Rewriting Our Narratives Behind the Walls: A Poetry & Creative Writing Class at Maine State Prison

My name is Gordon Perry, and I am an incarcerated resident at Maine State Prison. Several months ago, Frank Zarro, the founder of Society Impact, hired me for a remote position with his organization. I met Frank and the brains behind Society Impact Ben Miller while attending weekly meetings for “Parole4ME” & the “MPAC legislative Group” where I have been an active member for the last couple of years, roughly. Over that six to eight month span of working together, Frank liked my dedication and work ethic enough to offer me a part-time remote position. 

Education and its vital connection to helping others and especially system impacted individuals is central to almost every meeting we hold at Society Impact. Shortly after I started my position, an educational opportunity emerged right here at M.S.P. during a conversation I was having with Mike, my remote work liaison. He is also the MSP administrative staff member in charge of our activities and programs building. Mike mentioned that several classes were being canceled due to fiscal constraints and a lack of teaching staff. I knew this was something Society Impact would love to do. I immediately thought of Frank and Ben, who I knew would love this idea. I excitedly told Mike, "I can help! I know Frank would love to bring classes into the prison." 

I ran back to email Frank and tell him the news while asking for a meeting asap. We met the following morning, and needless to say, they both loved the idea right away. Together, we all got to work to make it happen within a few short weeks. Frank and Ben located an exceptional local educator, Sara, who lives nearby, and Society Impact stepped up to fully fund and facilitate the program completely.

Every Friday for two to two-and-a-half hours, MSP residents gather to write, reflect, and learn. In a place like MSP, it is easy to shut down emotionally just to get through the day, or to get stuck in negative cycles. Educational opportunities like poetry & creative writing don’t just help build life skills they also give people a safe, structured outlet to forget about prison for a moment. They give us a constructive focus that demands our time, discipline, and energy, replacing idleness with purpose all the students love.

More than anything, I hope my fellow participants take away a renewed sense of self-worth. It is too easy to think you cannot come back from incarceration and give up on life. I want guys to realize that our stories do not end with our convictions, and that we are still human beings that need a purpose in life to have any chance of success. There are so many smart, creative people behind these walls that the outside world seems to forget about, assuming we are only as bad as the worst decisions of our lives. Each time a student walks out of class thinking, "I am a writer, I am a thinker, and I have a future," then this program has done its job once again. This happens every class and the residents can’t get enough of it.

To make sure these voices reach beyond the prison walls, Society Impact publishes resident poetry and creative writing directly on the website and Substack. This gives residents a platform to share their work with the public, shifting perceptions and showing the deep human potential that exists inside. The students love nothing more than to tell their loved ones they have published some writing they can go view for themself. The positivity this class creates is contagious and we watch it take shape every class.

Our success has been driven by the incredible people involved. Our teacher, Sara, has brought so much skill, warmth, and dedication to every single class. With Sara starting a new teaching job outside MSP in a week, residents love her work so much that we are actively looking into adjusting schedules so she can continue, but we are all eager to welcome her back next summer regardless.

We have also been fortunate to welcome guest teachers. I reached out to my good friend, Dr. Lani Graham “Lani” who is a retired family practice physician, former Chief Public Health Officer for Maine, and active member of the Maine Medical Association’s Public Health Committee to name some of her many accolades.  Lani is one of the smartest and kindest people I know, and also someone I met in the groups like Frank and many other amazing people. I asked Lani awhile back if there was any interest in teaching a class and of course the amazing person she is I got a yes. Lani ended up teaching a class on Haiku poetry, using poems from her book of Haikus as class material. Lani had written this book for Maine’s Bicentennial (which she donated to Maine public libraries and families), and the recent class was a huge success.

I would like people reading this to know that investing in prison education isn't just a favor to incarcerated people; it equips individuals to rewrite their narratives, builds path-changing skills for release, lowers recidivism, and ultimately creates a safer, more compassionate world for everyone. We need more amazing people in the world like the ones in this story that is for sure! 

Thank you from all of us inside who are so grateful for everything you have done for us!