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“Sharing Our Past — Shaping Our Future” Since 1974 |
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Words, Stories, Lives |
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Office in Montpelier
11 Loomis Street, Montpelier, Vermont 05602 802.262.2626 Fax: 802.262.2620 E-mail: info@vermonthumanities.org |
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Poetry Behind Prison Walls
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“Everyone’s a poet,” declares Barb Hagen, educator with the Community High School of Vermont at the Northwest State Correctional Facility in Swanton. Recently, a group of correctional residents proved these words true. Over the spring and summer of 2005, VHC launched Words, Stories, Lives, a reading-discussion series, in three of Vermont’s correctional facilities. Designed by VHC scholar Suzi Wizowaty, the program sought to open minds, excite thought, and spark a desire to learn.
After discussing a poet’s work, the group wrote poetry in the spirit of that poet. The result is Words, Stories, Lives: The World in Poetry, a 92-page compilation of poignant and humorous poems that give a glimpse into life inside and outside the prison walls. The cover features artwork by Anthony Russell (see above). |
