Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop

We have big plans for 2023.

As we’ve finally begun to re-enter Minnesota prisons in recent months, we’ve encountered pent-up demand for the kind of connective, supportive, transformational programming that MPWW provides.

“I’ve missed these classes so much,” one student recently told his instructor. “There’s nothing else in prison like this community.”

We feel that it’s our responsibility to do everything we can to meet this substantial demand, and we plan to offer a robust slate of classes and other programming across facilities next year.

To do so, we need to raise $70,000 by Nov. 17th. Are you able to help us meet that goal with a tax-deductible donation of any amount?

As a token of our appreciation, all donors giving $100 or more - or a recurring monthly donation of any amount - will receive a window decal featuring a short poem written by an MPWW student, which can be displayed on any window in your home or car. In addition to being beautiful daily reminders of the transformative power of art, these small decals will fill our streets with poetry and connect our students with the broader community.

You're welcome to donate by check, if you prefer. Please make your check payable to Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop and mail it to us at P.O. Box 7262, Minneapolis, MN 55407.

MPWW is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization and all donations are fully tax-deductible. Our federal Employer Identification Number (EIN) is 47-1890824.

Our story

MPWW was founded in 2011 by Jennifer Bowen, who taught a single creative writing class to ten men at Lino Lakes Prison. 

Since then, we’ve grown into an organization of over 25 instructors who have taught more than 300 creative writing classes to over 3,500 men and women in every adult state prison in Minnesota. 

We also facilitate a one-on-one mail mentor program, publish an annual anthology of student writing, and host multiple public readings of student work each year.

Our students have published multiple books and chapbooks, as well as poems, essays, and stories in journals of national reach, such as Agni, The Nation, Poetry Magazine, and The Washington Post.

Thank you!!

Over 2 million people are incarcerated in the U.S. with little access to quality arts or educational programming. Your gifts allow us to bridge that gap.

MPWW is a lot of things: an arts organization, a group of educators, a bridge between writers inside and outside of prison. More than anything, it's a community. We're so grateful you're a part of it. Thank you.

If you prefer to donate offline, you can also send a check to: 

MPWW, P.O. Box 7262, Minneapolis, MN 55407.

Photos of MPWW students by Emily Baxter of We Are All Criminals. For more, check out SEEN, MPWW's partnership with We Are All Criminals, here: https://www.weareallcriminals.org/seen/.