The Second Look Law: A Safer, Stronger DC
Free Minds is launching The Second Look Law: A Safer, Stronger DC, a compilation of stories of Free Minds members who returned home through DC’s…
Prison Book Club: Community, Connection, and Creative Expression
Through storytelling, reflection, and shared creativity, Free Minds helps our Prison Book Club members build resilience and envision new paths forward. Over the past quarter,…
Reentry Book Club: Our Members Shine This Fall
Fall is a season of transformation, and at Free Minds, members embody the season with powerful book club discussions hands-on learning, healing, and celebration. Building…
Summer Highlights from the Prison Book Club
Free Minds believes that literature and creative writing are powerful tools for boosting community resilience, uplifting each other, and mitigating the effects of carceral isolation…
Reentry Book Club: Our Members Shine This Summer
Summer is a time of growth, warmth, and Free Minds members rising to new challenges and discovering fresh opportunities. Members have graduated from training programs,…
Author Kelis Rowe Leads Poetry Session with Women’s Book Club
On Monday, April 28th, Free Minds was honored to welcome author Kelis Rowe to visit our Women’s Book Club (WBC) at the DC Jail. Rowe,…
Spring Highlights from the Prison Book Club
Here at Free Minds, we believe in the healing power of creativity, literacy, and community. In our Prison Book Club this past quarter, we have…
Reentry Program Updates: Free Minds Members in Bloom
The spring season is a time of discovery and growth, and we are so proud of all of our Free Minds members who are uncovering…
Leslye Penelope Visits Women’s Book Club at the DC Jail
In December, the Free Minds Women’s Book Club (WBC) held at the DC Jail hosted a special guest, Leslye Penelope, author of The Monsters We Defy. Penelope is a Maryland native and accomplished writer with 14 published works. She brought her story to life for the women of the book club, sharing the magic and history behind The Monsters We Defy, a historical fantasy novel set in 1920s Washington, D.C.
Reentry Book Club: Fall Accomplishments from the Free Minds Family
This season we are celebrating the tenacity and mutual support of Free Minds and its members, who have made tremendous achievements despite many challenges this…
Vernon Brundage Inspires Young Writers During Author Visit at the Youth Services Center
On October 15th, 2024, Vernon Brundage—author of Beyond the Arc—visited the DC Youth Services Center (YSC) to meet with Free Minds members in our youth…
Prison Book Club: Cultivating Communities of Care
Here at Free Minds, we often speak of the “Free Minds family,” or the network of mutual care and support that members build among themselves…
Reentry Book Club: Through the First Half of 2024, Members Have Racked Up Successes
Now that we’ve crossed the midway point of 2024, Free Minds has paused to reflect on the successes of our reentry book club members so…
Author and Community Advocate Tony Lewis Jr. Visits Incarcerated Youth Book Club
On May 1, 2024, community leader, reentry expert, and award-winning advocate for those impacted by mass incarceration Tony Lewis Jr. visited the DC Youth Services…
Prison Book Club: End of Year Reflections and Inspiring Resilience
As we look forward to the start of 2024 here at Free Minds and in the Prison Book Club, we reflect on a past year…
Reentry Book Club: Free Minds Members Continue to Excel!
Greetings from the Free Minds Community! Since our last report, we have some exciting news here at Free Minds headquarters, including lots of graduations! Members…
Community Ties Far and Wide
This past summer at Free Minds has been all about connecting with our members and all of the Free Minds community near and far. Despite…
Join the Free Minds Team
Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop seeks a passionate, experienced project manager and editorial leader to helm our Prison Book Club program, a long-distance, correspondence-based program with members incarcerated in prisons across the country. Reporting to the Deputy Director, the Prison Book Club Manager will ensure high quality service delivery for 800+ incarcerated members; this includes the publication of a magazine, personalized selection and shipment of thousands of books to incarcerated readers, coordination of a letter writing program with hundreds of volunteers, and facilitation of interactive digital events to foster community connections between writers and readers across prison walls.
Building Wealth with Author Cedric Nash
In June 2023, author Cedric Nash joined our Men and Women’s Book Clubs at the DC Jail to discuss his book Why Should White Guys…
Finding Balance Within Expectations
Our most recent Connect Magazine, Free Minds’ bimonthly publication written by and for our members, focuses on the theme of Expectations. In the Expectations Connect,…