We were lucky to catch up with Vanessa Johnson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Vanessa thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

The dictionary definition of de facto is: 1. ACTUAL, especially: being such in effect though not formally recognized.
2. exercising power as if legally constituted.
3. resulting from economic or social factors rather than from laws or actions of the state.

We are a de facto publishing company and book club sponsor serving incarcerated humans in Texas prisons out of a need we saw in our community. People in Texas prisons were being denied access to literature, even though the state had no legal recourse to do so. Therefore, we decided to take matters into our own hands and create a business that exercised the legal power to solve this dilemma. People in prison suffer from harsh economic and social factors that result in little action from the laws that govern the facilities, or the state. Thus, de facto books were born.

Vanessa, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

We started out as a nonprofit community organization and morphed into a business. Our start as a community organization and not just for profit is what sets us apart from other publishing companies. We serve a large group of incarcerated authors as a conduit to the outside world, so our services are not what one would consider standard. We consider our authors to be part of a team, and our job is to provide them with resources while they are incarcerated in order for them to fulfill their desire of perfecting their writing craft. Texas prisons do not have internet access, so we must do an inordinate amount of things that may seem different than a normal business. We have to do all of their research in printable form and ship it to the penitentiary so they can cite sources and delve into subjects at a deeper level.

Since our authors reside in cages we have also taken it upon ourselves at de facto books to help them cultivate education and resources that will help them prepare for a healthy transition upon their release. This is a part of our business that although is not about publishing books, it’s still about helping folks tell their stories, and we are most excited about it. Creating community for our authors through partnering with local non-profits helps address the many emotional, social, and technological needs of people who have been in prison. Our authors who have returned home help us engage in community education events that not only help promote our book but also teach others about the effects of mass incarceration on the world.

We now offer de facto books clubs to folks who are not incarcerated in the Dallas metroplex. You can find us on IG @defacto_books or defactobooks.com to check out what we are reading this season and how you can support a book club in prison.

We are most proud to be launching our first podcast in October 2022 titled, 2 P’s in a Pod. We will dig deeper into the books and take you with us as we travel to Texas prisons and visit our team members on the inside.

We’d love to hear about you met your business partner.

Jasmen and Vanessa met in 2010 when Jasmen was a senior in Vanessa’s High School English class. We did not get along at first, because Jasmen was not used to being pushed by a teacher in a way that she could not fight back against. Upon graduation, we did not speak but remained connected on Facebook where at one point Jasmen even posted an angry rant about how unfair of a teacher Vanessa was by making her read an entire book. Flash forward to now and we are not only business partners but super close friends and spiritual guides to one another. This relationship is a reminder to not look past those who truly “see” the magic in you because you never know what impact they will have on your life.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on NFTs. (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice

We are still learning. We have artists in our collective who need funds for legal fees to gain their freedom from prison. Blockchain technology/NFTs have made a way for many folks in that same situation to create a sustainable financial future, so it would behoove us not to dig deeper. We have a book club member in Dallas who is educating us, check them out at tell.ie/40acres. 40Acres is a web 3 native community dedicated to creating self-sustaining communities of color using blockchain technology.

Contact Info:

• Website: defactobooks.com
• Instagram: @defacto_books
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8bnq2PJes1Z3X31eHOxImg
• Other: TikTok @2pspod

Image Credits
Jasmen Gearner Jack Barriere