BREAK OUT
2022 PEN AMERICA PrISOn WRITING AWARDS celebration
poetry • fiction • nonfiction • drama
We're so glad you're here.
celebrating the 2022 PEN AMERICA
Prison Writing AWARDS Anthology
In this extraordinary collection... one finds oneself immediately transported into some of the most horrifying places that this same country could possibly create. And yet, thanks to these most irreverent, audacious, poignant, and incredibly beautiful voices, however, one is also utterly transformed and inspired."
- Heather Ann Thompson, author of BLOOD IN THE WATER
"Having spent 28 years inside, I can attest to the authenticity of the narratives of struggle and triumph found within this volume and would encourage all to dive into these remarkably well-written pieces with an open heart.
- Sterling Cunio, 2018-2019 PEN America Writing for Justice Fellow
"A breath-taking gift, a reminder that in a world obsessed with punishment we deny ourselves the wisdom and healing possible from stories, poems and essays by writers a society has deemed unsalvageable."
- Patrice Gaines, author of LAUGHING IN THE DARK
"A daring addition to literary work that illuminates the spectrum of carcerality and the humans entangled with it working to tell their stories."
- Prince Shakur, WHEN THEY TELL YOU TO BE GOOD
Special thanks to
OUR PARTNERS
Brooklyn Public Library Justice Initiatives
PEN America Prison Writing Committee
Rehabilitation Through the Arts
Die Jim Crow Records
Pro Bono ASL
OUR PROGRAM FUNDERS
The Mellon Foundation
Francis Greenburger
Stavros Niarchos Foundation
Art For Justice Fund
The Madeleine L'Engle Family
The Edward Bunker Family
Tyrone Taylor
IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE
READERS BIOS AT END OF PROGRAM
Kara Young
Jermaine Archer
Caits Meissner
Asia Kate Dillon
Rehabilitation Through the Arts with Jermaine Archer, Dario Peña, Tyrone Taylor
Robbie Pollock
José Olivarez
Linda La
Readers
Bell Gale Chevigny was the author of THE WOMAN AND THE MYTH: MARGARET FULLER'S LIFE AND WRITINGS and the novel CHLOE and OLIVIA; the editor of DOING TIME: 25 YEARS OF PRISON WRITING (A PEN American Center Prize Anthology), and served for decades on the Prison Writing Committee.
In Memoriam of
Bell Gale Chevigny
1936-2021
THE PERFORMANCE
MOVEMENT 1
LIGHTNING RODS by David Pickett
Read by Kara Young
SILENT TREATMENT by Rahsaan Thomas
Read by Jermaine Archer
PAIN MANAGEMENT by Elizabeth Hawes
Read by Caits Meissner
WHEN KNEADED by C. Fausto Cabrera
Read by José Olivarez
Y'ALL AIN'T HERE TO BE REHABILITATED by Lyle C. May
Read by Asia Kate Dillon
MOVEMENT 2
A FABLE FOR LEANNE by Wintersun Lemieux
Read by José Olivarez
OFFICER SAM DOESN'T WORK HERE ANYMORE by Burl Corbett
Staged by Rehabilitation Through the Arts with
Jermaine Archer, Dario Peña, Tyrone Taylor
LITANY IN PAIRS by Chad Rand
Read by Jermaine Archer
MOVEMENT 3
VARIATIONS ON AN UNDISCLOSED LOCATION by Alex Tretbar
Read by Caits Meissner
CO-ED by Tsunami Caryl-Averlyn
Read by Linda La FM
LIFE. IN. PIECES. by Frank Kensaku Saragosa
Read by Asia Kate Dillon
THE HARD PART by Geneva Phillips
Read by Kara Young
FIRST NIGHT by John Corley
Read by Robbie Pollock
THE AWARD WINNERS
DAVID PICKETT
I am: a poet. A Prisoner. Human. Transgender. Nonbinary. A writer.
