Voices from the Wyoming Women’s Prison: A Collection of Writings by Incarcerated Women

Volume Summary: This special issue features the dynamic results of feminist collaborative work by Wyoming Pathways from Prison (WPfP), a trans-disciplinary and trans-professional statewide collaborative that supports currently and formerly incarcerated people in navigating the waters of higher education and life more generally. WPfP works in close collaboration with the Wyoming Department of Corrections with the primary goals of offering college credit to incarcerated people at no cost, mentoring students in teaching and leadership, engaging in valuable service to the state of Wyoming, and providing UW students with real-world experience through teaching and assistance to the DOC. Featuring 22 self-reflective pieces by currently and formerly incarcerated women as well as those who worked closely with them, the strength and sheer force of the writing featured here demonstrates how higher education in correctional settings has the power to transform lives, both within and outside prison walls.

Editor Order: Susan Dewey, Bonnie Zare, Jess White, Julia Dohan, Cassandra Hunter, Rhett Epler, Kristine Sloan, Lorna Barton, Carly Fraysier, Kyria Brown, Alison Berreman, Katy Brock, Heather Baker, Liz Kulze, Amber Donais, and Britney Welch.

About the Editors: Lead editors Susan Dewey and Bonnie Zare are faculty in the University of Wyoming’s Gender & Women’s Studies Program. Susan’s research focuses on the intersections between violence and the feminization of poverty in women’s criminal justice system involvement, and Bonnie’s work examines the challenges facing multiply marginalized women, particularly in the context of India. Fourteen of Susan’s and Bonnie’s students led the intensive workshop and editing work that produced this special issue: Jess White, Julia Dohan, Cassandra Hunter, Rhett Epler, Kristine Sloan, Lorna Barton, Carly Fraysier, Kyria Brown, Alison Berreman, Katy Brock, Heather Baker, Liz Kulze, Amber Donais, and Britney Welch. Fourteen women incarcerated at the Wyoming Women’s Center contributed their work to this special issue using names of their choice: Chris, Jessica Jade, Teresa Hart, Sarah M. Lujan, LaTasha Lynn LeBeau, Sara Bueller, Darla D. Rouse, Clover Brown, Sissy Pierce, Amanda Bayne, BDK, D. Jackson, DeeDee, and Kendra Leigh Horn.