Penned In is full of poems and stories written mainly by prisoners in the Creative Writing Program at Matsqui and their friends on the outside. We interview the editor of the compilation and hear readings of several of the pieces from the book.
Emily Aspinwall, Stark Raven Media Collective
(interview is self contained with an intro and extro)
Writing can be a lifeline for those in prison. Whether it be poems, fiction, personal stories or essays the expression is often therapeutic.
The Creative Writing Program at Matsqui federal prison is one initiative that encourages this self-expression.
Every Friday morning, outside volunteers drive out to the prison in Abbotsford to work with the men inside to encourage their writing. Writer Andrea Winterbottom has been volunteering with the program for the past year.
Andrea recently published an anthology of writing from both the prisoners, and some outside writers who are connected to the Creative Writing Program at Matsqui. It is called Penned In: A collection of literary creations from both sides of the fence.
Andrea Winterbottom spoke with Stark Raven about this collection of stories and the writing program at Matsqui.
Find some of the authors work at theincarceratedinkwell.org
========================================= STARK RAVEN MEDIA COLLECTIVE A closer look at prisons & criminalization ==========================================