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# Indiana Prison Writers Workshop

Improving the lives of those incarcerated through writing and expression

## Sitemaps

- [XML Sitemap](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website.

## Posts

- ["Acts of Kindness" by Maverick T.](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2026/02/acts-of-kindness-by-m-t/) - The kind of kindness that touches my heart the most is charity. I asked a very dear paternal-like friend of mine for a top-up so that I could buy a pair of diabetic/wellness shoes. He gave me the Top, and I purchased the shoes. Despite being used and a bit worn out, that are a
- ["Finding Freedom Through Storytelling" by Brett B.](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2025/11/finding-freedom-through-words-by-brett-b/) - Near the end of my 24-year sentence, I discovered something I hadn't expected to find in that stark environment: a place where vulnerability could coexist with safety. The Indiana Prison Writers Workshop, led by volunteers Debra and Tiffany, created something precious within those concrete walls — a space where creativity wasn't just permitted but encouraged,
- ["Living Again” by Allan J., IPWW student (Alabama)](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2025/10/living-again-by-allan-j-ipww-student-in-alabama/) - When will I live again? It’s a question I often ask myself.Sometimes I feel like a book of great value collecting dust on a shelf.Time keeps passing by, and it feels like I’m no longer part of life. Sometimes I wonder when my demise will come — will I have to face it twice?I wake
- [“Five years in the free world after an 18-year prison sentence” by Branden A., contributing IPWW writer](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2024/07/five-years-in-the-free-world-after-an-18-year-prison-sentence-by-branden-a-contributing-ipww-writer/) - Five years ago, I left prison after eighteen years incarcerated, which were life-changing years. Gone was the skinny teen with the "no fucks given" attitude, who focused on emotions and anger. Gone was the desire to have it all like fast cash and a street-mentality and lifestyle. I’ve replaced that lifestyle with a more levelheaded
- ["The Return" by Branden A., IPWW student](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2019/07/the-return-by-branden-a/) - After spending eighteen years in prison, I felt like a baby bird taking his initial flight. I now had the entire universe to explore at my own free will. It was exhilarating, a feeling of being uncaged and free, but what was I coming home to? Hired by the Indiana State Hospital within two days
- ["Unwritten Chapters" by Jay M., Indiana Prison Writers Workshop student (Alabama)](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2025/08/stories-by-jay-m/) - Our lives are like books. Many chapters have already been written by us — some humorous, some tragic — but all tell our story. We may not like the chapter we’re in, but it’s part of our book, one we are still writing. Thanks to the efforts of IPWW, Debra, Lindamarie, and especially our facilitator,
- [“Beyond the Classroom” by Kortney Stern, IPWW Program Facilitator](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2023/07/beyond-the-classroom-by-kortney-stern-former-ipww-program-facilitator/) - On February 18, 2023, I began teaching my very first Indiana Prison Writers Workshop (IPWW) class at the Edinburgh Correctional Facility in Edinburgh, Indiana. Prior to being assigned my own class, I had the incredible opportunity to shadow IPWW Program Facilitators Tiffany Leininger and Mallory Rodenberg at the facilities they volunteer at, Branchville Correctional Facility
- ["What I Regret" by Aaron B.](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2025/03/what-i-regret-by-aaron-b/) - What I regret sayingis not saying enough. I regret saying I love youbut never really saying it. I regret cooking you dinnerthat I never even cooked. I regret holding you longer than I shouldwhen I never held you when I could. But what I regret mostis not saying it at all.
