Our Story

Garden of Neuro Institute was founded on a simple conviction: voice is the first step to everything that comes after.

Since 2019, we have been cultivating voice, agency, and leadership skills through the written word. What began as a collection of online publications has grown into a full-spectrum literary nonprofit — publishing anthologies, running free workshops with global attendance, nominating writers for the Pushcart Prize, and building a community where writers develop their craft and find their audience.

The written word is one of the three major pillars of our institute's mission, and our publishing division exists to serve that mission. We believe that every writer deserves access to professional editorial support, meaningful publication opportunities, and a community that takes their work seriously — regardless of their ability to pay.

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, we reinvest all proceeds into scholarships, free programming, and writer development. We offer services that comparable for-profit publishers charge significantly more for, and we provide full and partial scholarships to ensure accessibility.

Masthead

Leadership

Susan M. Brearley

Founder & Executive Director

Writer, editor, and educator with over 1,200 published pieces. Editor-in-Chief of twelve literary publications. Published food writer for Chronogram Magazine. Two-time cancer survivor. Buddhist practitioner. Building the Garden of Neuro empire one excellent sentence at a time.

Board of Directors

Susan M. Brearley

Board Chair

Andrew Rodwin

Board Member

Lisa Tomey-Zonneveld

Board Member

Nanci Arvizu

Board Member

Chyrel J. Jackson

Board Member

Solanyi Ulloa

Board Member

Poet Laureates

Chyrel J. Jackson

Poet Laureate, 2024–2025 (Years 3 & 4)

Lisa Tomey-Zonneveld

Poet Laureate, 2022–2023 (Years 1 & 2)

Our Values

Accessibility

Full and partial scholarships for all fee-based programs. Free community workshops running continuously for over five years. No writer turned away for inability to pay.

Literary Excellence

We hold every piece to professional editorial standards. Our developmental editing process ensures published work represents each writer's best.

Community

From our free weekly Wordsmiths' Workshop to our Poet Laureate program, we build lasting connections among writers across the globe.

Transparency

Clear publication terms, honest editorial feedback, and full disclosure of how proceeds support our nonprofit mission.