Resources for Incarcerated Writers
Compiled by Sonya Huber; to add to this, please email shuber (at) fairfield.edu.
Please also feel free to download this list as a Word Doc or as a PDF.
Resources for Incarcerated Writers
American Prison Writing Archive: https://prisonwitness.org/An open-source database accepting submissions of nonfiction essays and poetry up to 5,000 words, providing a site where all who live or work inside can bear witness to what is working and what is not inside American prisons, thus grounding public debate about the American prison crisis in lived experience. American Prison Writing Archive, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21218, prisonwitness@jh.edu
Asian American Writers’ Workshop A World Without Cages: https://aaww.org/project/cages/ A World Without Cages imagines the end of mass incarceration and migrant detention by bringing together the work of writers on the inside and on the outside. This project aims to nurture writers, activists, and intellectuals to dream new worlds beyond punishment, policing, surveillance, segregation, and exclusion. Asian American Writers’ Workshop, 112 W 27th Street, Suite 600, New York, NY 10001, desk@aaww.org
Black & Pink Pen Pal & Newsletter: https://www.blackandpink.org/penpal-newsletter/: At Black & Pink National, we coordinate a nationwide pen pal program in which we match incarcerated members with pen pals who correspond, build relationships, and participate in harm reduction and affirmation. For an incarcerated LGBTQIA2S+ person, corresponding with someone on a regular basis is itself a harm reduction strategy, giving that person a support network outside of prison. Black & Pink National is a prison abolitionist organization dedicated to abolishing the criminal punishment system and liberating LGBTQIA2S+ people and people living with HIV/AIDS who are affected by that system through advocacy, support, and organizing. 2406 Fowler Ave Suite 316, Omaha, NE 68111; admin@blackandpink.org
College Guild: https://collegeguild.org Provides free correspondence courses that connect incarcerated people with a community beyond prison walls, fostering mutual respect through a shared passion for learning. College Guild, P.O. Box 696, Brunswick, ME 04011
Columbia University Incarcerated Writers Initiative: https://arts.columbia.edu/cat/incarcerated-writers-initiative: The Incarcerated Writers Initiative (IWI) receives submissions from incarcerated writers around the country. Each submitter receives feedback from a Writing Program student or alum, offering suggestions for how they can improve their work and, most importantly, offering words of inspiration and encouragement. All submissions are considered by the Columbia Journal and IWI Exchange, a publication featuring work by currently and formerly incarcerated writers and visual artists. ColumbiaIWI@gmail.com
Empowerment Avenue: www.empowermentave.com: We support and normalize the inclusion of incarcerated writers and artists in mainstream venues by bridging the gap between them. That means capacity building for publications, galleries, museums and other organizations committed to this work, while prioritizing support networks for incarcerated creatives to get their work outside prison walls, be fairly compensated for it, and contribute creatively to the abolition movement and liberation of incarcerated people.
1187 Coast Village Rd #101, Santa Barbara, CA 93108 empowermentave@gmail.com
Freedom Reads: Aims to put a 500-book library in every prison housing unit in the U.S. 2666 State Street, Suite 5A, Hamden CT 06517; freedomreads@freedomreads.org
Justice Arts Coalition: www.justiceartscoalition.org: A national network and resource for those creating art in and around the criminal legal system, it maintains a regular page of calls for submissions. P.O. Box 11065, Takoma Park, MD 20913, info@thejusticeartscoalition.org.
Michigan Review of Prisoner Writing: https://lsa.umich.edu/pcap/publications/michigan-review-of-prisoner-creative-writing.html; the journal features writing from incarcerated writers in Michigan, Part of the Prison Creative Arts Project, https://lsa.umich.edu/pcap which brings those impacted by the justice system together with the University of Michigan community for artistic collaboration, mutual learning, and growth. 1801 East Quadrangle, 701 E. University Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48109, pcapinfo@umich.edu
Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop: Founded in 2011 and supporting writing workshops at 25 institutions in Minnesota, https://mnprisonwriting.org/resources/, P.O. Box 7262, Minneapolis, MN 55407; info@mnprisonwriting.org
PEN America Prison and Justice Writing Program: https://pen.org/prison-writing/: Runs a contest, a fellowship, a mentorship program, a newsletter and distributes The Sentences that Create Us: Crafting a Writer’s Life in Prison (2022), compiled by PEN America’s Prison Writing Program and published through Haymarket Books. https://pen.org/prison-writing/the-sentences-that-create-us : The website has links where you can request a free copy for someone who is incarcerated. 588 Broadway, Suite 303, New York, NY 10012, prisonwriting@pen.org.
