BleakHouse Publishing is proud to release our annual BleakHouse Review, an online literary magazine that serves as an outlet for original perspectives on the criminal justice system. BleakHouse Publishing devotes itself to the creative voices of the voiceless. You will hear from an array of talented American University students, as well as former inmates and current prisoners. Blending shades of …

Continue reading New Issue of BleakHouse Review Now Available

About this post: These pieces will appear in Concertina, Joseph Bathanti‘s forthcoming book of prison-related poems, from Mercer University Press. Bathanti is North Carolina’s Poet Laureate and a professor of creative writing at Appalachian State University, where he is Director of Writing in the Field and Writer-in-Residence in the University’s Watauga Global Community. He has …

Continue reading More from NC Poet Laureate Joseph Bathanti

The Center for Educational Excellence in Alternative Settings’ new project, Words Unlocked, is a month-long initiative that includes practitioner-ready curricular materials, a nationwide competition, and publishing venues for student work.   All materials for the initiative are available at our wiki site, Words Unlocked. The wiki has a robust set of tools available for public …

Continue reading New Center for Educational Excellence in Alternative Settings Initiative: Words Unlocked

By Joe Donovan About the guest blogger: Joe Donovan loves words, dislikes shoes, and would probably rather be in a tree right now. He is passionate about prison reform, restorative justice, and peace education, as well as about writing and other forms of creative expression. He is currently a senior at Georgetown University. Joe interns …

Continue reading New Ways to Look

About the guest blogger: Tim Hurley has written throughout his professional life as a civil servant, though publishing would be 40 years in the making. Incarcerated twice, some 15 years apart, Tim took a Creative Writing class while on a second sabbatical with the Michigan Department of Corrections. Life experiences that inspire his writing include nine jails, …

Continue reading Poem by PCAP Member Tim Hurley

About the guest blogger: Nina is a senior at The University of Michigan studying Comparative Literature and Environmental Sustainability. Last fall, she became involved with Professor Buzz Alexander’s Engish 310 course which subsequently lead into The Prison Creative Arts Project. Through the class and the organization, she has participated in a creative writing workshop with six young …

Continue reading Two poems by PCAP member Nina Levin

By Mary Walle About the guest blogger: Mary Walle is a Senior at the University of Michigan studying History. She’s been involved with the Prison Creative Arts Project since January 2012. Through PCAP Mary has participated in three theater workshops and performed in four original plays, one with the young men at Wolverine Human Services and three …

Continue reading In My (Our) Shoes

By Madeleine Twyman About the guest blogger: Madeleine Twyman is a Singer/Songwriter/Dancer from Toronto, Canada. Madeleine trained at The Alvin Ailey American Dance Center in New York City and was a member of the Martha Graham Ensemble. Ms. Twyman’s original music and choreography earned her an Underground Music Award nomination for her live show ‘Madeleine’s …

Continue reading “Mr. Jailer” – A Freedom Song