- ["Alabama" by Steven S.](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2023/12/an-early-memory-of-alabama-by-steven-s/) - It was summer and I was 5 ½ years old. We had just moved to Alabama but not to an Air Force base. I’d only known life as a military brat, and now something was different. And I don’t mean the gnats. I’d never seen one before and now they were everywhere. Only the breeze could keep them away. That breeze
- ["Growing through IPWW" by Adrian D.](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2025/02/growing-through-ipww-by-adrian-d/) - "This workshop has given me the inspiration and motivation needed to grow. Being surrounded by so many creative minds pushes me to elevate the way I think and write. I am grateful to each of my peers for their willingness to open up and be vulnerable. Being recognized as the annual Writer of the Year
- ["Words" by Landis R.](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2024/11/words-by-landis-r/) - Words are the only things that prisoners possess that cannot be taken from them. The greater our ability to use them, the greater our ability to retain and rebuild our humanity. The Indiana Prison Writers Workshop provided a place to be vulnerable and to connect with other human beings. It was one of the very
- ["Yesterday" by Terry S.](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2024/07/26808/) - "Yesterday" by Terry S.I am a son, a brother, an uncle, a dad, and also a grandpa — and my days and nights are full of sighs. My heart is a thirst. I sit here, a smoldering fire of pain. Lonely, but here. The air of my surroundings grieves. I look out the window at
- ["I am a prison" by Billy S. (Alabama)](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2024/06/i-am-a-prison-by-billy-s/) - I am a prison. I’m damp, and I’m cold. I hold men who are young and men who are old. I’m surrounded by fences and gates that have locks; my walls are made of concrete blocks. I am a prison. I’m feared by all. I’ll give you a chill when you hear me call. Your
- ["Reflections" by Steven S. (Alabama)](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2024/06/reflections-by-steven-s-alabama/) - Everyone has a story. I had often heard that. I’d also heard everyone could write a great story. That I wasn’t so sure of. Now, through this program, I’ve seen that each of us has creativity and many stories within us.These classes have given us the tools and the opportunity to develop that talent. Not
- ["Prison is home" by Thomas B.](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2024/01/prison-is-home-by-thomas-b/) - Time cannot be undone. Time holds our memories hostage for the duration of our lives. Those of us who are serving time suffer from this truth. When the cell door closes and you hear the final turn of an officer's keys, you feel the loneliness. There are moments when the silence plays with your mind.
- ["Just Tell Yourself" by Christopher S.](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2024/05/let-go-of-the-wanting-by-christopher-s-incarcerated-student/) - Let go of the wanting.Find the joy.Live for the moment.Be where you are.Can you control it?Don’t deny pain.Let it come.Face it.Feel it.Let it come and golike the river,like the flowers,like the rain,like sparrows in a field.Don’t worry about it.Why worry?Paint a smile.Just tell yourself this.Try again.Nothing to it but to do it. - by Christopher
- ["When We Look with Love" - by Kate Jones, IUPUI student](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2024/05/when-we-look-with-love-by-kate-jones-iupui-student/) - (A visual school project based on IPWW prose)I started the journey of this painting project with nothing but trepidation and curiosity, an eagerness to find within the words of others a glimpse into the grandness of life. I can tell you now I found that and so much more. These past few months have been
- ["I Remember" by Gregory S.](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2024/05/i-remember-by-gregory-s/) - "I remember the clouds, the air of mother nature, the trees and birds. I remember my family and freedom and the excitement of doing what I want. I remember home. I remember cooking in the kitchen with family near. I remember going to work and being a provider. I remember being me.
