Writing is an agent of change. It begins with a sentence and leads to a connection, a kinship with a reader and the building of a community. It grows into a realization that each of us has a story to tell that emerges from the sum of our best — and worst — moments.
The Connecting Sentences exhibition was a partnership between the Miami-Dade Public Library System (MDPLS) and Exchange for Change, a nonprofit that teaches writing at south Florida correctional institutions by pairing incarcerated people with local university students and offering writing prompts.
Incarcerated writers took part in anonymous writing exchanges with students from University of Miami, Florida Atlantic University and Ransom Everglades, and the resulting compositions were displayed in the auditorium of MDPLS’ main library. All participants and their families were invited to the exhibition’s opening reception.
Miami-Dade County Public Library collaborated with a prison writing program to host an exhibition that proves everyone has a story to tell.