The Sentences That Create Us

April 6, 2022 3:47 PM

How do you start writing when you’re incarcerated in prison? How do you establish a literary life without access to craft workshops, the internet, or even to the outside world? PEN America’s new writing handbook, The Sentences That Create Us: Crafting a Writer’s Life in Prison, addresses those questions to serve as “a road map for incarcerated people and their allies to have a thriving writing life behind bars.” In addition to providing guidance on developing a personal and professional writing life while incarcerated, The Sentences That Create Us provides introductions to the foundations of writing, strategies for addressing trauma in writing, as well as writing exercises developed by prison educators.
posted by Silvery Fish (2 comments total)

This is brilliant.
posted by turbid dahlia at 6:27 PM on April 6, 2022 [1 favorite]

I love this so much. Everyone I've ever met who has been incarcerated has incredible stories to tell - about their experiences there and outside - most of which are never heard (or read) by anyone. Working through trauma by writing is powerful; sharing stories to help foster a better understanding (and more empathy) in the bigger community is a beautiful thing. The intentional act of making sure people have the info they need in order to share things safely, or at least with a full understanding of the potential risks of sharing, is often overlooked by people who haven't experienced those things (I'm definitely guilty of that). This is such a great resource.
posted by VioletU at 8:03 AM on April 9, 2022