|
|
| Prisoners get fine arts lessons |
| By tuscaloosanews.com |
| Published: 09/08/2009 |
|
For 12 weeks, Alex Chambers, a Master of Fine Arts student at the University of Alabama, taught poetry in an unusual setting: the Bibb County Correctional Facility. As part of the Alabama Prison Arts and Education Program, Chambers is one of several UA graduate students and professors traveling to prisons throughout the state to teach creative writing and art courses during a semester. The program was started by poet and historian Kyes Stevens at Auburn University in 2001, and it encompasses a wide array of classes, including creative writing, world literature, African-American theater and the social history of Alabama. “If someone is a true teacher, and they love being in the classroom and working with students, it’s a really amazing experience,” Stevens said. “It’s learning for the sake of learning and the recognition that learning and expanding your mind is a good thing.” Chambers, in his fourth year of graduate school, will return this month for a second year with the program. In his first day at the Bibb County prison, Chambers recalled having to wait for a prison guard to escort him to and from class. Unlike classes at UA with comfortable chairs and modern equipment, Chambers said the prison’s classroom had nothing more than an old-fashioned chalkboard and some plastic chairs, many without backs. In exchange for lessons about Huckleberry Finn and modern poetry, Chambers said he gained insight on the prisoners’ dreams and regrets. Read More. |
MARKETPLACE search vendors | advanced search
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
|
Comments:
No comments have been posted for this article.
Login to let us know what you think