 3.7%
Horror: 7%
Literary fiction: 3.3%
Mystery: 2.6%
Romance: 7%
Science Fiction: 9.3%
Thriller: 3.7%
Contemporary: 8.1%

Pie chart breaking down applicants by marginalized community:

LGBTQ+: 23.4%
Queer: 14.1%
Transgender: 1.7%
Non-binary: 3.5%
Neurodivergent: 16.6%
Autistic: 6.6%
Chronically ill: 5.8%
Mentally ill: 10.2%
Deaf/HOH: 0.4%
Blind/Visually impaired: 0.6%
Chronic pain: 5.6%
Disabled (other) 1.5%
Other: 4.4%

Pie chart breaking down applications by race:

Black or African American: 10%
Hispanic or Latino: 8%
Middle Eastern or North African: 2.3%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.3%
White: 58.2%
Other: 5%
American Indian or Alaska Native: 1%
Asian: 13.7%

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Round Table Mentor @roundtablementor.bsky.social · 29/04/2025

Join a selection of RTM mentors TOMORROW for a panel on debuting! The panel will stream to our YouTube channel!

Text: Heads Up! You're invited to our debut panel. April 30, 12pm EST, Youtube. What do you need to know before your book emerges into the world? Join our RTM mentors for a panel about their road to debut, pulling back the curtains on their journeys so far.
Join us: https://www.youtube.com/@roundtablementor

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Round Table Mentor @roundtablementor.bsky.social · 01/02/2025

Our honorable mentions are below! A quick note for honorable mentions: You will receive a query package critique, so please keep an eye on your inbox for next steps!

Honorable mentions:

B.L. Jasper selected Ben Watson.
Shalini Abeysekara selected Maya Kara.
Eunice Kim selected Julia H, Grace Zhu, Hadiyah Sama, and Luna.

Lilly Lu selected Effie Seiberg and Emma Finnerty.
Olivia Sun selected Mary Huynh and Estephany Reyes.
Laura Galán-Wells selected Jackie Yap.

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Round Table Mentor @roundtablementor.bsky.social · 01/02/2025

Here are our mentees from the Middle Grade and Picture Books category:

Middle grade and picture book mentees:

Bayley Mae is mentoring Elise Blaauw and Samira Lari.
Taylor Pitts is mentoring Megan Donnelly.
Rosario Martinez is mentoring Shanelle Webb and Tiffanie Leung Abbott.

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Round Table Mentor @roundtablementor.bsky.social · 01/02/2025

Here are our mentees from the Young Adult category:

Young Adult mentees:

Birdie Schae is mentoring Ornella and Sonja J. Kaye.
Bita Behzadi is mentoring Ethan Rubin.
Camille Chong is mentoring Natalia Wikana.
Cass Biehn is mentoring Cindy Chen.
CL Montblanc is mentoring Rachael Allysa.

Eunice Kim is mentoring L. Amariti.
Helen Z. Dong & Solar Hoàng are mentoring Brian Patrick Byrne.
Jill Tew is mentoring Jada-Kai Meosa John.
Karis Rogerson is mentoring Melonie.
Laura Galán-Wells is mentoring Shylin (Shaye).

Noelle Monét is mentoring Ashley B.
Olivia Sun & Vishaka Sriram are mentoring FT Zahra.
Raven Traylor is mentoring Kimani Key.
Samantha Chong is mentoring Briana O'Neal.
Sofia Aves is mentoring Emily Bennett and Megan McCuen Witt.

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Round Table Mentor @roundtablementor.bsky.social · 01/02/2025

Here are our mentees from the New Adult category:

New Adult mentees:

Camille Chong is mentoring Kar Chi.
Hien Nguyen is mentoring Jessica Tsang.
Lilly Lu is mentoring Taylor K. Owens.
M. Stevenson is mentoring Natasha Grace.
Quinton Li is mentoring Perla Zul.

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Round Table Mentor @roundtablementor.bsky.social · 01/02/2025

IT'S HERE!!!! Our newest Round Table Mentor cohort has landed—and we're excited to get started. Remember to browse the whole thread for the full list of mentees, and please check your inboxes for next steps from your mentor. Congratulations! Here are our mentees from the Adult category:

Adult mentees:

Audrey Goldberg Ruoff is mentoring Jamie Su.
B.L. Jasper is mentoring Cee Jordan.
C.J. Subko is mentoring Elif Sinem.
DeAndra Davis & Yuvashri Harish are mentoring James Gemmill.
Eunice Kim is mentoring Hanna Hoshino and Katrina T De Los Reyes.

Fabiana Muñoz is mentoring Zara Zanzi.
Fatiha Rais is mentoring Ara and Chelsea Hollerud.
Helen Z. Dong & Solar Hoàng are mentoring Akiho Murata.
Lara Ameen is mentoring K.M. Archer.
M. Stevenson is mentoring C.T. Wood.

Lauren Shade-Rivero is mentoring Alyson Greene.
Shalini Abeysekara is mentoring Rihdara Klay.
Taylor Grothe is mentoring E.S. Huberty.
Tzeyi Koay is mentoring Meagan Cleveland.
Val Robles is mentoring Jane Perry.

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