The Mentoris Project provides funds to authors working on novels and biographies about Italians and Italian-Americans. Author Jonathan Brown first got involved with the organization after a friend recommended Brown to the founder. As a fairly new writer who works in the crime genre, Brown was hesitant at first, but decided to go ahead and write outside of his comfort zone. He received a list of possible subjects, submitted two rounds of outline proposals, and was approved to write a novel based on the life of Angelo Dundee, a boxing trainer who worked with champions like Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard. This resulted in A Boxing Trainer’s Journey. The book has been well-received, including a positive Kirkus review, so Brown has now moved on to his next subject, Vince Lombardi.