A person who. A vessel for breath. An audience. A believer. A skeptic.
A simulation. A sadness. A joy.
A vexed thing. A convex surface.
A knot with zero crossings.
An unsolved equation. A mystery.
A storehouse of memory. An instant of forgetting. A destroyer. A survivor. An overdrawn account. An aftertaste. A fullness. A lack. Myself. I live in Minnesota. My pronouns are they/them.
DAVID PICKETT NOTES
Rahsaan Thomas
Growing up in Brownsville, Brooklyn, New York, I experienced trauma and witnessed gun violence committed against my little brother. Through my fears, shame, and insecurities, I chose to let the evil deeds of my enemies make my evil deeds seem fair and became a menace to society. Since then, I have completely turned my life around. I am a successful writer, podcaster, director, producer, advocate, and youth counselor currently incarcerated at San Quentin Prison, using my voice for redemption.
RAHSAAN THOMAS NOTES
Elizabeth Hawes
Elizabeth Hawes is an award-winner in poetry, memoir, and playwriting. Her play “Supernova” can be found on the Open-Door Playhouse podcast. Elizabeth is an actor, gardener, playwright, poet, and prisoner in Minnesota. She has received three national Prison Writing Awards and one Fielding A. Dawson Award from PEN America. She enjoys taking college classes and watching other people cook.
ELIZABETH HAWES NOTES
I am a serious person who does not take themselves too serious. I’m bout this creative lifestyle & am not afraid to do the work. Art is the only avenue I’ve found that could restore my dignity. “I’m from the dark. I was already a man by the time I saw the light, and then it was just blinding.”
C. Fausto Cabrera
C FAUSTO CABRERA NOTES
Lyle C. May
Lyle C. May is a journalist incarcerated in Raleigh, N.C. He is an Ohio University alum and member of the Alpha Sigma Lambda honor society currently working on a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice Administration. Visit scalawagmagazine.org to read more of Lyle’s work or you can buy his book, WITNESS: AN INSIDER'S NARRATIVE OF THE CARCERAL STATE, which is due to be published by Haymarket Books in the fall of 2023.
LYLE C. MAY NOTES
Wintersun Lemieux
I’m Native American from Minnesota. I’m dedicated to non-violence. I love children and have a beautiful granddaughter whom I love dearly. I’m a sixteen-year-old stuck in a ninety-year-old’s demeanor.
WINTERSUN LEMIEUX NOTES
Burl N. Corbett was born 6/9/47 in Reading: PA. Raised on a farm only three crow miles away from John Updike’s adolescent country home immortalized in “Pigeon Feathers.” Graduated high school in 1965, then ran away in 1966 to join the beatniks in Greenwich Village, only to find that scene supplanted by the hippies. Lived among the counterculture in New York and Haight-Ashbury until 1968, when I returned disillusioned to PA. Got married, raised four children, began writing, got divorced, and came to prison at the age of 60 with no criminal record other than a 24-year-old DUI for the “crime” of self-defense in my own home without the financial means to hire an experienced lawyer. Presently, as I continue to appeal, I am serving life without parole.
Burl N. Corbett
BURL N. CORBETT NOTES
I am a gay, incarcerated poet and writer originally from Rochelle, IL. I currently work for a dollar a day as a prison gardener and greenhouse keeper. I am also a correspondence college student pursuing a BA in theater and English. Words are my escape, my liberty, my autonomy, my reassurance that, above the maelstrom, humanity and trueness of heart still live on.
Chad Rand
CHAD RAND NOTES
Alex Tretbar
Alex Tretbar was born in Michita, Kansas, and he earned degrees in Journalism and English from the University of Kansas. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in Poetry Northwest, Kansas English, and PLACED: An Encyclopedia of Central Oregon, Vol. 1.
