Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop

In the thirteen years since its founding, MPWW has grown into a lot of different things: a community of artists and educators, mentors and mentees; a bridge between the literary communities inside and outside of prison; and an avenue through which incarcerated writers can organize, support each other, and advocate for themselves.

But our identity as an organization is still firmly rooted in the same place we started: the classroom. This year, we’ve been able to teach as many courses as we did in 2019, before the pandemic shut down Minnesota’s state prisons. Those classes ranged from “Toolkit of Poetic Forms” to “Introduction to Spoken Word” to “Novel Writing” to “The Creative Act: A Way of Being.” Those students wrote short stories and villanelles, lyric essays and sonnets, artist statements and one-act plays and memoirs and elegies to lost loved ones.

In our classrooms and at class readings, we were thrilled to see so many familiar and new faces, including hundreds of students who had never taken a writing class before. For the first time, those students were exposed to the magic of the creative writing workshop: a supportive circle of artists dedicated to exploring how the right words in the right order can create connections between people, transport us beyond ourselves, heal wounds, and illuminate the mystery of being human.

“I never thought I could write like this,” a first-time student wrote on their course evaluation this spring. “Becoming more connected to my creative side has me brimming with confidence.”

Another wrote, “I hear my true voice now. I really have one and it gives me inspiration.”

And a third student wrote, “Thank you so much for providing these opportunities to explore our creative side. Amazing. I am so grateful.”

Are you able to make a contribution of any amount to help us?

These courses feed the vibrant community of artists that is flourishing inside Minnesota’s prisons. To meet the strong and growing demand for the kind of supportive, empowering programming that MPWW provides, we need to teach more courses than ever before in 2025. Can you make a contribution to our $50,000 goal?

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.

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/.