Erika Duncan

Writing Beyond the Prison expands a prior ACLS-funded initiative that created the WBP Living Archive, a national repository of manuscripts authored by incarcerated writers. This next phase builds a digital-justice ecosystem through two Edovo-based curricula: Herstory’s trauma-informed writing program and ZoMedia’s cooperative governance training. These modules enable incarcerated learners to develop craft and their leadership skills, and to submit manuscripts of any genre for publication, editorial mentorship, and archival preservation. By integrating humanities education, digital access, and authorship pathways, the project advances equity, strengthens academic and community scholarship, and centers the intellectual labor of people historically excluded from digital learning.

“Writing Beyond the Prison” redresses productive losses from COVID-19 to programs that support individuals and communities impacted by the carceral system. Faculty and graduate students at Stony Brook University will work with our community partners, Herstory Writers Workshop and the United Black Family Scholarship Foundation, to bring the voices of those most directly impacted by the carceral system into the public conversation. We will create a publicly accessible, web-based Living Archive to publish and preserve the writings of people within the carceral ecosystem as a rich public history research and curriculum-building initiative.