Phoebe Journal Incarcerated Writers Project: https://phoebejournal.com/iwp/ Submit your work with no fee: Incarcerated Writers Project, Phoebe Journal, George Mason University, The Hub Suite 1201, MSC5, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030
Press in Prison, by Lovey Cooper, is Scalawag’s free book for journalists behind bars and the editors who work with them, available as a free download by filling out a form on the website. https://scalawagmagazine.org/press-in-prison/ The print version is available for purchase through Haymarket Books, P.O. Box 180165, Chicago, IL 60618, orders@haymarketbooks.org. Scalawag Magazine also publishes an annual Abolition Week issue at https://scalawagmagazine.org/abolition-week/ Scalawag, P.O. Box 129, Durham, NC 27702, team@scalawagmagazine.org
Prison Book Program: https://prisonbookprogram.org/: The mission of the Prison Book Program is to support people in prison by sending them free books and print resources that meet their specific needs and interests. We also provide a highly engaging volunteer experience that connects people inside and outside of the American prison system. Since 1988, PBP has compiled, published, and distributed the National Prisoner Resource List (NPRL) — a list of resources for prisoners around the country. The NPRL provides prisoners with information about places they and their families can turn for support, advocacy, health care information, and outlets for their creativity. The NPRL can be downloaded here: https://prisonbookprogram.org/for-people-in-prison/national-prisoner-resource-list/ and is available in English and Spanish. 1306 Hancock Street, Suite 100, Quincy, MA 02169, info@prisonbookprogram.org
Prison Journalism Project https://prisonjournalismproject.org/ accepts reported news and features as well as essays, memoirs and op-eds across all topics, including community, family and prison life and hard-hitting topics like COVID-19 and police brutality. We are especially eager for stories with accompanying art or stand-alone art depicting an aspect of prison life. We will also publish narrative poetry that tell true stories. 3501 Southport Ave. #204, Chicago, IL 60657 editorial@prisonjournalismproject.org
Prison Writers: www.prisonwriters.com: We offer uncensored, personal stories and thoughtful essays from incarcerated citizens across the country about what really goes on inside the secretive world of prison corrections. Our team works with incarcerated writers one-on-one to improve their writing and communications skills. We stay connected through snail mail, through several prison email systems. Loen Kelley / Prison Writers, PO Box 334, New York, NY 1000; prisonwriters@gmail.com
Prisoner Express News: https://prisonerexpress.org/news/ A hard-copy newsletter sent free every six months to incarcerated people with “selected art, writing, and poetry submitted by prisoners from the previous programming cycle and explains how new members can begin participating in Prisoner Express.” CTA / Durland Alternatives Library, Prisoner Express, PO Box #6556, Ithaca, NY 14851, alternativeslibrary@gmail.com
Prisons Foundation: www.safestreetsarts.info Free exhibitions of prisoner art and free electronic publishing of prisoner books. Write for guidelines stating whether you are a writer or an artist. 2512 Virginia Ave NW, # 58043, Washington, DC 20037, staff@prisonsfoundation.org, dennissmail-prisonsfoundation.org@yahoo.com
ReSentencing Journal: https://sites.tufts.edu/tupit/resentencing-journal/: a collection of poems, stories, essays, and visual art pieces compiled into a journal that highlights art created by currently and formerly incarcerated individuals and acts as a platform for creative expression. This project seeks to represent and re-imagine the experience of imprisonment and freedom in the U.S. from a personal point of view from the perspective of people who have extraordinary talent and a tremendous amount to teach. ReSentencing, 163 Packard Avenue., Medford, MA 02155, resentencing@tufts.edu
Underground Writing Re/Vision project: https://undergroundwriting.org/revision: a one-on-one creative writing apprenticeship program for those who are currently incarcerated. Mentoring is conducted via mailed correspondence and feedback, and is facilitated by working writers, MFA students, and editors. Underground Writing, P.O. Box 1043, Mount Vernon, WA 98273, info@undergroundwriting.org