“Opening Windows into Other Worlds,” an article about Volunteering at Prisoner Express

Interested in volunteering at Prisoner Express, but not sure yet? Wondering how community engagement can impact your life? Learn more about how volunteers at PE found personal growth and transformation through their experiences in “Opening Windows into Other Worlds,” an article written by the Einhorn Center for Community Engagement at Cornell. Opening windows into other…

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Summer 2020 Newsletter

Prisoner Express has just mailed it’s Summer 2020 Newsletter to incarcerated men and women throughout the USA. During the pandemic, most internal programming is shut down in prisons. Often prisons are in a perpetual lockdown state so people are confined to their cells with little or no opportunities for education and creative engagement.  PE is…

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Community Across Cells

The two following poems are some of the first to be chosen for the Volume 23 of the  Prisoner Express Poetry Anthology.  Jointly they expose the painfully obvious and the obscured realities of what living life—for whatever amount of time—between the walls of a cell are like. Thank you to all who have contributed to…

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Voices from Prisons Across the Country, A Zoom Poetry Reading!

Voices from Prisons Across the Country Join us to experience the power of poetry and prose submitted to the on-campus nonprofit, Prisoner Express, from incarcerated individuals across the US. Students working with Prisoner Express will read poetry and theme writings, discuss the volunteer opportunities that are available, and share some of the insights and personal growth they have gained while working…

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Program Pitch: Journals ?

The journal program runs twice a week, where prisoners and student volunteers get the opportunity to connect through mailed ‘journal entries’. Katie, a junior information science major at Cornell, runs the program on Thursdays. Below, she shares with us what the program is all about and how to get involved. What is the journal program?…

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Program Pitch: Art ?

The arts program is led every Monday night by Krinal T., a freshman psychology major at Cornell. Below, she shares with us what the program is all about and how to get involved.   What is the art program? How does it work?  The art program provides a platform for incarcerated artists to showcase their…

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Program Pitch: Book Packing ??

On Monday evenings, senior biological sciences major Melissa Z. leads the book packing program for Prisoner Express. 10-15 student volunteers come in every week for two hours to prepare book packages for prisoners across the country. Below, Melissa shares with us what the program is all about and how to get involved.   What is…

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What’s to come for Poetry Anthology #22

When I began volunteering here at Prisoner Express, I was asked which project I would like to participate in. After reading the prior editions of the Poetry Anthology, I knew that was what I wanted to contribute to. I loved seeing the self-reflection and vulnerability that is present within poetry. Through this longitudinal experience, I…

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Prisoner Express director featured on eTown Radio!

We’re very excited to announce that Prisoner Express founder and director Gary Fine flown out to Colorado to be featured on an esteemed live radio program, eTown. You can listen to the episode on their website, or from their podcast. If you’re not familiar with Gary’s story, his work on the programs, etc… this is…

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Prisoner Express Art Exhibit Opening

Prisoner Express presents Art from Behind Bars, a showcase featuring the work of incarcerated individuals. The show at the Big Red Barn launches a traveling exhibition that will be presented over the next year at different venues throughout the Finger Lakes region. This provides an opportunity for the larger community beyond Cornell to see the…

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