Breakout: Voices From the Inside
Featuring award-winning prose and poetry from the 2015 PEN Prison Writing Contest, read by Khalil Cumberbatch, Rachel Eliza Griffiths, Siri Hustvedt, Mitchell S. Jackson, Dawn Lundy Martin, Jeffrey Toobin,… More
The Legend of John Crow
Matthew Mendoza was awarded First Place in Drama in the 2015 Prison Writing Contest. More
Dear Voyage
Brian Batchelor was awarded First Place in Poetry in the 2015 Prison Writing Contest. More
The Centaur’s Son
As I lay in my crib, sleeping only three crow miles away in another small sandstone farmhouse was a 15-year-old boy who was dreaming of graduating from high school… More
Announcing the Winners of the 2015 Prison Writing Contest
Over 1,500 stories, memoirs, poems, and plays were submitted by men and women serving time from nearly every state in the country to PEN's 2015 Prison Writing Contest. More
Hamlet Uncut: Silencing the Lark
"Take me you for a lark, my Queen? Hast thou before seen a lark shed tears of discord? Dost thou, lark, so full of sorrow weighted by thy guilt… More
Consensus of Death
“Hey, Captain Dixon, can you get me a television?” It sounded like Tony. “Sure,” he said, “they’re installing televisions for all of you.” “Really?” John asked. “Fuck no!” he answered. More
Dark Corners
As I sat alone at a picnic table eating lunch prepared by a woman in the congregation—chips, BBQ, chicken, corn on the cob, spaghetti, and cake—I was visited by… More
Prison Perspectives on Schopenhauer
Should I look for another philosopher who doesn’t threaten my peace of mind or parole prospects? More