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

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BCAC supports writers who have experienced incarceration, jail, or immigration detention as they develop books and other writing projects that tell their own stories. 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.

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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 , 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.  

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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.

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​​​As of April 2026, BCAC is a fiscally sponsored project of Independent Arts & Media, based in San Francisco, CA, and is now accepting donations. Donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

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Your donation will provide funding for:

• Book and sanctuary coaching

• Writing cafes

• Craft talks

• Story workshopping

• Stipends for each writer

• In-person retreats

• Translation of key documents into Spanish

• Spanish-language interpretation during group meetings and individual coaching

• A cohort anthology

• Professional development​

• Other resources that make sustained creative work possible

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Bolt Cutters believes that people who have lived on the inside should have the resources and support to tell their own stories—and to help shift the narratives surrounding incarceration and abolition.

Your contribution directly supports this work.

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The Bolt Cutters Author Cohort serves writers throughout the US and its territories.  It is based out of Oakland, California.  Sign up to receive information about our 2027 cohorts.  Please contact Tijanna O. Eaton at tijanna.eaton@gmail.com for more information.​​