Works of Justice
Works of Justice is a monthly newsletter from PEN America’s Prison and Justice Writing that spotlights key figures, writers, and artists who are critically reshaping the conversation on mass incarceration, advocacy, and justice in the United States.
Subscribe and listen to our podcast on any platform, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify.
Inquiries may be sent to Malcolm Tariq ([email protected]), senior manager of editorial projects for Prison and Justice Writing.
Works of Justice Blog Posts
Necessary Unlearning: On Derecka Purnell’s ‘Becoming Abolitionists: Police, Protests, and the Pursuit of Freedom’
Prison and Justice Writing Postgraduate Sophia Ramirez Fellow reviews Derecka Purnell’s "Becoming Abolitionists: Police, Protests, and the Pursuit of Freedom." More
Addiction, Subjectivity, and Selfhood: Introducing David Sanchez’s First Novel, “All Day is a Long Time”
Prison and Justice Writing Fellow Emma Stammen speaks with writer David Sanchez about his debut novel, "All Day is a Long Time." More
Introducing ‘Love Lay Dormant’: A 2021 Prison Writing NaNoWriMo Zine
Our Greater Constellations zine springs from the inspired poetic work created by members of our PEN America Prison Writing community during National Poetry Writing Month. More
The PEN Ten: An Interview with the 2021 PEN Prison Writing Award Winners
“Am I a writer imprisoned, or has imprisonment made me a writer? Parallel universes aside, imprisonment. . . does contain all the essential ingredients of a writer’s life.” More
Because Your Liberation is Bound up with Mine: Introducing the 2021 PEN America L’Engle-Rahman Prize for Mentorship Recipients
Teachers & Writers Magazine introduces the winners of the 2021 PEN America L’Engle-Rahman Prize for Mentorship. More
Facing the Page: PEN America’s Prison Writing Program Takes on NaNoWriMo 2021
In our third year of collaboration with NaNoWriMo, we are supporting 15 incarcerated writers taking on the daunting challenge: to write 50,000 words of a novel in just 30… More
Temperature Check, Vol. 13: Reflections, The Closing Issue
Our Temperature Check series concludes with updates from featured guests and writers as well as the latest in legislative and organizational advocacy efforts. More
The PEN Ten: An Interview with the 2021-2022 PEN America Writing for Justice Fellows
“You must be willing to get your pen dirty. Write with passion. Befriend an incarcerated person, learn how society formed that person, feel the connection you share with that… More
Introducing ‘Greater Constellations’: A 2021 Prison Writing NaPoWriMo Zine
Our Greater Constellations zine springs from the inspired poetic work created by members of our PEN America Prison Writing community during National Poetry Writing Month. More
Temperature Check, Vol. 12: Prison Journalism in the Time of COVID-19
Exploring prison journalism during the pandemic through articles from the Prison Journalism Project and a podcast interview with Yukari Kane and Shaheen Pasha. More
