Through writing, MSU undergrads connect with incarcerated students

Michigan State University students chat among themselves in the cramped waiting room at Parnall Correctional Facility in Jackson, unfazed by the TSA-like security process.

They place their shoes and socks in bins, walk through a metal detector enclosed in chain-link fencing and go through a pat-down before the steel doors lock behind them. Next they walk across a prison yard ringed by razor wire to a classroom where they meet with incarcerated college students for a weekly writing workshop.

The paths that led them here stand in sharp contrast, but differences fall away as MSU students and their incarcerated counterparts put pen to paper. Whether clad in Spartan green and white or prison-issue blue and orange, here they are all writers working to improve their craft.

They meet every Wednesday as part of Write On!, a program that pairs MSU undergraduates and incarcerated college students to collaborate on projects ranging from poetry and annotated bibliographies to the complexities of the comma.

The MSU students are enrolled in Writing Inside, a course offered by Kirk Astle, an assistant professor with the College of Arts and Letters who drives students 36 miles down U.S. 127 to Parnall every week. Students present workshops on topics selected by the incarcerated writers and provide one-on-one consultations.

“Our main motivation is to humanize the experience and to change the narrative about those incarcerated,” said Astle.

How it started

Astle describes the origins of the Write On! Project as a “happy accident,” set in motion when two former MSU graduate students — Emma Harris and Roland Dumavor — shared in class that they had previous experiences working with incarcerated writers.

Before coming to MSU, Astle had taught writing classes inside the Jackson Prison System while serving as an adjunct professor at Jackson Community College. As he was filling out HR paperwork in an office, the dean popped in to ask if he would consider teaching inside.

“It turned out to be one of most cherished teaching experiences I ever had,” he recalled. “The guys are so authentic and real. They have a lot of life experience, and their contributions in class are why I cherish it so much.”

From the beginning, the content of the writing workshops has been driven by the needs of the incarcerated students. “We asked, ‘What would you like us to bring to you?’” Astle said. “It surprised me that they wanted to work on grammar.”

Brian Friedman, principal of college and vocational programs at Jackson Correctional Facility, had met Astle when he was with Jackson College. Jackson College is among several institutions that offer degree-granting programs at Parnall as part of the Second-Chance Pell Program, which provides need-based financial aid to incarcerated individuals working toward a college degree or vocational education.

“As somebody who is advocating for the students who are here, I want every opportunity for them to have a chance to succeed,” Friedman said. “Everything has shown that the more education you receive, the less likelihood of incarceration over the long haul. So, we’re making a solid investment in these guys right now so that they can go out and become productive members of society.”

Connecting students and incarcerated writers

Astle drives 10 students to Parnall on Wednesdays, while Rofiat Bello, a fourth-year WRAC doctoral student, and faculty member Nancy Grigg teach the remaining students in East Lansing. The students trade places the following week, coming together on Mondays to debrief.

Astle encourages students to note their impressions for the four required journal entries that become the basis of a longer final reflection.

On a recent Wednesday, students had prepared a writing workshop on poetry. Sitting side by side at long tables, an MSU student and incarcerated writer worked on a poem entitled “I Am From …,” reading their first few lines to each other. A few seats down, another student helped her counterpart unpack the intricacies of an annotated bibliography. Others needed one-on-one help with individual assignments.

Students engage in the same writing activities as the incarcerated inmates. “Whatever we ask them to do, we are also doing it,” said Bello, who helped students prepare the poetry workshop and has been involved with Write On! since the beginning. “That makes the space really collaborative.”

Natalie M., a senior double-majoring in criminal justice and broadcast journalism, reflected on what she has learned from working with incarcerated people.

“They are poetic, deep, thoughtful writers,” she said. “I come back with the most fulfilling stories and experiences.”

For Terrell, the quiet classroom decorated with colorful posters on the parts of speech and the basics of geometry offers a welcome respite from the noise — both literally and figuratively — of prison life. The workshops provide an opportunity to focus on his studies with like-minded individuals who also are taking college courses.

Terrell, who grew up on the west side of Detroit and quit school after eighth grade, said he is happy to give up recreational time to participate in the workshops. “Sometimes I won’t get something in class. Here I can get one-on-one help," he said.

Read the full story in the Engaged Scholar E-Newsletter.