Words Without Walls

Our second Maenad Fellowship application is now out! If you are in the Pittsburgh area, and are a woman who has gone through recovery and want to study creative writing, please apply! Or forward this to someone you know who might be interested. We provide child care, transportation, and a $500 gift card at completion.

Maenads Application The Maenads Fellowship Program offers up to twelve fellowships a year to women who are in recovery from substance abuse. Because of Words Without Walls’ special relationship with Sojourner House, many of our past fellows received treatment there.

Every year we honor one student with the Sandra Gould Ford award. Here's a compelling interview of the amazing woman we salute, who pioneered the creating writing program at the Allegheny County Jail, courtesy of TEDxPittsburghWomen:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYnPzBbmuZs&list=PL4OesMPXIa3LDUqZkHBbTVr-loDRgGT5c&index=6

When We Teach Writing, We Teach Empathy: An Interview with | Sandra Gould Ford | TEDxPittsburghWomen Sandra Gould Ford is an artist and educator in Pittsburgh, PA. One of her many achievements was starting a creative writing program at the Allegheny County J...

Happy Words Without Walls Wednesday!
Every wednesday we will feature a blog post from a teacher in our program, on what its like to teach creative writing in alternative communities. Up first is Mike Bennett reflecting on his first class of 2018.

Freedom Is... At our Words Without Walls teacher orientation in December we made a list of the things we can or can’t control in our classroom. We discussed how little we could control about our students’ environment outside of the classroom, particularly in the jail. Each pod has its own set of rules, its ow...

We are excited to announce that John Edgar Wideman visited our juvenile class at the Allegheny County Jail this morning.
He took time out of his hometown visit to hear creative work from several of our young writers. He gave them feedback and encouragement, and answered a variety of questions about his writing life, his personal and familial struggles, and his thoughts on crafting Brothers and Keepers, thirty years later.

The class read excerpts from Brothers and Keepers throughout the semester, and wrote emulation pieces in conversation with the book.

Read more about the visit on our blog, linked below:

https://words-withoutwalls.squarespace.com/blog/2017/11/15/john-edgar-wideman-visit

Brittany Hailer writes another great profile on a Words Without Walls alum.
http://projects.publicsource.org/voicesunlocked/toombs.html

Voices Unlocked: A Pittsburgh man finds his voice while writing a novel and love letters from jail Voices Unlocked is a project telling the stories of Pittsburgh-area residents whose life experiences have been shaped by the penal system.

Our community is vital to all that we do. Thanks to everyone who came out to support the Maenads Fellowship last night!

Chatham MFA Robert H. Mansell Fellow Cedric Rudolph talks about teaching in the Allegheny County Jail and State Correctional Institute Pittsburgh.

Voices Unlocked: A poet from Alabama teaches his craft to Southwest Pa. inmates Voices Unlocked is a project telling the stories of Pittsburgh-area residents whose life experiences have been shaped by the penal system.

Brittany Hailer, part of the words without walls family, bringing voices from the inside, out.

Yeshua David's adaptation Voices Unlocked is a project telling the stories of Pittsburgh-area residents whose life experiences have been shaped by the penal system.

Check out the first of many stories to come from our very own Brittany Hailer from her project Voices Unlocked. Listen to the first installment, which features Sarah Womack, a graduate of our program in Sojourner House and current Maenad Fellow.

The Maenad Fellowship is a brand new writing program for women in recovery. Fellows come to Chatham's campus once a week to workshop their writing and share their stories.

A song within the storm Voices Unlocked is a project telling the stories of Pittsburgh-area residents whose life experiences have been shaped by the penal system.

Writer Sarah Shotland sharing her words, gifts with the masses What does it mean to be a writer Sarah Shotland, a novelist, playwright and adjunct professor of writing at Chatham University, says there's a misconception ...