ALEX TRETBAR NOTES
I am a male-to-female trans woman, born in Puerto Rico. I have lived stateside since age 13, I am half Puerto Rican/African-American. In addition to being a writer and enthusiast, I am an activist in multiple legal groups and affiliates, and transformative justice projects.
Tsunami Caryl Averlyn
TSUNAMI CARYL-AVERLYN NOTES
Frank kensaku saragosa
I’m starting to write seriously late in life, but I want to put what I’ve experienced to some use. When I got taken into federal custody, I had been living on the streets for over two years, and so, it was hard to be in prison, coming from a place of unfathomable loss, to conceive of being able to build any kind of future. Writing in prison helped me begin to make sense of experiences that I could not understand, and as I continued, I began to believe that in my work, I had something of value to contribute. I write about addiction, homelessness, criminality and incarceration; I wrote both fiction and non-fiction, and a lot of my work sits right in the space where they meet. I’ve been exploring experimental and hybrid forms as a way of rendering experiences which are, by their nature, out of bounds and illegible. What motivates me to write is my desire to convey the humanity of the people I’ve lived with, and the communities I’ve lived among. I don’t imagine my work will appeal to everyone, but I hope people who’ve been on the streets and in prison will say “yes, that’s exactly what it’s like.”
Geneva Phillips is currently finishing up an 18-year sentence at the Dr. Eddie Warrior Correctional Facility in Taft, Ok. She recently placed 2nd in the Arts for Justice Prison Writer’s Challenge (2022). She also has enjoyed publication in COLUMBIA: a Journal of Art and Literature (Spring Issue #57) and the publication of her first book DISAPPEARING IN GLIMPSES, a creative nonfiction memoir (Mongrel Empire Press 2020). She is heavily involved with Poetic Justice (Oklahoma), a therapeutic writing nonprofit where she writes poetry and creates art.
Geneva Phillips
THE HARD PART BY GENEVA PHILLIPS
Read by Kara Young
THE HARD PART BY GENEVA PHILLIPS
Read by Kara Young
GENEVA PHILLIPS NOTES
THE HARD PART BY GENEVA PHILLIPS
Read by Kara Young
John corley
John Corley is the associate editor of THE ANGOLITE, the news magazine of the Louisiana State Penitentiary. A native of Sabine Parish in west-central Louisiana, he is approaching his 33rd year of incarceration. He is a recipient of PEN America fiction, playwriting, and poetry awards, and a National Council on Crime and Delinquency journalism award. His second poetry collection, THIS ABSURD DESOLATIN, has been accepted for publication by DVille Press.
THE HARD PART BY GENEVA PHILLIPS
Read by Kara Young
JOHN CORLEY NOTES
special thanks to our performers
JERMAINE ARCHER joined RTA in December 2006 and went on to become a steering committee member in 2012. While serving 22 years in prison for a crime he did not commit, he earned a Master Degree, became a certified paralegal, emceed the first TEDx event inside a NYS prison, and gave a TEDx talk. Since his release, he has worked as a Sentence Mitigation Specialist, Emerging Adult Court Advocate, Community Outreach Coordinator, and Program and Program Associate.
ASIA KATE DILLON is best known for playing Brandy Epps in ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK (2013) and Taylor Mason in BILLIONS (2016). Their role on BILLIONS is the first gender non-binary character shown on American television. Dillon is non-binary and uses singular they pronouns. Dillon is also the founder and the producing director of MIRROR/FIRE Productions.
LINDA LAFM is an international, multidisciplinary SAG-AFTRA performer, recording artist, writer, teacher, host and model from the Boogie Down Bronx, New York. Her work infuses elements of music, movement, and spoken word poetry through theater performance and community workshops. Her self biographical work has helped provide communities with greater knowledge and awareness around trans issues while challenging gender norms. Born out of the Mainstream/Kiki Vogue Ballroom Scene, her sound has been articled in both AFROPUNK, The Fader, and she has been featured in The New Yorker, The New York Times, W Magazine and more. She has curated performances with The Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance, La Mama Experimental Theater, New York Live Arts and VICE. Last year, she made her film television debut in the role of Swan in the hit series finale of POSE on FX and received the New York State Proclamation Award at the NYC’s 2nd Annual Juneteenth Jubilee. She currently resides on Munsee Lenape land, working on her first studio project set to include original music and poetry. Her recording work can be found on all streaming platforms and archived at the Brooklyn Museum in the “Nobody Promised You Tomorrow: Art 50 Years After Stonewall” exhibit. Find out more at Lindala.world.
