poetry
The arts are integral to the work of imagining a future without mass incarceration—and central to how incarcerated people resist their imprisonment. Below you’ll find a curated selection of poems and writing about poetry.
Poets Incarcerated in Mississippi
poetry
Poetry from Mississippi State Penitentiary
A series for National Poetry Month 2025.
Poets Incarcerated in Massachusetts
first person
Ink from Honey
Poetry can help incarcerated authors to reclaim the story of their life.
Life Inside
“We Are Men”
More poetry and political writing from men incarcerated during the Attica uprising.
poetry
An Essay in Acrostic: P.O.L.I.C.E.
“They tell us we have the right to take up / space. But they come in armor and shields / that say otherwise.”
Reflections
When You Hear Me, You Hear Us
Work from four poets who were incarcerated as children.
Reflections
Goodnight Jail
Based on ‘Goodnight Moon’, the 1947 bedtime classic by Margaret Wise Brown.
In Their Words
Poems on Policing
Poetry has the power to help us grow past the stale and rote ways of thinking about safety that tend to characterize policy discussions.
Essay
The Poverty of Access
Librarians have a responsibility to everyone in their communities — including those who are incarcerated.
In Their Words
Finishing Sentences
Writing about prison from prison is a form of freedom-fighting. It is not without risks — and many rewards.
Essay
Hip Hop Is My Life
I spit bars on Death Row to preserve the legacy of our people, what’s been done to us, and how we’ve fought back.