- ["Dear Younger Me" by LaQuinton L.](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2024/04/dear-younger-me-by-laquinton-l/) - Dear Younger Me: A LetterThis isn’t a letter to forewarn you or alter any decision you’ll make in the future. Instead, this is a letter intended to inform you of the hidden jewels that lie deep within you, undisturbed, like the treasure from a wrecked ship at the bottom of the ocean. My hope is
- ["Reflections of IPWW" by Robert C., incarcerated writer](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2023/10/reflections-of-ipww-by-robert-c-incarcerated-writer/) - I thought myself to be fairly familiar with and knowledgeable in the art of writing when I signed up for Indiana Prison Writers Workshop. Yet, I have learned and discovered far more than I could have imagined. I honestly didn't expect much from the class initially, but that quickly changed after attending the first session,
- ["Rooted in Reclamation"](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2023/07/26519/)
- ["After the coalman left" by Anonymous (incarcerated for 51 years)](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2022/12/after-the-coalman-left-by-anonymous-incarcerated-for-51-years/) - I don't expect anyone to to understand what the early memories of family togetherness at Christmas means to a person who has been confined in prison for 50+ years. When I was a child in the 40s and 50s we didn't have lights or ornaments on our tree; we made a colored crayon chain made
- [Life-changing writing class holds special meaning](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2023/05/what-has-indiana-prison-writers-workshop-meant-to-you/) - Written by incarcerated student, Rob C. The Indiana Prison Writers Workshop classes at Putnamville Correctional is a place where people change. I have seen many men become betters writers, but I have also known some to become better fathers, sons, and brothers. Some men learn new things about themselves, while others have healed a part
- ["Pain" by M.J. G.](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2023/05/pain/) - Pain is undeniable but suffering is a choice. Living in the material universe demands a certain acquiescence to the limits of form. Pain is not evil or wrong - helpful in fact - only intense in its delivery. Suffering is the result of deciding to ignore or disregard what pain seeks to see made right. I
- ["The Sound of Silence" by Steven C.](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2023/04/the-sound-of-silence-by-steven-c/) - It echoes off the musty, dark walls. The further I try to run from it, the louder it gets. Sadly, I’ve heard this overbearing ‘noise’ since I was a child. At first, I was an innocent little boy, raised by my single mother until the age of six. She was my whole foundation- built on
- ["Reward system" by IPWW student](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2022/12/reward-system-by-ipww-student/) - Owen was obsessed with the little stickers that college football teams put on their helmets. Over the course of the season, players received these stickers for their accomplishments. Owen didn’t have a clue what the specifics were, or if the reward system was individual or team-based? Season after season, as the unquestionable summer sunshine gave
- ["I Remember" by IPWW student](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2022/12/i-remember-by-ipww-student-2/) - I remember growing up wishing that I had more than I did. Times were rough when I was coming up. Son of a single mother that raised seven kids on her own. I remember learning how to cut grass so I could go to McDonald’s or the corner store to buy candy. I remember Mom
- ["I Remember" by Jeremy R., IPWW student](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2022/12/i-remember-by-jeremy-r-ipww-student/) - I remember my sister pulling my ears until they popped.I remember running around the house, curling my lips, singing and imitating Elvis.I remember pretending to be a working man, fixing things.I remember the smell of incense and booze mixed with cigarette smoke clouding the air and the night that was to follow.I remember joining a union at 18 years old and starting my career.I remember building my
- ["Revenge of the Mad Cow" by Joe A., IPWW student](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2022/12/revenge-of-the-mad-cow-by-joe-a/) - My mom and I lived in a small two-bedroom red-brick house. Our front yard had four pine trees and a giant oak that became my hiding spots, forts, climbing domain, and all-around playground. The neighbor to the south owned a plot of land that was humongous to me, as long as two football fields running
- ["I Remember" by Kevin B., IPWW student](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2022/10/i-remember-by-ipww-student/) - I remember growing up wishing that I had more than I did. Times were rough when I was coming up. Son of a single mother that raised seven kids on her own. I remember learning how to cut grass so I could go to McDonald’s or the corner store to buy candy. I remember Mom
