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Black and white photograph of Celes Tisdale next to a cover his book "When the Smoke Cleared" on a yellow backdrop

Remember This: On Celes Tisdale’s “When the Smoke Cleared: Attica Prison Poems and Journal”

Blog
By: Malcolm Tariq | November 17, 2022

Malcolm Tariq reviews Celes Tisdale's "When the Smoke Cleared: Attica Prison Poems and Journal" (Duke University Press, 2022). More

Character Development: A National Novel Writing Month Pep Talk

BlogOctober 19, 2022

Writer William Myrl Smitherman writes a pep talk for incarcerated writers for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). More

On Pressing the Bounds of What’s Possible: A Conversation with Emile DeWeaver

Blog
By: Charley Burlock | October 19, 2022

PEN America Prison and Justice Writing intern Charley Burlock interviews writer Emile DeWeaver. More

The Cop in Your Head: On Andy West’s “The Life Inside”

Blog
By: Tomás Miriti Pacheco | September 20, 2022

PEN America's Tomás Miriti Pacheco reviews Andy West's "The Life Inside: A Memoir of Prison, Family and Philosophy" (Picador, 2022). More

Record Label Die Jim Crow Gives Incarcerated Artists the Spotlight

Blog
By: Tomás Miriti Pacheco | September 16, 2022

PEN America intern Tomás Miriti Pacheco features Die Jim Crow Records, the first record label dedicated to incarcerated artists in the United States. More

A Movement to Bend the Arc: Keeda J. Haynes’ Memoir on Second-Chance Culture

Blog
By: Emma Stammen | August 17, 2022

Emma Stammen reviews Keeda J. Haynes' memoir, "Bending the Arc: My Journey from Prison to Politics" (Seal Books, 2021). More

Jazmyn Lawrence's The Creation of Me, a collage featuring an image of the artist on a background of yellow, red, and magenta

Multiplicity and Narratives of Confinement in “Faces of Resilience,” Presented by the Barnes Foundation and Mural Arts Philadelphia

Blog
By: Alexandra Fiorentino-Swinton | August 16, 2022

PEN America intern Alexandra Fiorentino-Swinton reviews "Faces of Resilience," a show featuring artists who are justice-involved, presented by the Barnes Foundation and Mural Arts Philadelphia. More

Introducing I am climbing the stairs that I create with these words all the way to the top: A NaPoWriMo Zine

Blog
By: Sophia Ramirez | July 21, 2022

PEN America's Sophia Ramirez introduces our newest Prison Writing poetry zine, "I am climbing the stairs that I create with these words all the way to the top," for… More

“Do you really want to know why the caged bird sings?”: On Marlon Peterson’s Abolitionist Memoir

Blog
By: Emma Stammen | July 20, 2022

Emma Stamen reviews Marlon Peterson’s Abolitionist Memoir Bird Uncaged (Bold Type Books, 2021) More

Benevolent Terror: Dorothy E. Roberts on Reimagining the Child Welfare System

Blog
By: Sophia Ramirez | June 15, 2022

Sophia Ramirez reviews Dorothy E. Roberts' new book Torn Apart: How the Child Welfare System Destroys Black Families—and How Abolition Can Build a Safer World (Basic Books, 2022). More

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penamerica PEN America @penamerica ·
2h

"Amid efforts to restrict books that include race-related themes, several new book clubs have launched around the country to keep literature by Black authors in the spotlight." #BlackHistoryMonth https://www.moultrieobserver.com/news/local_news/black-history-month-black-authors-keep-history-alive-amid-efforts-to-suppress-blackness/article_ff445067-f6a1-5ad9-892b-360850922553.html via @themobserver

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_richardhall Richard Hall @_richardhall ·
7h

Read our story on the DeSantis book bans ⬇️ https://twitter.com/penamerica/status/1621508379586985985

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msboismier_ela Ms. Boismier, M.Ed. @msboismier_ela ·
4 Feb

🧵4/8: This week @BKLYNlibrary & @PENamerica @jonfreadom launched the 1st session in our 4-week Freedom to Read Advocacy Institute. What struck me most in that workshop session was the craving our teen participants had for community, for connection. https://tinyurl.com/yy5ek3s5

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