“WE ARE HERE”: Creativity and Community at FEPPS’ Creative Writing Group

At FEPPS, we believe that education is transformational—that it opens doors, restores dignity, and gives people the tools to imagine and create new futures. This year, one of the most vibrant expressions of that mission has taken shape inside the Creative Writing Group, a new workshop co-facilitated by FEPPS BA student and clerk Bonnie and community volunteer Cal.

What began as a shared interest in creative writing has evolved into a dynamic, collaborative learning space where students are experimenting with poetry, storytelling, spoken word, and creative nonfiction. For many, it has become a space of belonging and bold self-expression.

Bonnie describes the experience this way:

“As a facilitator of the Creative Writing Workshop through FEPPS, I have had a great time teaching, learning, and collectively doing creative work with my peers. We have been producing great work that we want the world to see. People are finding their voice and have been given a space to be their true, creative self with no limitations.”

Exploring Sankofa: History, Healing, and Imagination

One of the group’s recent projects centered on the Sankofa bird, a powerful symbol from Ghana that teaches the importance of returning to the past in order to move forward. Students wrote original poetry, read stories, and explored the cultural meaning behind Sankofa.

To deepen the experience, Bonnie invited two special guests: Faraji Bhakti, who energized the room with a freestyle spoken-word performance, and Janet Preston, who spoke about Ghanaian history and the roots of the Sankofa tradition.

This combination of creativity, history, and community wisdom created a unique environment where students could connect their personal stories to broader narratives of resilience and liberation.

Growing Into New Genres and New Collaborations

Following the Sankofa project, the group has stepped into writing short stories and exploring genres like creative nonfiction, broadening their skills and their confidence. Participants also worked on a collective poem, answering the prompt “Who Am I?”

Image: A collectively written poem by participants.

Some of the group’s writing will become part of an upcoming zine project created in collaboration with at-risk youth and young adults outside the prison—an intergenerational, cross-community conversation carried through art.

Bonnie shares her aspirations:

Image: Alyssa, FEPPS Executive Director, and Bonnie, Founder and co-facilitator of the Creative Writing Group, smile. A quote from Bonnie reads: “This writing workshop has been one of my passions. I aspire to give people a voice and remind people that WE ARE HERE, not to be forgotten. FEPPS has given me a space to do just that. My vision for this goes beyond these walls.”

A Vision Bigger Than the Classroom

The Creative Writing Group’s success reflects the heart of FEPPS: education not only broadens academic knowledge, but also deepens community, encourages agency, and helps students see themselves as thinkers, creators, and leaders.

Thanks to facilitators like Bonnie and Cal—and to the many supporters who believe in the power of college in prison—this work continues to grow. The creativity sparked in this workshop is already making its way into new projects, new partnerships, and new possibilities for FEPPS students.

We are honored to support this vision and excited to share more of the group’s work in the months ahead.

At FEPPS, our students remind us every day:
“We are here.”
And their voices matter.