August Writer’s Night – From the Trenches: The Process of Querying Your Debut with Paige Kaptuch

Have you ever tried to find an agent? Maybe you are in the thinking stages right now, or have only just begun to write your book. Perhaps you’re wondering, “What the heck is querying, and do I really need to do that?”

Our August Writer’s Night presenter Paige Kaptuch will discuss her own ongoing journey to publishing her debut novel and will share her research, resources, and tips — including the process of finding an agent.

Speaker Bio

Paige Kaptuch has an MFA in fiction from the University of Arizona and was named a 2025 Tennessee Williams Fiction Scholar at the Sewanee Writers Conference. Her work has been selected as a Longreads Top 5 and nominated for a Best Small Fictions, and has appeared in Runner’s World/Apple News Narrated, Spoke and Blossom, Swamp Pink, The Forge, Epiphany, Masters Review, Door is a Jar, and Hayden’s Ferry Review. She’s been awarded funded writing residencies at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts, Wildacres, Foundation House, PLAYA Summer Lake, Volland, Jentel, and Vermont Studio Center. Her career has involved teaching both undergraduate and college prep students, as well as working in the run specialty/OR industry. She lives with her family in Grand Junction.