Women, Writing, and Prison

Activists, Scholars, and Writers Speak Out

Edited by Tobi Jacobi Series edited by Kathleen Adams

Not available to order

Publication date:

13 November 2014

Length of book:

250 pages

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

ISBN-13: 9781475808247

This collection includes a kaleidoscope of voices and perspectives from prisoners, former prisoners, scholars, and activists to examine the extraordinarily invisible and closed system of incarceration that characterizes the massive U.S. prison industry. The book explores in multiple ways, the role of writing in carceral settings, including material realities, ethics, and social justice. It is a book about the power of writing as well as its limits. It is a book that celebrates and critiques, challenges, and reveals. It is a book that, like the writing of incarcerated women, repays careful reading.

Foreword- Sister Helen Prejean
Dedication
Preface-Ann Folwell Stanford and Tobi Jacobi
Introduction-Ann Folwell Stanford
Where We Are From-SpeakOut Writers

Section 1: Writing and Reclaiming Self
1. My Words are Brain and Bone Marrow-Jessica Hill
2. From Nonna’s Table to Book Signings: Under the Influence of the Pen-Nancy Birkla
3. This Ain’t No Holiday Inn, Griffin: Finding Freedom on the Blank Page-Dionna Griffin
4. A Symphony of Medicine-Shelley Goldman, a/k/a S. Phillips
5. The Girl Behind the Smile-Judith Clark
6. Writing to Survive the Madness: Letters from Prison-Sarah Anonymous and Patricia O’Brien
7. My Voice through a Deadbolt Door-Crista Decker
8. Rolling with the Punches-Irene C. Baird

Section II: Bridging Communities: Writing Programs and Social Practice
9. Good Intentions Aside: The Ethics of Reciprocity in a University-Jail Women’s Writing Workshop Collaboration-Sadie Reynolds
10. Jumble of Thoughts-Sandy Sysyn
11. Incorporeal Transformations: The Power of Audience for Women Writing in Prison-Tom Kerr
12. Writing Exchanges: Composing across Prison and University Classrooms-Wendy Hinshaw and Kathie Klarreich
13. Mothers and Daughters: Meditations on Women’s Prison Theatre-Jean Trounstine
14. As Others Stand By and Ask Questions-Roshanda Melton
15. Poetry, Audience, and Leaving Prison-Hettie Jones

Section III: Writing, Resistance, and the Material Realities of US Prisons and Jails
16. “…to speak in one’s own voice”: The Power of Women’s Prison Writing-Judith Scheffler
17. Writing is My Way of Sledge Hammering These Walls-Taylor Huey
18. She Bore the Lyrical Name of Velmarine Szabo-Clarinda Harriss
19. “You Just Threatened My Life”: Struggling to Write in Prison-Velmarine O. Szabo
20. Out at the Swamp and Back-Gretchen Schumacher
21. I am Antarctica: I Shriek, I Accuse, I Write-Boudicca Burning
22. No Stopping Them: Women Writers at York Correctional-Bell Gale Chevigny
23. Dear Shelly: Reflections on the Politics of Teaching Inside-Tshehaye Hebert
24. All with the Stroke of a Pen-Joyce Cohen
25. The Prisoner’s Lament-Samsara

Afterword Tobi Jacobi
Hope is There Cree
About the Authors
Appendix
Resources for Facilitating Prison Writing Workshops
Selected Bibliography
Index

A moving, sometimes unsettling, account of women caught within the prison industrial complex. Weaving together the voices of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women, community activists, and academics, this innovative anthology reminds us why writing matters.