BOLT CUTTERS AUTHOR COHORT

The mission of The Bolt Cutters Author Cohort (BCAC) is to "abolish the prison industrial complex through storytelling."

BCAC is a writing program started in 2023 by Minal Hajratwala, founder and guiding coach of the Unicorn Authors Club, and Tijanna O. Eaton, program director. By providing wraparound coaching, tools, and services to authors who have served time in US prisons, jails, and immigration detention centers, BCAC enables writers to develop books that share their vital stories and shift the narrative around abolition, centering the experiences of people who have done time on the inside.

We support system-impacted writers to further their writing projects such as books, essays, op eds, author bios, artist statements, blogs, etc. This is accomplished by providing monthly cohort gatherings and craft talks, weekly writing cafes, biweekly individual coaching, and a toolkit of resources.

So far, this program has provided support to 20 authors who are in various stages of their writing process, from outlining chapters and generating first drafts to completing and submitting manuscripts. Topics run the gamut from creative nonfiction about the “crimmigration” system and memoirs about intergenerational healing to experimental novels set in the communities around them. BCAC has helped these writers win fellowships, attend residencies, and make significant progress on their manuscripts.

As of April 2026, BCAC is now a fiscally sponsored project of:

Independent Arts & Media is based in San Francisco, CA. BCAC is now accepting tax-deductible donations.

Your donation will provide funding for:

Book and sanctuary coaching
Writing cafes
Craft talks
Story workshopping
Stipends for each writer
A second in-person retreat
Translation of key documents into Spanish
Spanish-language interpretation during group meetings and individual coaching
A cohort anthology
Professional development

The Bolt Cutters Author Cohort serves writers throughout the US and its territories. It is based out of Oakland, California. Please contact Tijanna O. Eaton at tijanna.eaton@gmail.com for more information.