Support Writing, Community, and Voices from Inside

Our Story

Unbound Authors is a nonprofit writing and publishing initiative that supports incarcerated writers across Colorado. We help people inside prisons develop their voices as journalists, artists, and cultural storytellers—and we publish their work through our new statewide imprint, Mercury Mountain Media.

Founded in 2023 by Dr. Libby Catchings and returning citizen JoyBelle Phelan, Unbound Authors operates as a volunteer-based program within the Colorado Department of Corrections. We facilitate in-person Writing Labs at 11 facilities across the state and provide remote feedback through secure digital platforms for facilities where we are not present in person.

What We Accomplished in 2025

• Expanded volunteer-led Writing Labs to 11 correctional facilities across Colorado

• Secured statewide, secure digital access via Lantern/Google Classroom to receive submissions from writers at facilities we cannot physically visit

• Developed statewide editorial teams of incarcerated writers, training participants in journalism, editing, and publication workflows

• Launched Mercury Mountain Media, the publishing branch of Unbound Authors, to house all newspaper, magazine, online, and anthology projects

• Began production on our first statewide anthology, supported by Arts in Society

• Partnered with nonprofits and educators—including Pollen Initiative—to provide remote instruction, journalism training, and editorial support

What We're Raising Funds For in 2026

Your support will help us launch a full statewide publishing ecosystem that equips incarcerated writers to write, edit, publish, and share their stories. Donations this year will support:

• Messenger Quarterly – Colorado’s only prison-based newspaper

• Mosaics – a creative arts magazine featuring art and creative writing

• Statewide Anthology – storytelling across 11 facilities

• Editorial Training Program – building inside editorial leadership

• Volunteer travel + basic writing supplies for writers across the state

Every contribution helps writers reclaim their narratives, practice meaningful leadership, build public understanding, and change the stories we tell about incarceration.