diff --git a/myst_parser/__init__.py b/myst_parser/__init__.py
index f0e09a84..0fe55568 100644
--- a/myst_parser/__init__.py
+++ b/myst_parser/__init__.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-__version__ = "0.8.0"
+__version__ = "0.9.0a1"
 
 
 def setup(app):