Unbound Authors

05/13/2026

A few people have asked what the Unbound Authors gathering will actually be like, so I wanted to share a little more.

It’s not a formal presentation or anything like that.

It’s a chance to come together, hear about the work, and get a sense of what’s been built over the past few years.

There will be space to connect, ask questions, and just be in the room with people who care about this kind of work.

If you’ve been thinking about coming, this is a good time to say yes.

👉

Empowering Voices Behind Bars

05/13/2026

One thing that’s been sitting with me lately is how much volunteers actually like being part of this work.

Not in a surface-level way. Not like, “that was a nice experience.”

They talk about it differently than that.

And what’s interesting is that it’s happening alongside all the normal challenges. Schedules shift, attendance isn’t always consistent, some days feel a little scattered or uncertain.

None of that is hidden from them.

And still, they leave saying they’re grateful they were there. That they’re looking forward to going back. That something about being in those rooms matters in a way that’s hard to explain until you’ve experienced it.

I think that combination is what keeps this work going.

It’s not perfect. But it’s real, and people feel it.

05/11/2026

Want to support our writing labs in Colorado prisons? Even $20 helps with pens and paper! Join us this Friday, or make a donation here:

https://givebutter.com/2026-spring-storytelling-soiree-cyv6qh

05/08/2026

We’re about a week out from the Unbound Authors launch gathering, and I’ve been thinking about what it actually means to invite people into this.

A lot of this work has happened quietly over the past few years—writing sessions, relationships, building something that didn’t really exist before.

The event is a chance to step back and share that more openly. Not just what we’ve built, but what it feels like to be part of it.

If you’ve been following along, or you’re just learning about it, I’d really love to have you there.

Pay-what-you-can • all are welcome
👉

Empowering Voices Behind Bars

05/05/2026

I’ve been reading through volunteer session notes lately, and something that keeps coming up is how engaged people are in these writing spaces.

Even when attendance isn’t consistent due to lockdowns or conflicts with visits at the same time, or any number of reasons, the level of participation is—people sharing work, asking for feedback, staying with it.

It’s not casual. It matters to them. The writers and the volunteers.

And that’s the part that doesn’t always translate from the outside.

You can’t see it in numbers or sign-in sheets, but it shows up in the way people come back, the way they revise, the way they take the work seriously.

That’s what volunteers are seeing, over and over again.

05/01/2026

Unbound Authors really started with a single conversation over coffee in March of 2023.

Libby and I had both stepped away from the DU Prison Arts Initiative, and there was this moment of: what happens now?

We knew the work mattered. We’d both seen that firsthand. But we also knew there were gaps—especially when it came to consistency and ongoing support for writers.

That conversation wasn’t about launching an organization. It was about whether we could build something that actually met those needs.

Unbound Authors grew from there.

Not all at once, but from that very specific moment of deciding to try.

04/28/2026

We’re getting closer to the Unbound Authors launch gathering, and I’ve really appreciated the conversations that have come up over the past few posts.

This work has grown a lot over the past three years—but much of it has happened without a lot of visibility.

The event is a chance to actually share what’s been built, reflect on it, and bring people into the work in a more tangible way.

We’re keeping it pay-what-you-can because the goal is simple: we want people in the room.

If you’ve been following along, or you’re just now learning about it, I’d love to have you there.

👉

Empowering Voices Behind Bars

04/26/2026

One of the things I’ve been trying to name more clearly is what Unbound Authors has actually become over the past few years.

We currently run in-person writing labs in nine facilities across Colorado.

But through tablets, our work is accessible in every prison in the state.

That combination matters.

It means access to writing and communication support isn’t limited to where we can physically be. It creates a baseline that’s statewide, with deeper engagement layered on top of it.

That’s the model we’ve been building—something that’s both consistent and scalable.

It’s also part of what we’ll be sharing more about at the launch gathering.

04/23/2026

I’ve been thinking about how to talk about why Unbound Authors exists.

For me, it starts with writing inside.

Not as part of a program, and not with any expectation that it would go anywhere. It was just a way to process, to think, to have somewhere for everything to go.

What was missing was a consistent space for that. Somewhere to bring writing back to. Somewhere to get feedback, or to keep developing it over time.

That gap is a big part of why Unbound Authors exists now.

We’re building something that didn’t exist in the same way before—a writing center model that creates consistent access to writing and communication support across facilities.

That’s what this work is really about.

04/22/2026

We’re hosting a launch gathering in a few weeks, and I wanted to share it here as an open invitation.

Over the past three years, Unbound Authors has grown into a statewide writing center working inside prisons across Colorado.

We run in-person writing labs in nine facilities, and through tablets, our work is accessible in every prison in the state.

This event is a chance to come together, share what’s been built, and connect with the community around this work.

We’re offering pay-what-you-can tickets because we want people in the room.

If you’re interested in being part of it, I’d love to have you there.

👉

Empowering Voices Behind Bars