Teaching with American Prison Newspapers: Literature/Art

Literature and Art in Prison

“We die. That may be the meaning of life. But we do language. That may be the measure of our lives.” 

• Toni Morrison

As a primary source collection, the American Prison Newspapers function as a unique canon of literature and art produced by and for incarcerated people. Said literature consists of genres such as poems, short stories, interviews, and opinion pieces about a range of topics and issues. Some newspapers also feature book reviews, reading lists, and coverage of book clubs. Moreover, art functions as a medium through which artists can express and share ideas about life and culture on the inside and outside. Altogether, the literature and art found in the collection allows writers and artists to connect with humanity and foster intimacy amongst one another while intentionally making beauty and creativity a part of imprisonment and prison culture. 

Guiding Questions: 

1. Why do people in prison create art and literature? What tools and resources exist for them to create? 

2. How does prison programming encourage incarcerated people to create and share their art/literature? 

3. What does creating and maintaining a literary/artistic practice and community look like in prison? 

4. To what extent does art and literature created in prison comment on prison operations and _____?

5. How does a person serving life in prison find meaning in life and living through art and literature? 

6. To what extent does art and literature allow people in prison to live meaningful lives? 

7. Do people in prison maintain their artistic practices upon their release from prison? If not, why? If so, how? 

These questions are presented to help guide student thinking as they study and explore the presence or absence of art and literature in the lives of incarcerated individuals. Students can partake in research projects that seek to answer one or more of these questions. Students may also partake in discussions about the questions as well. As students browse and read issues of the American Prison Newspapers collection, they may generate new questions. This is encouraged! 

Readings

1. Toward a Prison Poetics by Doran Larson (2010)

2. The Literature of the American Prison by H. Bruce Franklin (1977)

3. The Pen of the Panther: Barriers and Freedom in the Prison Poetry of Ericka Huggins by Amy Washburn (2014)

4. A Portrait of America’s Prison Arts Programs by Eva Rothenberg, CNN (2022)

5. Language and Politicized Spaces in U.S. Latino Prison Poetry: 1970-1990 by Patricia Sanchez-Flavilian (2003). 

6. Literature in Prison by Dennis Switzer (1984)

7. The Poetry of Prison: A Photographer Looks at the Lives of Oklahoma’s Incarcerated by Mhari Shaw (2019)  

8. ‘Our Minds Are Still Free:’ These Former Prisoners Find Strength Through Poetry (2018)

9. Making Art When ‘Lockdown’ Means Prison by Holland Cotter, New York Times (2021)

Viewings

1. How poetry can free a prisoner’s mind by Dan Kedmey (2015) 

• based on the TEDxRiodelaPlata talk by Cristina Domenech “Poetry that frees the soul” (note: Domenech’s talk is performed in Spanish with English subtitles)

2. TEDxPhiladelphia Talk: How art and prison lets us understand life’s complexities by Jesse Krimes (2016)

3. TEDxFoggyBottom Talk: Poetry in maximum security prison by Phil Kaye (2014) 

4. Prison Arts Project, San Quentin by Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (2014)

5. Poetry in the Age of Mass Incarceration: Challenging The Dichotomy of Innocence Versus Criminality by Christopher Soto (2017)

6. Poetry from Prison: The Free Minds Book Club (2015)

7. How Arts in Prison Promote Rehabilitation by NowThisNews (2021)

8. TEDxLondonWomen Talk: Proving there is life after prison one poem at a time by Lady Unchained (2019)