What does Authors Unbound do?

Unbound Authors is Colorado's only statewide prison-based writing center and publishing initiative, serving more than 500 incarcerated writers across all 21 correctional facilities—operating in person in 13 facilities and virtually through tablet-based platforms statewide. We provide structured writing labs, editorial mentorship, and publication pathways for writers of all genres and skill levels. Our programs strengthen literacy, journalism, creative expression, and self-advocacy while expanding access for individuals who may not qualify for higher education programs due to sentence length or conviction status. Through our publishing branch, Mercury Mountain Media, we produce a quarterly prison newspaper (Messenger Quarterly), a creative arts magazine (Mosaics), and an annual anthology—building sustainable media infrastructure inside Colorado prisons. Led by formerly incarcerated leadership and operating in partnership with the Colorado Department of Corrections, Unbound Authors centers dignity, narrative agency, and ethical publishing practices while redefining what prison-based writing and media can look like.