July 5, 2022 — Prison Journalism Project (PJP), a national initiative that trains incarcerated writers to be journalists and publishes their stories, will host a pop-up exhibit and workshop as part of Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site’s ongoing program: Night Tours: Summer Twilight.

PJP will host a writing workshop and an exhibit designed to share the history of journalism within Eastern State Penitentiary and highlight the importance of enabling writers inside of America’s prison system to tell their stories and report on what happens behind those walls. PJP will be in attendance on July 8, 9, 29, 30 and 31 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Eastern State Penitentiary, located at 2027 Fairmount Ave in Philadelphia.

Night Tours: Summer Twilight is an experiential event series aimed at encouraging visitors to reflect on Eastern State Penitentiary’s history and the legacy of criminal justice reform through hands-on activities such as art, writing and music. Throughout July, programming will focus on the theme of Justice, including Colorado Prison Radio playing in the Fair Chance Beer Garden. 

PJP joins Night Tours: Summer Twilight at an exciting moment in its growth as an organization focused on creating a national network of prison journalists. To date, PJP has published more than 1,500 stories by over 500 writers in more than 170 prisons across 34 states – and has a pipeline of interested writers in its database. This spring, PJP launched the Prison Journalism Navigator, a database designed to help newsrooms and prison journalists understand the complex logistical issues that are inherent in working with incarcerated people.

Eastern State Penitentiary, which opened in 1829, is a National Historic Landmark. The complex is considered the world’s first true “penitentiary,” constructed to inspire penitence, or true regret, for the 80,000 prisoners who inhabited its cells until it closed in 1971. Today, through tours of the preserved site, art exhibitions and other public programming, Eastern State Penitentiary serves to deepen the conversation around criminal justice.

To learn more about Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site and how to attend Night Tours: Summer Twilight, click here.

ABOUT PRISON JOURNALISM PROJECT

Prison Journalism Project is a national, independent, nonpartisan initiative that trains incarcerated writers in the tools of journalism and helps them reach an outside audience via their own publication as well as through partnerships with mainstream media organizations.

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