{"id":72615,"date":"2019-02-20T19:32:19","date_gmt":"2019-02-21T01:32:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/?p=72615"},"modified":"2019-02-20T19:41:32","modified_gmt":"2019-02-21T01:41:32","slug":"mississippis-prison-writes-initiative-changing-lives-one-word-at-a-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/mississippis-prison-writes-initiative-changing-lives-one-word-at-a-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Mississippi\u2019s Prison Writes Initiative: Changing Lives One Word at a Time"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

You\nmay chain my hands, you may shackle my feet, you may even throw me into a dark\nprison; but you shall not enslave my thinking, for it is free.<\/em>\n\u2013Kahlil Gibran<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nlow literacy rate of those incarcerated is well documented. According to the Official Blog of Literacy Mid-South<\/strong>,\nhigh school dropouts are 63percent more likely to be incarcerated than their\npeers with four-year college degrees. Half of Mississippi<\/strong>\u2019s inmates never finished high school. Multiple studies\nagree that the rates of recidivism for those who complete literacy programs in\nprison are lower than for those who do not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The majority of those imprisoned will one day return to freedom. The more educated they are, the easier it will be to find credible employment and be a productive member of society. Through hopes and dreams an inner sense of purpose, direction, and self-motivation can bring lasting success and value. Wouldn\u2019t you rather them re-enter free society with those skills and virtues rather than a PhD in criminal behavior? I know I would.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

A\ncouple of months ago, in the auditorium of the Alcorn County Correctional Facility<\/strong> in Corinth<\/strong>, Mississippi, people gathered to hear nine incarcerated men\nread poems they had written through Oxford-based VOX Press\u2019 Prison Writes Initiative (PWI)<\/strong>. Among the attendees were\nLouis Bourgeois<\/strong> (cofounder\/executive\ndirector of VOX Press, Inc.), Asya\nBranch<\/strong> (Miss Mississippi<\/strong>), Josh Davis<\/strong> (warden), Myra Burns<\/strong> (director of education), Amanda Garvin<\/strong> (creative writing instructor).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nPrison Writes Initiative is much more than a literacy program, although\nparticipants do improve their levels of literacy in the process of creative\nexpression. PWI gives people in prison ways to explore and express their\ninnermost thoughts and feelings. In doing so, intangibles like hope and dreams\nfor the future are fostered. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

PWI,\nthe only program in Mississippi that offers a comprehensive liberal arts\neducation for its inmates, has classes in five Mississippi prisons. Three\nhundred inmates have successfully completed the program. When asked why he has\nsuch a passion for this work, Bourgeois said, \u201cIt makes a difference in\npeople\u2019s lives that you can actually see.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nnine men who read their work in Corinth that day shared reflections regarding\ntheir past mistakes and spoke of taking personal responsibility for their\nlives. One wrote, \u201cEvery day is my time to change.\u201d We could all do well to\nembrace that for ourselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nnine praised PWI saying things like, \u201cIt does wonders for us.\u201d That was\nreflected in their poetry with their openness about things like broken\nheartedness and redemption. One wrote about how Ghandi, though physically small\nand weak, had an inner strength that changed the world. Nearly all spoke of the\nfundamental importance of their spiritual faith, and of the most influential\nperson in their lives: their mother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Miss Mississippi 2018, Asya Branch, addressed the men after the reading. Her platform as Miss Mississippi is Empowering Children of Incarcerated Parents<\/strong>. Branch herself is the daughter of a father who is currently incarcerated in Parchman Penitentiary<\/strong>, lending great credibility to her words. In her comments she praised the work of the nine writers and encouraged them to continue their work. Then she said perhaps the most important words she could have uttered that day: \u201cI recognize you as human beings.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
VOX PRESS Executive Director Louis Bourgeois and 2018 Miss Mississippi Asya Branch<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The\nvery nature of being held in prison and stripped of freedoms is, in and of\nitself, dehumanizing. Branch\u2019s words affirmed the personhood of each individual\u2014\nsomething that is vital in building a sense of self-worth despite one\u2019s\ncircumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

VOX Press, Inc. has published two collections of writings from its graduates: In Our Own Words: Writings from Parchman Farms\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>and Unit 30: New Writings from Parchman Farm,<\/strong>.both of which are available locally at Square\u00a0Books<\/strong> or\u00a0online\u00a0at\u00a0Amazon. The third volume, Mississippi Prison Writing<\/em><\/strong>, is scheduled for release this Fall. Perhaps a few of the writers from PWI will see success from their future writing, but most assuredly they may find something far more valuable: a sense of hope and worth as a person. With that, hard work, and a little luck, anything can happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those who are incarcerated are just as human as you and I. The idea of them being on easy street is pure B.S. We can help them buy back their dignity and give them a fighting chance to change their lives for the better. PWI is making a difference. Are you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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