Her Mighty Pen: Life Writing from Women’s Prisons

Moving towards trauma-informed practice involves consciously making space for voices from all 360 degrees of the legal system - and it’s one of the many reasons why we’re excited to support Her Mighty Pen: life-writing from women's prisons.

Over the past year, Belinda Sherlock (Creative & Embodied Psychotherapist, Consultant, Facilitator, Researcher, Performer and TiL team member) has been running creative life-writing workshops across three women’s prisons as part of her PhD research.

Meeting with 27 women, Belinda facilitated a space in which participants were able to tell their stories in their own words and in their own ways.

23 of those writers have contributed to an anthology:

Her Mighty Pen: Life Writing from Women’s Prisons.

You can read a short piece from each of the contributing writers here:https://culturesofincarcerationcentre.substack.com/p/her-mighty-pen

In Belinda’s words, the project aims to publish the anthology so that:

• the contributing authors feel empowered, heard, and can take their place as writers in the public sphere;

• the authors' families and friends can celebrate them;

• other women in prison feel seen, comforted and inspired by their work (we'll donate copies to each women's prison library in the UK); and

• we, the public, can be educated, challenged and inspired by knowledge, wisdom and artistry we otherwise wouldn't have access to.

Belinda is currently raising funds to publish the anthology, to get copies to the writers themselves and to donate copies to women’s prison libraries across the UK.

Will you join us in supporting this important project? 

You can find the fundraising page, with further details from Belinda, here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/lets-publish-her-mighty-pen-writing-by-women-in-prison