- ["Intersection" by Debra Des Vignes, IPWW Founder](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2018/08/intersection/) - Nobody warns you that empathy is an unraveling; that familiarity becomes untied when you’re no longer familiar to yourself – like when you arrive at a place where life gives new meaning. This happens to me each week in prison. I place my keys, purse, and book bag on a scanner for the first guard
- ["The Glimmer In My Daughter's Eyes" by Phil Roberts](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2018/11/the-glimmer-in-my-daughters-eyes-post-release-by-phil-roberts/) - My biggest fear is that I'll be released from prison after two years and my daughter will not recognize me. I felt an unimaginable amount of weight lift from my shoulders the day I sign my release papers. This is the end of what seems like a never-ending journey of incarceration. I knew the day
- ["Writers" by Kristina O'Connor, IPWW Program Facilitator](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2018/08/visiting-writers/) - As I rush in, late always, for my second visit to the Plainfield Correctional Facility, I'm amused that the majority of my nervousness is related to the security check-in. It's a little unnerving, like figuring out the ordering process at Chipotle on my first visit. I dart around wondering where to set my bag for
- ["Reflections" by Kristina O'Connor, IPWW Program Facilitator](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2018/10/were-all-just-walking-each-other-home/) - “We’re all just walking each other home.” –Ram Dass It’s well into October now so there was no sun to squint into as I drove away from prison after my third visit. Instead a heavy dome of steel fog walled off the horizon and made things seem quiet and distant, like after the first snow
- ["Walls" by IPWW student](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2018/12/walls-by-a-student-offender/) - I've been in prison for a long time - almost thirty-three years since I was sixteen years old. I've seen a lot of changes over the years. I've shuffled in and out of four different facilities: two with walls obstructing my view and two without. I prefer the ones with walls. When I was at
- ["Vietnam" by IPWW student](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2018/12/vietnam-by-a-student-offender/) - On a wintery day in February 1972, I sat in my living room looking out the window at the weather and drinking JW DANT one-hundred-proof bourbon. I sat with my bottle in-hand talking to God as I often did. The alarm beeped on my watch and startled me. It read 9:30am. At 25, I wondered:
- ["I Remember" by IPWW student](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2019/01/i-remember-by-a-student-offender/) - I remember red and blue illumination dancing wildly off of tenements. I remember stale air, old tennis shoes and long forgotten Febreze. I remember Jefferson and Lincoln old and crisp. "Keep the change." I remember metal smooth and cool air running in bringing along bickering pandemonium. I remember Timberland soles meeting city asphalt. I remember
- ["Reward System" by IPWW student](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2019/04/reward-system-by-student-offender/) - Owen was obsessed with the little stickers that college football teams put on their helmets. Over the course of the season, players received these stickers for their accomplishments. Owen didn’t have a clue what the specifics were, or if the reward system was individual or team-based? Season after season, as the unquestionable summer sunshine gave
- ["I Remember" by Kristina O'Connor, IPWW Program Facilitator](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2019/04/week-one-spring-2019-i-remember/) - Security felt like a breeze with my shiny new volunteer badge. No invisible hand stamp, no running back out to my car because I forgot my driver’s license again. First class of the newest 12-week session, and though I’ve been in multiple times alone, it feels a little different now. This is the first session
- ["Revolution" by IPWW student](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2019/07/revolution-by-student-offender/) - A prison revolution erupted in 1973 at the state prison in Michigan City, Indiana. It came swiftly and without warning. As a prisoner and witness to that revolt, I can say unequivocally that activist Emma Goldman was correct when she said, “No real social change has ever been brought about without a revolution…” I lived
- ["Freedom Within" by Tiffany Leininger, IPWW Program Facilitator](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2019/10/freedom-within-by-tiffany-leininger-volunteer-instructor/) - I recently gave the men in my class a prompt. What is freedom to you and how do you attain it? I found the men’s answers to be interesting and thought-provoking. A question such as the one I posed lends itself to a myriad of responses, but I felt given their current situation, the idea
- ["Dear Basketball" by Kristina O'Connor, IPWW Program Facilitator](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2020/02/dear-basketball-by-kristina-oconnor/) - A few hours before my Sunday visit to prison, I learned about Kobe Bryant’s death. As I was consuming the never-ending news cycle that day, I learned that he had written a poem titled “Dear Basketball” the year he retired. I decided to alter my plans for class and bring in the poem to share.
