A Colorado group called Words Beyond Bars is building bridges between prisoners and the public through poetry. Words Beyond Bars (WBB) hosts a poetry-reading event every other month at a public library in partnership with another organization, Unchained Voices. Community members listen to the thoughts and words of the prisoners and write responses to the compositions. The feedback is then given to the incarcerated poets. “We build connections that our current injustice system endeavors to disrupt,” Elie Zwiebel, a member of the Words … [Read more...] about Using poetry to build bridges
Words Beyond Bars
Words Beyond Bars brings books to Colorado prisoners
Discussing famous books and authors like John Steinbeck, Victor Hugo, Toni Morrison and Ralph Ellison in a state maximum-security prison isn’t your average book club, but Words Beyond Bars, a nonprofit organization, is bringing this self-help program to Colorado state prisoners. “These men discuss famous books and authors with the intelligence and analytical skills that mimic any college program,” said Karen Lausa, Words Beyond Bars executive director. Lausa traveled to California for vacation, and San Quentin was high on her list of places … [Read more...] about Words Beyond Bars brings books to Colorado prisoners