Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop

During 2025, Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop (Organization) served more than 1,800 incarcerated and formerly incarcerated youths and adults through four programs: Jail Book Club weekly book club discussions and writing workshops with incarcerated teens and adults; we served 462 members in the Jail Book Club, including 216 women and 60 youths, as well as a dedicated Spanish language book club. 80% of our members completed their weekly reading assignments and 79% completed the writing assignments. Prison Book Club a long-distance, correspondence-based book club and writing workshop with adults incarcerated in correctional facilities across the United States; 898 members in more than 110 facilities received 5 issues of our magazine, the Free Minds Connect, written by and for our members, and 5,674 books personally curated for them. Members exchanged over 2,050 letters with staff, volunteers, and peers and submitted 458 original poems. Reentry Book Club a reading, writing, and job readiness program that includes wraparound case management and job and school placements for formerly incarcerated youths and adults; served 412 members in the Reentry Book Club. 90% of members were employed, in school, or in vocational training programs and 95% did not return to jail or prison. On the Same Page a community education and peacebuilding program in which formerly incarcerated Reentry Book Club members, known as Poet Ambassadors, share poetry and personal experiences with diverse audiences to build awareness of the systemic causes and impact of mass incarceration. We conducted 115 On the Same Page sessions with schools, corporate workplaces, and community groups, reaching 2,593 participants. Throughout 2025, Free Minds members continued to lift one another up, using the power of literature and community to heal and pursue their personal and professional aspirations. Free Minds members also stepped into leadership roles across the organization, with 168 members serving as peer supporters, advocates, and facilitators, strengthening pathways to successful reentry and long-term stability.