- ["Hope" by Tiffany Leininger, IPWW Program Facilitator](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2020/03/hope-is-a-good-thing-by-tiffany-leininger/) - Twenty-eight years. That’s a long time for a man to live his life behind bars. It’s also a long time for a man to be alone with his thoughts. But twenty-eight years is how long one of the men in my writing class waited for his freedom, waited to rejoin society, waited to once again
- [“More Than Just Words” by Tiffany Leininger, IPWW  Program Facilitator](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2021/03/more-than-just-words-by-tiffany-leininger-ipww-volunteer-program-instructor/) - It’s been a year since I have been to the prisons. Some people joke that that’s probably a good thing, but what I have found with each passing month is that a part of me is missing. As an instructor with IPWW, I miss those days where I could sit in the classroom with twelve
- ["The Simple Things" by IPWW student](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2019/01/the-simple-things-by-student-offender/) - "You have to die a few times before you can really live," - Charles Bukowski. Truly, anyone who has suffered a loss of all things has a good understanding of this quote by Charles Bukowski but especially for anyone who has been incarcerated for a long periods of time - it means a lot. Not only has
- [“Embracing Humanity” by Tiffany Leininger, IPWW volunteer facilitator](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2019/05/embracing-humanity-by-tiffany-leininger/) - The man across from me is covered from head to toe in typical tattoo green. At first glance, his appearance is slightly alarming, but I try to get past the ink and meet his eyes with intentionality. I want him to know he’s heard and known. He tells me the reason he is taking this
- ["Nourishment" by IPWW student](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2019/05/giving-gifts-nourishment-by-student-offender/) - In prison, or any other place for that matter, we do what we can for others – at least that is my prayer. When in early 2019, illness swept the Nation, I got it. I thought it was the flu, but a nurse at the hospital said it was something else. Who really knows what
- ["Pain" by IPWW student](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2019/07/pain-by-student-offender/) - Booze helped ease the pain I felt inside. In my state of mind, I didn't understand how the pain came to be but only that it clung to my life like a millstone around my neck ever pulling me down deeper into darkness.Over the years, the pain I once felt inside subsided. It moved from
- ["Revolution" by IPWW student](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2019/08/revolution-by-student-offender-2/) - A prison revolution erupted in 1973 at the state prison in Michigan City, Indiana. It came swiftly and without warning. As a prisoner and witness to that revolt, I can say unequivocally that activist Emma Goldman was correct when she said, “No real social change has ever been brought about without a revolution…” A gray
- ["Change" by IPWW student](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2019/09/change-student-offender/) - Growing up and living the same ways that I knew over and over, expecting the world to change at my convenience, always landed me with the same results. I kept going down the same roads hoping for different results and they have gotten worse. I blamed everyone for my mistakes and bad situations and bad
- ["Friendships" by IPWW student](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2019/10/friendships-by-student-offender/) - Some might say that I never had any real, true friends left when I came home from the war, and they were probably correct because after I went to prison, they were nowhere to be found. “True friendship is like sound health; the value of it is seldom known until it is gone,” wrote Charles
- ["Sharks and Butterflies" by IPWW student](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2019/11/sharks-and-butterflies-by-student-offender/) - The analogy of the menacing and the majestic is a common theme throughout the observation of nature – be it human or animal kingdom. A convicted felon is labeled as a “menace to society,” but a butterfly can also be a prisoner, when trapped inside a caterpillar. The allegory of a cell being a cocoon
- ["A Recipe for Immortality" by IPWW student](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2019/11/a-recipe-for-immortality-by-student-offender/) - (1) Born Legend – Name written in Heaven(1) Accidental on purpose birth(1) Great Grandma with (1) rocking chair, (1) record player, and (1) navy blue metal can with cookies in muffin wrappers(1) Nana who drinks Miller High Life, smokes Winston's that give you asthma, and makes cuss words a part of your everyday vocabulary by
- ["Utah" by IPWW student](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2020/02/utah-by-student-offender/) - Not too overly ambitious, I have a burning desire to go to Utah to see the Arches National Park. To witness the breathtaking view of fifty miles from the south rim of the park. After hiking over petrified sand dunes for two hours I'd come to a cliff that overlooks the Colorado River and a
