THE

AMERICA PRISON WRITING ARCHIVE

C/O 198 College Hill Road, Clinton, NY 13323

The American Prison Writing Archive (APWA)* is a digital archive of non-fiction essays by
incarcerated Americans, prison staff, prison volunteers, and others writing about their experience
inside. The APWA is intended for researchers interested in American prison conditions,
incarcerated people, and the American prison system more generally. All the work in the APWA
will be accessible to anyone, anywhere in the world with access to the World Wide Internet Web.
The APWA is intended to make non-fiction prisoner writingwriting about the experience
of incarceration, and about the prison systemavailable to the widest possible audience, thus
engaging prisoner and prison-worker voices in a national conversation about mass incarceration in
the U.S. The APWA is intended to help open the American prison to public observation, and to
showcase the thinking and writing being produced inside.
Anyone who lives, works, or volunteers inside American prisons can contribute work to the
APWA.
Once included in the APWA, work will be retained there indefinitely. We reserve the right
to edit or reject work that advocates violence, names names in ongoing legal cases, or libels named
individuals. We are not currently accepting poetry or fiction. We accept art (on a single 8.5x11
page) only if accompanied by an essay. No work for which we do not have a signed permission
sheet will be included in the APWA. By signing on the signature line below, you are granting us
permission to include your work in the APWA. The questionnaire information will be used to offer
researchers points of reference.
Please pass the APWA address and questionnaire to other writers inside and to other prison
workers. (Photocopied, handwritten, or typed copies of the questionnaire are acceptable.) . There
is no deadline. We seek the widest possible gathering of American prison writing, and we will read,
scan, and transcribe essays into the APWA on a continuing basis.
Non-fiction essays, based on first-hand experience, should be limited to 5,000 words (or 15
double spaced pages); clearly hand-written pages are welcome. We charge no fees for reading
prisoner or other prison writing. We will read all writing submitted.
For more information, go to: http://www.dhinitiative.org/projects/apwa/

The APWA Editors

* Planned launch in 2015, supported by a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

THE AMERICA PRISON WRITING ARCHIVE

C/O 198 College Hill Road, Clinton, NY 13323

Name and Facility # (please print
clearly):__________________________________________________#______________________________. Date____/_____/_____
Signature (granting permission to include your work in the American Prison Writing Archive):
________________________________________________.
Address (current and/or the most reliable; will not be included in the APWA):
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Name under which you want your essay to appear (if different than above):
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Questionnaire (leave blank any information you do not want included in the APWA):
Name of Facility where you reside or work (include State):
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Relationship to prison: Incarcerated, staff, teacher, volunteer (circle one), other_______________________
Work you perform inside: ____________________________________________________________________________________
Gender: Male, Female, Trans, (circle one), other____________________________________________________________
Race/Ethnicity:________________________________________________________________________________________________
Age at current conviction or start of prison work: ______________; Age today:_____________________________
Do you have children, and if so how many?_________________; _______________________________________________
Security level of the facility where and/or about which you wrote your
essay:___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Type of crime of which you were convicted: (assault, property, drug,
etc.)_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Is this your first time in incarceration?______________________________________________________________________
Religious identification:_______________________________________________________________________________________
Are you a veteran?_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Do you have relatives in prison (including children)?______________________________________________________
Any other information (biographical or other) you would like us to know and possibly include in
the APWA:_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________