During the fall semester, a new seminar was offered by Hamilton's English Department. "Booked: Prison Writing," taught by Associate Professor Doran Larson, offered a survey of literature composed behind bars. The authors ranged from Socrates to Oscar to post-colonial, developing world authors. The class also included a specialized field trip: the opportunity to observe inmates at maximum-security Attica Prison in a creative writing class.
Two years ago Larson visited Attica prison with a discussion group. After this initial experience, he spent six weeks of his leave from 2007-2008 in the Library of Congress reading solely prison literature. At the conclusion of his leave, he returned to Hamilton. He also returned to Attica, to teach a creative writing workshop to 10 of the 2200 inmates currently incarcerated there.
The classes themselves, Larson says, are very similar to the typical creative writing classes you would expect of any institution. "The steps of developing as a writer are very similar to everyone," remarked Larson. He finds the classes to be demanding, but also describes the experience as invigorating. "The men there really need the class," he said, "it becomes vital to their mental well-being. Providing that is very energizing."
Larson approached Hamilton College last year about creating a class where students would interact with the Attica prisoners. By this fall, the class had started. Every student in the seminar participated in one of Professor Larson's Creative Writing classes at Attica. They described the experience as not only influencing their reading of class materials, but also served to humanize the prisoners. As most of us base our knowledge of prisons on movies, it was a shock all of the students to come into direct contact with America's thriving incarceration institution.
The students drew the comparison between the Attica prison visits and the chance for students in a Jane Austen seminar to travel back to 19th century England. "In other literature courses, you do things with your imagination. You never get further than ideas. In this case we're getting at the real meat of life," observed Nick Fesette '09.
The class consisted of mostly seniors, drawn from a variety of majors. In the literature covered in the class, students noticed a lot of themes of self-reflection. Upon seeing the little human interaction possible in the prison itself, this motif especially stood out to the students. They also noticed the strong desire embodied in the writing to communicate beyond the page. "This is their way of reaching out beyond the prison, and we're listening to them," said Emily Howell '09.
Most of the students attributed their motivation for taking to the class to the novelty of visiting a prison. "It's not something you typically get to do, you're never going to get the experience [of visiting a prison again]," said Kaitlin Hill '09.
When asked what the greatest difference is between teaching a seminar to college students and teaching a workshop to inmates, Professor Larson surprisingly answered "age."
"The youngest men in Attica are in their mid-20s, and they've had a different experience just to survive in prison. They've had to learn things no one has ever had to learn," he said. Larson also noticed the motivation of the prisoners to take the class. He remarked, "they're not there to please anyone. They're not getting credit for it. They're just there to improve their writing."
-- by Nora Grenfell '12
Two years ago Larson visited Attica prison with a discussion group. After this initial experience, he spent six weeks of his leave from 2007-2008 in the Library of Congress reading solely prison literature. At the conclusion of his leave, he returned to Hamilton. He also returned to Attica, to teach a creative writing workshop to 10 of the 2200 inmates currently incarcerated there.
The classes themselves, Larson says, are very similar to the typical creative writing classes you would expect of any institution. "The steps of developing as a writer are very similar to everyone," remarked Larson. He finds the classes to be demanding, but also describes the experience as invigorating. "The men there really need the class," he said, "it becomes vital to their mental well-being. Providing that is very energizing."
Larson approached Hamilton College last year about creating a class where students would interact with the Attica prisoners. By this fall, the class had started. Every student in the seminar participated in one of Professor Larson's Creative Writing classes at Attica. They described the experience as not only influencing their reading of class materials, but also served to humanize the prisoners. As most of us base our knowledge of prisons on movies, it was a shock all of the students to come into direct contact with America's thriving incarceration institution.
The students drew the comparison between the Attica prison visits and the chance for students in a Jane Austen seminar to travel back to 19th century England. "In other literature courses, you do things with your imagination. You never get further than ideas. In this case we're getting at the real meat of life," observed Nick Fesette '09.
The class consisted of mostly seniors, drawn from a variety of majors. In the literature covered in the class, students noticed a lot of themes of self-reflection. Upon seeing the little human interaction possible in the prison itself, this motif especially stood out to the students. They also noticed the strong desire embodied in the writing to communicate beyond the page. "This is their way of reaching out beyond the prison, and we're listening to them," said Emily Howell '09.
Most of the students attributed their motivation for taking to the class to the novelty of visiting a prison. "It's not something you typically get to do, you're never going to get the experience [of visiting a prison again]," said Kaitlin Hill '09.
When asked what the greatest difference is between teaching a seminar to college students and teaching a workshop to inmates, Professor Larson surprisingly answered "age."
"The youngest men in Attica are in their mid-20s, and they've had a different experience just to survive in prison. They've had to learn things no one has ever had to learn," he said. Larson also noticed the motivation of the prisoners to take the class. He remarked, "they're not there to please anyone. They're not getting credit for it. They're just there to improve their writing."
-- by Nora Grenfell '12
