Novelist Jackson Taylor on PEN’s Prison Writing Program

>With over 2.3 million Americans currently incarcerated, prison outreach is a vital vocation. Today’s guest on the Morning Media Menu was Jackson Taylor , the novelist and Mediabistro teacher who has directed PEN’s Prison Writing Program for the last 20 years.

Taylor shared his experiences working with hundreds of imprisoned authors and creative writing mentors. The writing program will be celebrated on Monday at Breakout: Voices from Inside–a fundraising event with appearances by Mary Gaitskill, Eric Bogosian, and John Turturro.

Here’s an excerpt from the interview: “[Some inmates] can’t get their hands on pencil and paper, but still feel the urge and desire to express themselves in writing … That’s the thing that’s really moving, when you see the desire is so strong in people. We believe that writing is a skill, and it can be practiced. Unlike many skills, writing well is useful. And it’s useful in almost every avenue of life: employment, education, and daily life. It’s also a skill that generates other skills.”

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