Every year, hundreds of imprisoned writers from around the country submit poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and dramatic works to PEN America’s Prison Writing Contest, one of the few outlets of free expression for the country’s incarcerated population. Manuscripts come to the Prison Writing Program in a variety of forms: Some are handwritten, some are typed, some are written in the margins of legal documents. Prizes of $250, $150, $100, $50, and $25 are awarded for first, second, third place, the Dawson Prize, and honorable mentions, respectively, in each of the following categories:

POETRY

First Place

Jorge Antonio Renaud, “Prison Moon”

Second Place

Joe R. Knight, “Observations From a Penitentiary Window”

Third Place

Malcolm Alexander King, “Sisyphus”

Dawson Prize

Lawrene Harris, “A Song of Death”

 

Honorable Mentions

Chris Early, “Sheryl”

Anthony La Fontant, “Cadaver”

Diane Hamill Metzger, “Panopticon”

Jonaki Ray, “Father”

 

Fiction

First Place

Terrance D. Robinson, “Mascara”

Second Place

Mark Smith, “Covenants”

Third Place

Emilio Alvarado, “The Horizon Rises”

 

Honorable Mentions

Leah Torres, “Suffer the Little Children

Antonio C. Baca, “Life Under the Knife

Steve Blanchard, “Huntsville Homecoming

 

Memoir

First Place

David Lightner (Franklin D. Antill), “Journal of a Prisoner”

Second Place

Carl Berk, “Letter to a Daughter”

Third Place

Ralph Wilmas, “Labyrinth (excerpt)”

Dawson Prize

Tracy Atkins, “Horse the Caterpillar”

 

Honorable Mentions

John “Divine G” Whitfield, “The Whitfield Files”

Cocomo Rock, “Brother Oak”

Brigitte Paul, “Buddhism in Prison

 

Essay

First Place

Christopher Best, “Live!—from Texas Death Row!”

Second Place

Charles Huckelbury, “Made in the U.S.A.”

Third Place

William Bryan Sorens, “Free Speech Wars”

Dawson Prize

Robert Talib Douglas, “Prisoners & the Wizard of Oz

 

Honorable Mentions

Alden Redfield, “Life on the Flags”

Gene Hathom, “Countdown in Fear

Daniel H. Harris, “Prison Sexuality

Charles Norman, “Fifty Percent

 

Drama

First Place

Brendan Cochrane and Joseph Assadourian, “Heaven

Second Place

Santonio Murff, “The Cobra’s Cross

Third Place

Tyrone Wyche, “Mrs. B’s Bracelets”

Dawson Prize

Walter Harmon, “Reflections in Resonance”

 

Honorable Mentions

Michael A. Cooke, “Technical Foul”

Hal Cobb, “The Spittin’ Image”

Arnold Thorpe, “Dialogue”