- ["Free At Last" by Danny S., IPWW student](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2020/08/free-at-last-by-danny-s/) - On February 24th of this past year I was released from what I thought a dismal existence. After 28 and a half years I got out of prison. It was supposed to be a joyous occasion where I screamed to the heavens about the freedom I had been given. Instead I have remained subdued. The
- ["Hurdles" by Danny S., IPWW student](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2020/09/hurdles-by-danny-s/) - In life, there are many hurdles to jump. Some people make the jump and some take the fall. Some who take the fall get back up and re-join the race, but some who fall are broken and must knit themselves back together before ever thinking to race again and even then seem to never fully
- ["Felony" by Danny S., IPWW student](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2020/11/felony-by-danny-s/) - “Have you been convicted of a felony?” I have found these words to be the most vicious words said to me since my release in February of this year. I sat there, once again, defeated as I typed in the answer to that question, knowing what the response would be: “How long ago?”“Twenty-eight years ago,”
- ["Release Day" by Gregory T., IPWW student](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2021/06/releaseday-by-greg-t/) - The day of my release was a blur. The anticipation of that day made the reality of it hard to process. The state employee driving me and two others was lost in his own thoughts. The other two guys babbled on about mundane topics barely earning my attention. My senses were feasting. It was July
- ["Life's Precious Moments" by Gregory T., IPWW student](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2021/05/family-time-by-gregory-t/) - There was a time my father and I shared thoughts under the same light. We stared at the heavens together and he pointed up above to the site of the space shuttle on its scheduled route that he had timed. I remember how still and dark the night was, void of any moon. The stars
- ["Finding Freedom" by Branden A., IPWW student](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2020/12/finding-freedom-by-branden-ackerson/) - I served eighteen years in prison and came out totally lost. When someone asks how I’m doing I usually reply, “I’m good,” or “I’m adjusting” because it’s simpler than the complex truth which is, I have felt lost, rejected, and undervalued, but I never gave up. As I approach two years from my release date,
- ["My Grandmother's Love" by Phil R., IPWW student](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2021/09/my-grandmothers-love-by-phil-r/) - The pain is unimaginable. I close my eyes. All I can see is the face of an angel. I see my grandmother's face, but she isn't here. I scream for her at the top of my lungs. Tears drop down my face, falling like treacherous rain, but the skies are blue. Clouds look like pillows
- ["I Remember" by Phil R., IPWW student](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2021/09/i-remember-by-phil-r/) - I remember getting a whooping for doing something I had no business doing and my grandaddy would always say, "Take the trash out son, and I'll give you a dollar." So I would take the trash out, he'll give me a dollar. Then, he'd tell me to ask my uncle Charlie to walk me to
- ["Adjustment" by Danny S., IPWW student](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2022/01/adjustment-by-danny-s/) - I wonder about the power of strength. Is strength measured by physical stature? Is it mental fortitude, or the ability to endure emotional hardship? My life has been one hardship after another with no big windfalls, or high points - only a constant struggle. In prison, it was easier to be strong physically and not
- ["The Butterfly With The Broken Wing" by IPWW student](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2019/08/the-butterfly-by-student-offender/) - There was once a butterfly with a broken wing who struggled to stay alive in a world that sought to make its existence invalid. Null and void. All the other insects told him how useless he was, being that he had a broken wing. Some of the insects admired the beauty of his color but
- ["Firefighters" by Kristina O'Connor, IPWW volunteer instructor](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2019/06/firefighters-by-kristina-volunteer-instructor/) - “Family dysfunction rolls down from generation to generation like a fire in the woods, taking down everything in its path until one person in one generation has the courage to turn and face the flames. That person brings peace to their ancestors and spares the children that follow.” -Terry Real This quote was recently shared
- ["Life is Life" by Anonymous](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2020/09/life-is-life/) - Forty-eight years ago, in 1972, I received a life sentence, and even though I have been eligible for parole for twenty-seven years now, I remain in prison. So, “What does one do if he or she has years or decades on the ‘inside’ or may not be able to leave?” The question makes me wonder,
