OUR ImPACT
At Wise Ink, we—and our authors!—believe that every book is an opportunity to improve our world and enrich our communities. We are proud to support initiatives that align with our values of sustainability and diversity.
Sustainable Publishing
Since 2026, every Wise Ink book has been published and printed with electricity generated from a pollinator-friendly solar farm in Minnesota. These renewable energy certificates (RECs) were procured through Seneca Environmental, a tribally owned business. Every dollar in profit earned by Seneca Environmental directly supports the Seneca Nation. Our RECs are issued and tracked by the nonprofit organization CleanCounts, North America’s leading clean energy registry—which also happens to be headquartered in our home city of Minneapolis.
Argonne National Laboratory’s study “If You Build It, They Will Come: How Habitat-Friendly Solar Energy Can Synergize with Biodiversity Conservation” (Walston, 2023) shows that solar arrays planted to meet Minnesota’s pollinator-friendly standard result in a three-fold increase in pollinator abundance and a twenty-fold increase in native bumblebees.
Are you an author who would like to advocate for your publisher to use renewable energy credits to publish their book? See our outreach template here!
“As an author of a book on sustainability, I wanted to find a publisher that shared my values. When I encountered Wise Ink, I asked them if they would be willing to make my book the most sustainable one they had ever made. Thanks to their partnership, we were able to do exactly that—not only by using clean energy for manufacturing, but also in the selection of recycled and renewable materials, sewn-thread binding, plastic avoidance, and more. It reinforced to me that making positive change can be as simple as asking for it!”
—Charlie Sellars, author of What We Can Do
Reforestation
Wise Ink has partnered with the Arbor Day Foundation and Neighborhood Forest to support reforestation, urban tree planting, and environmental education. Through these partnerships from 2017–2018, we planted over 4,200 trees—enough trees to replace the amount of paper used to print our books in a single year!
Pathway to publishing fellowship
As of 2024, more than 70% of book publishing industry professionals identify as white. In order to continue pushing against white supremacy and systemic racism, it is imperative that we diversify our publishing and media industries. The Wise Ink Pathway to Publishing Fellowship is a remote 1–2 year program designed for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color looking to gain entry into the field of book publishing. This extensive fellowship brings together education, career mentorship, and paid on-the-job experience.
Khalisa Rae Thompson, Marketing Fellow 2026 - 2027
Khalisa Rae is an award-winning poet, author, journalist, and arts organizer, newly joining Wise Ink as a fellow. She is the author of Ghost in a Black Girl’s Throat and is the co-founder of Griot and Grey Owl Black Southern Writers Conference in Durham. She is working to find a home for her queer YA novel-in-verse, Unlearning Eden, along with forthcoming poetry and fiction projects exploring Black Southern memory, faith, desire, and inheritance. She is most passionate about supporting and amplifying underrepresented writers through an ethical, community-rooted publishing process.
KPrecia Ambers, Design Fellow 2023 - 2025
Kprecia Ambers (she/her) is not just an artist, but a beacon of love and inspiration as the owner of Kp Inspires. Her brand defies stereotypes, celebrates diversity, and promotes wellness through her vibrant figurative illustrations that beautifully capture the essence of each individual, sparking feelings of joy and confidence. Graduating with a BFA in graphic design from Concordia University St. Paul in 2015, Kprecia's creative journey has led her to establish partnerships with renowned entities like The Minnesota Vikings, Target Room Home Essentials, and Alina Mother Baby Center, with aspirations for even greater collaborations. With a mission to touch hearts worldwide, Kprecia believes in the limitless power of illustration to amplify messages and empower communities. Her passion truly shines when she sees her art come to life in various forms such as billboards, packaging, commercial licensing, videography, and more. Viewing the world as her canvas, Kprecia takes joy in sharing stories, uplifting individuals, and spreading love through her art.
“I joined the Wise Ink fellowship to strengthen my skills in cover design, gain support with client interactions, and deepen my understanding of the book-making process. Those goals were fully realized, and even my personal aspirations were nurtured. The most valuable aspect was having a team I could turn to for guidance—whether in design, client relationships, pricing, marketing, or business development. As an entrepreneur who often works alone, building lasting relationships was especially meaningful. What once intimidated me now feels like a skill I can confidently offer clients.”
Ariana Benson, Editorial Fellow 2020 - 2022
Ariana Benson was born in Norfolk, Virginia. She received the 2020 Graybeal-Gowen Poetry Prize and the 2021 Porter House Review Poetry Prize. Her poems appear or are forthcoming in Copper Nickel, Colorado Review, Indiana Review, Black Warrior Review, World Literature Today, Tinderbox, Shenandoah, Great River Review, Auburn Avenue, where she serves as the nonfiction editor, and elsewhere. Ariana is completing an MA in Scriptwriting in London, England as a Marshall Scholar, and is a Prestigious Fellowships Advisor at her alma mater, Spelman College. She is the 2022 Eliza Moore Fellow for Artistic Excellence at the Oak Spring Garden Foundation. Through her writing and editing, she strives to fashion vignettes of Blackness that speak to its infinite depth and richness.
Project Exodus
Project Exodus is a cultural reparations program for Black storytellers, artists, creatives, community organizers, and activists who are on the frontlines of healing our community. Founded in 2020, this program provides free and discounted publishing services for selected Black authors who retain 100% ownership and profit (up to two authors per year). Each book serves as a bridge to healing for Black and Brown communities and education for the general community while also being a financial vehicle for an author.
Want to support the work?
To purchase the 2024 Project Exodus book, Clear Water, order here. For a behind-the-scenes look at the project, visit the Kickstarter.
To purchase the 2023 Project Exodus book, J is for Justice, order here. For a behind-the-scenes look at the project, visit the Kickstarter.
To purchase the 2022 Project Exodus book, Rehumanize Me, order here. For a behind-the-scenes look at the project, visit the Kickstarter.
Clear Water
Melanie Walby
Year
2024
J Is for Justice
Nekima Levy Armstrong
Year
2023
Rehumanize Me
826 MSP
Year
2022
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
During a time where DEI is under attack, Wise Ink proudly publishes books promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Nonprofit Partnerships
Wise Ink is proud to partner with nonprofits to partner books that further the missions of their organizations. We offer discounted rates and crowdfunding assistance to nonprofit clients whose missions we support. If you are a nonprofit, please mention your status in your query!
Previous nonprofit partnerships include:
“Wise Ink has been an extraordinary partner in helping 826 MSP bring youth voices from the page to the world. Through our collaboration, Wise Ink has professionally published 10 youth-written anthologies that have not only elevated the stories, creativity, and lived experiences of our young authors, but have also become meaningful educational resources used by educators nationwide.
Their team has helped transform student writing into powerful, polished publications that validate young people as real authors and changemakers. This partnership has been instrumental in advancing our mission to amplify youth voices, foster confidence through authorship, and ensure that the perspectives of young people are heard far beyond our classrooms”