March 26, 2021 — The Prison Journalism Project is happy to announce the introduction of Story of the Week, our featured pick for each week for which writers will receive an honorarium.
To kick off, we have chosen Calen Whidden’s “You Want Onions With That?” In this piece, the writer captured a distinct scene from behind bars with both humor and insight, bringing the reader into a world that we may never have experienced otherwise. His observations drew you into the moment and the dynamics of the characters. It’s a hysterical story of defiance and ingenuity which speaks to the resilience of the human spirit.
From the very beginning, the co-founders of PJP have had a goal to pay honorariums to our writers for their very best work. Generous gifts from our donors during our giving campaign late last year has enabled us to begin with one story each week.
Each Friday, we will announce our pick via Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Stories will be chosen both from the week as well as from PJP’s archives, so great work in the past will have an opportunity to be acknowledged. Since launching the publication in April 2020, PJP has published over 500 stories from more than 200 writers in 28 states plus Canada.