Today we’d like to introduce you to Anya Mathew.

Hi Anya, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?

I started TheFinePrint in August 2024, but it was a dream I had been shaping long before that. Writing has always been a part of me. My grandmother often told me that words are extensions of ourselves—that no matter how quickly time passes, writing preserves legacy, culture, and heritage.

As for STEM, I’ve always been naturally curious, drawn to understanding every tiny detail into how the world works. It wasn’t until middle school that I truly fell in love with research and scientific writing. The process of inquiry—diving deep into a topic, uncovering layers of understanding—fascinated me, much like the way I’d previously immersed myself in creative writing.

However, in both creative and scientific writing, I began to notice disparities. Every journal article I read for background research or every book assigned in class reflected a narrow, unchanging spectrum of voices. I started recognizing how quickly these patterns shape perception. If, from a young age, we primarily see male researchers or white writers, it’s easy to internalize the belief that only men are scientists or that only certain voices belong in literature. While not everyone experiences this, I’ve seen its effects firsthand—classmates hesitant to voice their opinions, young girls doubting their place in STEM because it seems overwhelmingly male-dominated.

Knowing that there are voices of color in writing, voices who share their stories, I wanted to create a space where these underrepresented voices weren’t just acknowledged but amplified. Additionally, I wanted TheFinePrint to be a platform where unheard voices could share their work, whether through research or storytelling, turning what one may think as impossible into reality: one story at a time.

That is how TheFinePrint began as an idea in my head in August of 2023. By December, the foundation was set, and by July 2024, we were conducting interviews for our direct team. Every detail, every late-night brainstorm, and every step forward wasn’t just about building an organization—it was about creating a home, a community for marginalized writers and researchers alike. Today we’re happy to host 3 published creative writing collections/literary festivals, numerous scientific articles, a growing media platform, collaboration events, and more.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?

When you’re pursuing a passion, dream, or even navigating life, nothing is ever a smooth road. More often than not, the unconventional path is the one that leads to real progress. In my journey, I think the biggest challenge was establishing a team. After I’d planned TheFinePrint out on paper, I was excited to act and turn my plans into reality. However, I knew I needed a team to help me make the large impact I wanted to see.

Building an organization from the ground up comes with a certain level of uncertainty and I hesitated to promote the beginnings of TheFinePrint on platforms like LinkedIn or Slack. At the time, TheFinePrint was new, with no measurable progress yet, and the idea of putting it out there—opening it up to criticism or, worse, complete silence—was intimidating. For a long time, TheFinePrint felt like a secret I held close to my heart. But eventually, I realized that overthinking was holding me back. I had spent months refining every small detail, but at some point, I just had to start. I told myself: This is one step toward a greater impact. If I don’t start today, when will I?

So, I sent out messages across all my platforms. I was bracing myself for rejection or criticism, but instead, I was met with encouragement. People resonated with the vision I had put out into the world, and after multiple rounds of interviews, I built my board team—a group of truly amazing individuals. I couldn’t ask for a better team and am incredibly grateful for everyone who’s stuck by TheFinePrint in every stage: through our successes and our failures.

Another struggle the early stages of TheFinePrint was the outreach. Initially, when launching our first creative writing literary festival, we planned to use social media and professional platforms (such as LinkedIn and Slack) to promote our festival. However, we quickly saw, as a new organization with a small follower count, digital media alone wasn’t going to help us reach our submission metric goals. As such, we had to rethink our approach and restructure our outreach plan. To improve, we actively reached out to literary organizations, libraries, and schools, asking them to share our festival with their audience. We also created flyers to make it easier for our outreach partners to streamline the spread of information. Through these steps, we started to see an improvement in submission count. However, in those first few festivals, there were moments when submission counts were still low—sometimes even zero. Instead of seeing it as a failure, we pivoted. Our creative team began writing pieces for our first literary festival, using it as an opportunity to experiment with different writing styles and cultural narratives. This not only strengthened their skills but also prepared them to evaluate future submissions with a more experienced eye.

