Free Write Jail Arts and Literacy Program

Across the country, college students and faculty, as well as grassroots community organizations, have organized to create poetry, creative writing and art workshops inside of prisons. This workshop is intended as a space where educators and activists who are doing this kind of work can connect with each other to share ideas and stories. Free Write Jail Arts and Literacy Program leads creative writing, poetry and visual art classes for youth who are held in Chicago's Cook County Juvenile Detention Center. Free Write teachers Amanda Klonsky and Ryan Keesling, would like to provide a space where prison arts educators can come together to share stories and reflect on experiences working as teaching artists in jails and prisons. We will present visual art and audio recordings made by detained youth, and share some stories about our own experiences. Then we will facilitate a group discussion about prison arts education. Here are a few of the questions we hope to discuss: -How can artists, writers and educators help to push forward the movement for a more fair justice system? -How does working in jails and prisons change us, personally and politically? -How has working in jails and prisons influenced our own writing and art? -In what ways can we work together? We hope you'll join us!

Across the country, college students and faculty, as well as grassroots community organizations, have organized to create poetry, creative writing and art workshops inside of prisons. This workshop is intended as a space where educators and activists who are doing this kind of work can connect with each other to share ideas and stories. Free Write Jail Arts and Literacy Program leads creative writing, poetry and visual art classes for youth who are held in Chicago's Cook County Juvenile Detention Center. Free Write teachers Amanda Klonsky and Ryan Keesling, would like to provide a space where prison arts educators can come together to share stories and reflect on experiences working as teaching artists in jails and prisons. We will present visual art and audio recordings made by detained youth, and share some stories about our own experiences. Then we will facilitate a group discussion about prison arts education. Here are a few of the questions we hope to discuss: -How can artists, writers and educators help to push forward the movement for a more fair justice system? -How does working in jails and prisons change us, personally and politically? -How has working in jails and prisons influenced our own writing and art? -In what ways can we work together? We hope you'll join us!