TYRONE TAYLOR is an artist who expresses himself through his passion for music and acting. He is a Rehabilitation Through the Arts Alumni and has appeared in many of their productions.
JOSÉ OLIVAREZ is the son of Mexican immigrants. His debut book of poems, CITIZEN ILLEGAL, was a finalist for the PEN/ Jean Stein Award and a winner of the 2018 Chicago Review of Books Poetry Prize. It was named a top book of 2018 by The Adroit Journal, NPR, and the New York Public Library. Along with Felicia Chavez and Willie Perdomo, he co-edited the poetry anthology, THE BREAKBEAT Poets Vol. 4: LatiNEXT. His second book of poems, PROMISES OF GOLD, will be published in February 2023.
CAITS MEISSNER is the Director of Prison and Justice Writing at PEN America, where she edited THE SENTENCES THAT CREATE US: Crafting A Writer’s Life in Prison (Haymarket Books), of which the Mellon Foundation funded 75,000 to reach readers in prisons nationwide. She is also a multidisciplinary artist and writer. Her poems, comics, essays and curation have appeared in The Creative Independent, The Rumpus, [PANK], Harper’s Bazaar, Adroit, Literary Hub, Split This Rock, Bust Magazine, The Normal School, O Magazine, and The Guardian, among others. Her latest project, FLOWERS FOR LINDA is a podcast about the relationship between creativity and grief named after her late mother.
My name is DARIO PEÑA. I spent 25 years incarcerated in New York State and participated for about 15 years in a theater program in Sing Sing called Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA). I now work as a Student Success Manager at a software development program called Justice Through Code in the Center For Justice at Columbia University which serves legal system-impacted people.
ROBERT POLLOCK is the manager of the Prison Writing Program at PEN America. For over a decade, he has worked with the justice system and its intersection with the arts. He is an ongoing participant in Rehabilitation Through the Arts, Musicambia, Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison, and Carnegie Hall’s Musical Connections Advisory Committee. He has collaborated with the Fortune Society, Osborne Association, and several NYC grassroots organizations. He has participated in workshops and panels at Columbia, Harvard, NYU, Yale, and other universities to advocate for the power of the arts in prison education and restorative justice practices. As a visual artist, he illustrated the picture book for children of incarcerated parents, SING SING MIDNIGHT, which is used in therapeutic settings around the country. As a singer-songwriter, his compositions have been heard at the Obama White House, the RFK Human Rights Foundation, Create Justice forums, the Vera Institute of Justice Gala, the New York Ethical Society, and Carnegie Hall. Robert is a Fall 2019 New York Community Trust Leadership Fellow.
KARA YOUNG made her Broadway debut, earned a Lucille Lortel Award nomination for her starring role in the MCC Theater play, ALL THE NATALIE PORTMANS. Other theater credits include HALFWAY BITCHES GO STRAIGHT TO HEAVEN, THE NEW ENGLANDERS, SYNCHING INK, and PRETTY HUNGER. On screen she starred in the winner of Sundance 2018’s Short Film Jury Awards US Fiction, HAIR WOLF, and was featured on HBO’s “Random Acts of Flyness” as well as the Amazon feature, CHEMICAL HEARTS.
Works of Justice is a PEN America Prison and Justice Writing online literary series and podcast that explores the relationship between writing and incarceration, and challenges current conversations about criminal justice in the United States.