- ["Hummingbirds" by Kristina, volunteer instructor](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2019/05/hummingbirds-by-kristina-volunteer-instructor/) - I listened to a speech recently by Elizabeth Gilbert about the power of people who are “hummingbirds.” For years she had given motivational speeches about pursuing one’s passion. What she had failed to realize was that not everyone has found their passion, despite months, years, or even decades of searching. She discussed the beauty of
- ["In my mind" by student-offender](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/2019/04/in-my-mind-by-student-offender/) - I’ve noticed with age that I’ve acquired an “I don’t give a damn attitude” when someone, anyone, interferes in my every day life. If I go to use the bathroom and someone is in my favorite spot, I instinctively add them to my hate list. Oh yes, I didn’t always have a hate list, and

## Pages

- [Prison Writing Workshops that Inspire Change | Indiana Prison Writers Workshop](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/) - Why Indiana Prison Writers Workshop is needed
- [About the founder](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/about-the-founder/) - Debra Des Vignes is the founder of Indiana Prison Writers Workshop. As a former TV news reporter, Debra got her start as an apprentice at ABC-7 in Los Angeles, California, before embarking on a decade-long career as a journalist. She worked closely with law enforcement covering crime and courts in various TV markets: Pocatello, Idaho;
- [The Program](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/the-program/) - We're a 12-week creative writing workshop that extends to correctional facilities and communities impacted by violence.The tailored curriculum includes:--- Creative writing instruction--- Short story reading and discussion--- Creative prompts to strengthen writing skills The process of drafting, editing, and revising encourages critical thinking, and communication, and self-expression — skills essential for rehabilitation and reintegration into
- [Press](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/press/) - ACADEMIC JOURNAL Journal of Prison Education Research, April 2025 TV 2025 CNN Hero, July 18, 2025 Ad Week, July 16, 2025 WVTM-TV (NBC-13) Community champion uses words to help prisons, Birmingham, Ala. February 2, 2023 FOX59, Marian University partners with Indiana Prison Writers Workshop, December 7, 2021 WRTV, Program growth and impact, May 13, 2021
- [Testimonials](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/testimonials/) - "This class reduces my stress, fills me with positive energy, and clears my head — it gives me space to think."— Indiana Prison Writers Workshop incarcerated student "Because of this class, I find it easier to trust others and share things."— Indiana Prison Writers Workshop incarcerated student "When I first started this workshop, I was
- [Contact Us](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/contact-us/) - Indiana Prison Writers Workshop, P. O. Box 44623 Indianapolis, IN 46244inprisonwritersworkshop@gmail.com
- [Team](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/staff/)
- [Donate](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/donate/) - Support this prison writing workshop that transforms lives by helping writers to rebuild their futures. Thanks to an all volunteer staff, all donations to Indiana Prison Writers Workshop benefit the incarcerated men and women we serve. Your donation is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
- [Student Stories](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/inmate-writings/) - "A Meeting in the Field" by IPWW student (in Alabama) I walk barefooted through a field feeling every blade of grass wrap up the sides of my feet and in between my toes. Dandelions speckle the grass. A butterfly lands softly on the yellow flower near me, then flutters away at my movement. I lay
- [Online Store](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/online-store/) - Indiana Prison Writers Workshop T-shirt: Sizes M, L, and XL$25.00 + $10 s&h Note: We only have a handful of size medium left. Sizes Medium $25.00 USD Large $25.00 USD XL $25.00 USD
- [Where Are They Now](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/where-are-they-now/) - Welcome to Indiana Prison Writers Workshop series titled, “Where Are They Now”. Meet Scott H.RELEASED. 3/30/2020. Incarcerated for 22 years and 8 months. Scott enjoys spending time with his family. He’s currently job hunting. He says his biggest challenge post-release is being alert and aware of scams. “There are so many scams out there: from
- [Volunteer](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/volunteer/) - Consider volunteering or donating funds for us to continue our work. We offer creative writing courses year round at Indiana correctional facilities. We are expanding slowly but appreciate your interest. Indiana Prison Writers Workshop volunteer instructors have a genuine love for the written word. We lead weekly and/or monthly creative writing classes inside Indiana correctional facilities. There are

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- [Blog](https://inprisonwritersworkshop.org/category/blog/)