Meet Mariah Stovall

Mariah Stovall joined Trellis Literary Management after agenting at Howland Literary and Writers House. Prior to that, she worked on the other side of things, at Farrar, Straus and Giroux and at Gallery Books.

Mariah is a graduate of Pitzer College, of the Claremont Colleges, where she studied English and World Literature with a minor in Linguistics. She has written fiction and nonfiction for Ninth Letter, Hobart, Joyland, The Los Angeles Review of Books, Catapult, The Paris Review, Poets & Writers, Literary Hub and more, and volunteered with VIDA: Women in Literary Arts.

Non-client writers she admires include Percival Everett, Han Kang, Raven Leilani, Helen Oyeyemi, and Namwali Serpell, in fiction; and Hanif Abdurraqib, Michelle Alexander, Amanda Montell, Mary Roach, and Merlin Sheldrake in nonfiction.

Mariah will be teaching “How to sell yourself before, during, and after publication” and participate in Friday evening’s “First Page Read – Love It or Leave It.” She’s also a member of the Query Letter/First Page Critique team!

Wishlist

Mariah represents adult literary and upmarket fiction, narrative nonfiction and essay collections, all by writers with strong voices and interdisciplinary perspectives. She is not currently seeking memoirs.

Across genres, she gravitates toward outsiders and stylish, inventive storytelling. She’s primarily interested in how subcultures, social movements, and complex individuals intersect with pop culture and the arts, history, STEM, linguistics, sports, and philosophy. She has a hands-on, collaborative approach to editing and loves helping writers shape their projects for publication. She’s especially passionate about advocating for authors from underrepresented and marginalized and minoritized groups (including writers without MFAs).

Take a look at bios and wishlists for our full Agent Faculty

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Q & A with Mariah

MWW: You’re teaching the session “How to sell yourself before, during, and after publication.”  This can be a fraught topic with authors, to be sure. What types of strategies are consistent before, during, and after publication, that writers can start thinking about and implementing today? 

MS: Writers can get a head start by learning about the publishing industry—beyond the agents they want to query. For instance, they should be aware of which media outlets are covering which books, and how. They should regularly browse bookstores and pay attention to which titles are featured in displays and what selling points those displays are highlighting. They should cultivate a community of other writers, published and not-yet-published, who they can share resources and ideas with, and vent to and celebrate with.

MWW: Coming at this conference from the agent’s side: What are your goals when you attend an agentfest/pitchfest? What are you most looking forward to?

MS: I hope to meaningfully help every writer I interact with. That can mean anything from asking them a question that will lead to a revelation about their query letter, to suggesting they read a book that will help them restructure their manuscript, to referring them to another agent, to signing them as my own client. I’m most looking forward to those moments of genuine connection, whether they’re fleeting or the beginning of a longer relationship.

MWW: You have several of your own publications in various outlets. How does being a writer inform your work as an agent? 

MS: I think of myself as an agent, not a writer. Still, the writing I’ve done allows me to empathize with other writers about all the ups and downs of the publication process. It also helps me keep things in perspective; every writer’s experience is unique, and there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to success. 

MWW: What’s the best book you’ve read in 2024?

MS: I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman

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Meet Sof Voet, Mariah’s Assistant for AF2024

Midwest Writers Workshop likes to include interns, mostly college students majoring in English, to coordinate and facilitate the agents’ pitch schedules. You’ll be hearing from them regarding your appointment time, and they’ll help you meet the agents in the Zoom room when it’s time for your pitch.

Sof Voet (they/them) is a queer, trans, mixed white/Indigenous writer and academic who was born and raised in Appleton, Wisconsin. They hold a B.A. in English (Creative Writing) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing-Nonfiction from Miami University. They are interested in experimental genres, specifically speculative nonfiction. Their writing focuses on the Midwest, indigeneity, queerness, transness, memory, and displacement. Outside of academics, they love traveling and being outdoors. They currently live in Albany, New York with their partner, their dog Tofu, and their cat Snufkins while they pursue their Ph.D. in English (Writing Practices) at the University at Albany-SUNY.

Congratulations to Amy Renshaw on her recent success!

Amy Renshaw published her second historical mystery, Strong Temptations: A Sophie Strong Mystery, in April 2024. The book is set in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. “I love doing research there and around the state, as a longtime Wisconsinite. I appreciate all of the great content and encouragement from Midwest Writers Workshop!”

 

More info: amyrenshawauthor.com

Check out other MWW Success Stories