poetry
Poetry from Louisiana State Penitentiary
For National Poetry Month 2026, new work from incarcerated authors Trevor Reese, Lawson Strickland, and John Corley
poetry
23 posts in ‘poetry’
poetry
Two poems
“Five/Fourths” & “When Bars as These Won’t Read”
poetry
Two poems
“Whisperings from Old Pompeii” & “God(s) Particle(s)”
poetry
Angola haiku
“in the summer rain fences disappear . . .”
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.”
poetry
Hard Time in Prison
I had one / wish it will be I wish I can / get out of this cuz this is / a suffering pain time I’m doing
poetry
Two poems
“Shower Call Down Below” & “29 L-Building”
poetry
Hi Rise
I’m eligible to smoke til I fall clapping my / Hands and feet all the same time / Laffing at all this shit.
poetry
Poetry from Mississippi State Penitentiary
Work from poets incarcerated in Parchman’s Unit 29
poetry
Three poems
“Crying Johnny,” “Officer Judy Gives Instructions to the Lock Down Inmates,” & “Holiday Special Meal”
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.
poetry
The Names They Call Us
“I applaud, your / Frankenstein’s monster, forevermore.”
poetry
Prisoner of Poetry
“What does it mean to be an / incarcerated poet?”
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.
poetry
“Incarcerated Slavery” & “2 crack a smile”
“The cotton field / is replaced by walls of steel . . . ”
first person
Ink from Honey
Poetry can help incarcerated authors to reclaim the story of their life.
poetry
“Don Haitian Monument” & “The Hunters”
“Paralyzed in shock / by slave raid tactics, / my trembling hands on the wall . . .”
voices
Poetry from Attica
From Celes Tisdale's creative writing workshop with Attica Uprising survivors.
Reflections
Goodnight Jail
Based on 'Goodnight Moon', the 1947 bedtime classic by Margaret Wise Brown.
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.
Life Inside
‘We Are Men’
On the 50th anniversary of a flashpoint of the American penal system, the cries of Attica still resonate today.
Reflections
When You Hear Me, You Hear Us
Work from four poets who were incarcerated as children.