Hundred Stories Project

I WANT TO BELIEVE TODAY THAT EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE

When I came to prison 24 years ago, I didn't realize there was a little boy inside of me screaming for help. My father had been tragically murdered when I was three years old. At that age, I didn't understand what death was or how trauma would impact me or my family. Eventually, my mother suffered a mental breakdown, which left me with an obligation to care for three little sisters. A child making adult decisions, this little boy never had a chance to be a kid, to play, to be carefree.

In prison, I discovered writing as a way to heal and cope with the neglect stemming from my childhood and the isolation, sense of powerlessness, and dehumanization my incarceration subjected me to. It allowed personal development, organization, and most importantly deep reflection. The experience is one I often share with others, be they fellow prisoners, university students, or anyone who'll listen with hopes of inspiring them.

Indeed, the transformative power of writing is one that I'm passionate about and wish to extend to other incarcerated men and women who, like myself, dare to explore the inner-child, the harms done to us as well as that which we've caused. We want to give back, sharing our written work with hopes of inspiring change.

I'm asking for your support to achieve this! Our organization recently launched the Writing Beyond The Prison Archive in partnership with the Humanities Institute at Stony Brook University. Next, our Hundred Stories Project aims to publish 30 incarcerated prisoner's manuscripts a year and produce 10 animated, three minute film shorts depicting the disorienting aspects of life in prison which contribute to recidivism, mental illness and addiction.

Make a gift today to change the narrative, change our communities, and change the world! Sign up as a sustaining donor by texting UBFSF to 44-321.