At Brink, we strive to help all people, regardless of circumstance, harness the power of their voice, improve their craft, and learn to navigate the literary industry. We do all we can to offer resources to aspiring creatives all over the world to help disadvantaged writers break into publishing.
"Greetings from prison. My wife, Libby, sent me a copy of 'F(r)iction No. 12,' which I read cover-to-cover. I feel honored that you included my poem, 'Stirs the Eggs, Scrambled,' in the PEN America feature, although it doesn't seem very weird to me, compared to some of my really weird poems.
Your journal, filled with such beautiful art and literature, immediately drew the attention of several fellow prisoners when the guard gave it to me at mail call. I began to read and explain to the curious, showed them the cover and other artwork, and my name on the poem page. Several were already clamoring to be put next in line to read it... The guards were curious why there was a crowd of prisoners around my bunk. They are always watching life in the goldfish bowl.
Like flies they were drawn, and disappointed. No illegal activities, no chance to pepper spray anyone. But they were also impressed, and asked to read the journal. 'Wait your turn,' I told them. 'There are about twenty ahead of you.' No breaks for guards.
Again, thank you for including my thoughts in your incredible works, and please let the rest of your creative staff know what a hit your journal is in prison. Best regards from inside the fence."
Charlie Norman
Brink Literacy Project believes in harnessing the uniquely human ability of storytelling to empower and positively affect the lives of people on the brink. No matter a person's background, age, or education, we harness our extensive education resources, lively international community, and in-house publishing unit to help those in underserved communities to increase literacy rates and foster a love for literature. In doing so we aim to discover, nurture, and publish the next generation of great storytellers.
We believe literacy is more than the ability to read and write. Through storytelling, we learn to think critically and self-express, empathize and connect with others, and inspire ourselves to new heights. Our Education division assists this personal development by delivering innovative programs to low-income, low-literacy, and marginalized communities, whether that means teaching in prisons through our Frames Prison Program or creating completely original curricula to tackle low reading proficiency in our youth.
Through our Community division, Brink forges partnerships with universities and other humanitarian and literary organizations, allowing us to extend our reach to communities we cannot serve directly. As a global community of readers, writers, artists, students, and supporters, Brink brings people from diverse backgrounds together to celebrate the beauty and power of storytelling.
Our Publishing division, headlined by our print journal, F(r)iction, is the culmination of our efforts to #PublishWeird, pushing the boundaries of what, and who, is accepted in the literary world and providing a platform for underrepresented and trailblazing voices alike.
Brink was founded in Denver, Colorado, in 2007 by author Dani Hedlund to help emerging writers navigate the publishing industry. Brink’s inaugural resource was the Free Editing Program, which gave writers free professional editorial feedback to hone their craft and increase accessibility into the industry.
To further aid our writing community, Brink began publishing original literature online in 2010. In 2015, we transitioned to a full-color illustrated print journal: F(r)iction. We created this magazine to be the publishing vehicle through which Brink mentors emerging writers, amplifies diverse and underrepresented voices, encourages experimentation and genre-melding, and delves into important social issues.
On the strength of this mission, F(r)iction was picked up by two major distributors in 2017 and sold in 750 bookstores across the USA and Canada as well as those of a number of independent shops.
In 2014, we launched our Publishing Internship Program, a competitive 12-week (now 15-week) program for aspiring writers, editors, and publishers, taught remotely to increase accessibility and flexibility.
Using F(r)iction as the primary educational text, Brink began developing other original education programs in 2015, with a focus on empowering underserved communities and increasing accessibility into the industry. These programs are designed to enhance “literacy” in both senses of the word: increasing reading and writing skills, and fostering a love of literature within the community. Currently, we teach the Frames Prison Program (a graphic memoir course for incarcerated women) and F(r)iction in the Classroom (a mix of curricula and support for educators who use our journal as a teaching tool).
The COVID pandemic pushed us to rethink how we market and fundraise. Instead of launching small Kickstarter campaigns to gain readers, we launched one large literary product in 2021—“The Literary Tarot”—with the help of more than 70 authors, including Margaret Atwood, Stephen Fry, Celeste Ng, and Roxane Gay.
We also partner with stellar nonprofit organizations to reach even more diverse writers, enabling us to publish work from organizations such as the Afghan Women's Writing Project, Lambda Literary, Words Without Walls, and the Veterans Writing Project. We run seasonal publishing internships, have a thriving University Partnership Program, and offer portfolio critiques to artists at Comic Con events across the USA.
By supporting Brink Literacy Project, you are helping to fund our education programs, lower recidivism rates, and offer literary and literacy opportunities to marginalized and nontraditional voices around the world. Your generous donation will help to empower thousands of individuals each year.
Organization name
Brink Literacy Project
other names
Brink, Tethered by Letters
2012
Tax id (EIN)
45-2793438
Category
Arts, Culture & Humanities
Organization Size
Small Organization
Address
13999 County Road 102Headquarters
150 S. Harrison St. #1El Paso County, CO, US
Denver County, CO, US