Chad H. Rand

I am a gay, incarcerated poet and writer originally from Rochelle, IL. I currently work for a dollar a day as a prison gardener and greenhouse keeper. I am also a correspondence college student pursuing a BA in theater and English. Words are my escape, my liberty, my autonomy, my reassurance that, above the maelstrom, humanity and trueness of heart still live on.

Winner, 2022 PEN America Prison Writing Contest – Fielding Dawson Prize in Poetry for “Litany in Paris


Articles by Chad H. Rand

Wednesday September 7

Litany in Pairs

Chad Rand was awarded the Fielding Dawson Prize in Poetry in the 2022 Prison Writing Contest. Every year, hundreds of imprisoned people 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. You are the