Posts by Cathy Xie
Prisoners, COVID and Creativity: Prisoner Express Poetry Anthology Volume 24
This edition of the Prisoner Express Poetry Anthology stands alone, as all of the entries were received during the pandemic. Those of us on the outside have a better understanding of the effects of isolation on our well-being. In prisons everything shut down and prisoners often watched the virus spread in their ranks. Many suffered,…
Read MoreCommunity 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…
Read MoreVoices 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…
Read MorePrisoner Express Art @ MoMA!
MoMA PS 1 is presenting a major exhibition of prison art from April 5 through August 25: “Marking Time: Art in the Age of Mass Incarceration.” This exhibition explores art and mass incarceration, featuring art made by 35 artists in prisons and persons whose life has been impacted by incarceration. The exhibition is in conjunction…
Read MorePoetry Anthology #22
Prisoner Express Poetry Volume 22 are now available! Prisoner Express has just published two volumes of poetry submitted by incarcerated authors across the US. A team of PE volunteers read through thousands of poems to find the poems for each anthology. Each volume had over 500 writers submit poems for consideration. Every prisoner who sends a…
Read MorePrisoner Express Winter 2020 Newsletter
Discover the humanity of incarcerated men and women through their creative writing and art in this winter edition of our biannual newsletter. This newsletter also contains a description of all the 10 programs PE is offering this cycle, including courses in financial literacy, songwriting, mediation and a book club featuring the novel Slaughterhouse-five. The prisoner…
Read MoreProgram 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?…
Read MoreProgram 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…
Read MoreProgram 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…
Read MoreWhat’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…
Read More