Overall, even with all the planning in the world, TheFinePrint’s journey hasn’t followed a straight track. Honestly, we’re still working toward many of our goals today. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that struggle is the most impactful teacher. You fail, you adjust, learn—and then you fail again, but better. And through it all, you keep moving forward.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about TheFinePrint?

TheFinePrint is a digital publishing nonprofit organization that focuses on amplifying underrepresented voices. When reading, we often look over the fine print as the small size of print is missed by our eyes. Similarly, in the writing and publishing industry, we happen to miss impactful works of gold. Our mission is to bring these “fine prints” to the forefront, showcasing the works of women, minorities, and young scientists whose contributions deserve a broader audience. Overall, TheFinePrint is an organization driven to empower underrepresented voices and to help the rest of the world hear, be inspired by, and spread their stories.

We specialize in publishing both creative and scientific works. On the creative side, we accept all genres and host cultural literary festivals, as well as large-scale literary collections each season. Our creative team doesn’t just write and curate submissions—they also provide guidance for authors through personalized insights, writing tips, and content on our YouTube and Instagram platforms.

Our scientific department focuses on various forms of STEM writing, from short-form articles to full-length research papers. Every month, our team highlights the contributions of historically underrepresented figures in STEM and explores novel innovations shaping the future. We also offer a platform for young researchers to share their work through our “Research Spotlight” event, where students can submit scientific articles for a chance to be featured on our website and media channels. Beyond publishing, we actively collaborate with other STEM organizations. Most recently, we partnered with WiSTEM on the 2025 Innovation Sprints, guiding girls in STEM through research, problem-solving, and pitching their ideas. As we continue to expand, we’re excited to launch our scientific journal this spring, where we’ll be accepting full-length research papers for publication between April and May.

What sets TheFinePrint apart is that we don’t just publish work—we cultivate a community for marginalized writers and researchers. We believe that amplifying diverse voices goes beyond providing a platform; it means offering mentorship, education, and support at every step of the journey. Through our YouTube channel and social media, we provide writing and research resources, emphasizing the importance of diversity in storytelling and STEM. Our goal is to support writers from their first draft to publication, and ultimately, to see their voices become the inspiration for future generations of creators.

One of our most recognizable symbols is the butterfly in our logo—a representation of growth, resilience, and freedom. We hope that every writer and researcher who publishes with us feels empowered to pursue their passions, knowing that their voice matters regardless of race, gender, or socioeconomic background.

An exciting program at TheFinePrint is our Spring Creative Collection. This collection is open till March 27th at 11:59 PM EST. Through our Spring Collection we invite writers to explore themes of nature, personal growth, breaking societal norms, and overcoming hardships. Additionally, stay tuned for our scientific journal opening in late April to May by checking out our website or following us on our social media platforms!

Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?

One of the most impactful books that helped shape my journey with TheFinePrint is How to Build a Goddamn Empire by Ali Kriegsman. When I first started TheFinePrint, I hesitated to attach my name to it—I was afraid of criticism, making mistakes, not sounding “professional enough,” or simply not knowing the right things to say. Kriegsman’s book helped me push past that fear. She emphasizes that failure isn’t just inevitable—it’s essential. The only way to truly grow and refine your skills is by messing up, learning, and adapting. What I loved most was how the book features stories from multiple entrepreneurs, each tackling challenges in different ways. It’s an insightful, candid, and inspiring read that I’d highly recommend to anyone thinking of launching a business, nonprofit, or personal brand.

On the productivity side, Notion has been a game-changer for organizing TheFinePrint. Managing multiple departments, each with different tasks and goals, can get overwhelming fast. Notion makes it easy to keep everything structured—categorizing departments, tracking progress, and assigning tasks all in one place. Beyond team management, it’s also great for personal organization, brainstorming, and keeping track of deadlines. If you’re juggling multiple projects or just looking for a tool to streamline your workflow, Notion is definitely worth checking out.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thefineprintnfp.org
• Instagram: @thefineprint_nfp
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-fine-print-nfp/

Image Credits

All images are from our literary collections and media posts. Our Beneath the Frost photo is a sneak peek of what our literary collections will look like!