Help realize Inside Out

Inside Out is an artistic project for incarcerated writers, in collaboration with Apogee Journal  and Empowerment Avenue. We at Apogee have always focused on work that centers the experiences and perspectives of the marginalized—this partnership with Prison Renaissance/Empowerment Avenue allows us to extend our community of contributors to incarcerated writers and artists, to bring their stories to light in a time when the suffering wrought by Covid-19 has impacted people in jails and prisons disproportionately.

In fall 2020, Apogee heard from Rahsaan Thomas, co-founder of Prison Renaissance and Empowerment Avenue, a program dedicated to ensuring publication and renumeration for incarcerated writers and artists. Since then, Rahsaan and Apogee's Alexandra Watson have exchanged many 15-minute collect phone calls and letters, talking about how he nurtures his writing practice and writing community at San Quentin, and her writing, editorial practice and experience with family members who've been incarcerated. This project extends and builds on such connections, with a close collaboration between incarcerated writers, Empowerment Avenue volunteers, and Apogee editors.

We would greatly appreciate support raising funds to guarantee pay for the contributors and to produce the print and digital versions of the issue!

Cover art by Inside Out contributor M. Seishin Cadiz, "Deliberate Indifference."

ID: An illustrated image. On the left side, medical professionals wearing personal protective equipment cry and comfort each other; on the right side are three grave stones with the words "2020 wash hands wear masks stay home," "San Quentin 28" and "Here Lies Prison Reform." Above the grave stones are images of skulls and people in prison uniforms inhaling enlarged animated coronavirus molecules.

Columbia Journalism Review coverage of Empowerment Avenue
More on Apogee Journal
More on Prison Renaissance