Open Letters from Prison: Mobilizing Communities of Collective Care

Ofelia Cuevas
Chicanx Studies
UC Davis

Benjamin Weber
African American & African Studies
UC Davis

Growing out of a year-long collaboration between UC Davis faculty, students, and staff and the members of the California Coalition for Women Prisoners (CCWP), this project seeks to amplify the voices and expand the reach of Open Letters Writing Group members inside four California prisons by creating and distributing a special issue of The Fire Inside prison newsletter featuring their original writing and artwork. The project focuses on creating and publishing the special issue, planning the next iteration of the Writing Group, and building a partnership between CCWP and Beyond the Barriers by designing a transition guide for people coming home from prison who are returning to college. Our goal is that this project will strengthen the existing collaboration between UC Davis faculty, students, and staff and CCWP members inside and outside of prisons in California, expanding the impact of the collaborative work.