BOLT CUTTERS COHORT

Authors who have served time inside prisons, jails, and immigration detention centers have vital stories to share. If you’re a system-impacted writer, the Bolt Cutters Cohort is here to support you to further your writing project. This program is fully funded for all accepted participants.

Applications are now open and will close on July 15. The program will run from September 15 to October 31, 2025.

Inviting System-Impacted Writers in All Genres

We invite applications from people who have been held in an immigration detention center or incarcerated/jailed in the United States prison industrial complex in the past. (This program is not set up to be accessible to currently incarcerated folks.)

All genders are welcome. Strong priority will be given to applicants who are Black, Indigenous, Latine, or a person of color; or white allies with a track record of racial justice work.

The cohort supports works of fiction, nonfiction, memoir, poetry, and graphic storytelling. This can include, but is not limited to, projects about your experience of the carceral system; stories of communities establishing and using power through organizing and activism; and works of imagination that help diversify the literary world.

You are welcome to work on books; shorter pieces such as a chapter, autobiographical statement, article, essay, op-ed, short story, artist bio, or artist statement; or just establishing a daily word count.

What You Will Need

This is an intensive program, and we seek writers who can commit to all parts of it. Please review the list below and make sure this program is a good fit for you:

• Commitment to attend all cohort gatherings (see schedule above).
• Capacity to dedicate a minimum of 4 hours per week to your writing project.
• Access to stable internet, a place where you are able to work, and a computer.
• Ability to use Zoom, respond promptly to cohort emails, navigate an online forum, and ask for tech assistance if you need it.
• Commitment to complete evaluation surveys about the program at the end.

All sessions are live online via Zoom and include auto-captioning. For security purposes, Bolt Cutters Cohort sessions will not be available via recording. We are committed to maintaining the privacy of all applicants and members. If your carceral record or immigration status involves special considerations, please let us know, and we will work with you to build a safe environment where you can create your narrative without fear of repercussions, up to and including maintaining anonymity.

Please reach out to boltcutters@unicornauthors.club for any safety or accessibility concerns.