Works Of Justice 004 - Publishing Power

PEN America

This evening of conversations with writers, editors and publishers confronts the challenges and ethics of publishing incarcerated writers, and reimagining the boundaries of what is possible. In addressing the impact of mass incarceration, there is an increasing need to center the voices of those directly impacted—not only as experts, but as integrated contributors. But for writers in prison, access to participation in the literary community is limited by not only stigma and physical restriction, but financial barriers, lack of technology, and censorship. For those who manage to publish against the odds, publicity efforts require creative strategy when book tours are impossible, interviews channel through authority review, advances are siphoned by the state, and context automatically forces categorization by the author’s relationship with incarceration or crime, regardless of the work’s content. Kathryn Belden is vice president and executive editor at Scribner. She is the editor of The Graybar Hotel by Curtis Dawkins. Eli Hager is a staff writer at The Marshall Project covering issues including juvenile justice, fines and fees, and prosecutors and public defenders. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, and elsewhere. Randall Horton is the author of The Definition of Place (2006) and Lingua Franca of Ninth Street (2009), both from Main Street Rag. He also serves as senior editor for Willow Books and editor-in-chief for Tidal Basin Review. Mitchell S. Jackson is the author of Survival Math. His debut novel The Residue Years was praised by publications, including The New York Times, The Paris Review, and The Times (London). He serves on the faculty at New York University and Columbia University. Tim O’Connell is an editor at Vintage Anchor, A. A. Knopf, and Pantheon Books. He is the editor of Cherry by Nicholas Walker. Special thanks to partner Housing Works Bookstore Cafe: https://www.housingworks.org/locations/bookstore-cafe