News and Events
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Events
Inside Out Speaker Series: Spring 2026
Monday, Feb. 16: Fiction writer Megan Giddings, poet Natalie Shapero and nonfiction writer Sara Marcus will read and discuss their work.
- Giddings’ new novel, "Meet Me at the Crossroads" (HarperCollins) has been described by Publishers Weekly as a “mesmerizing work of speculative fiction.” She is an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota.
- Shapero is a poet of “barbs and quips and dry double meanings” (Stephanie Burt, London Review of Books). She lives in Los Angeles and teaches writing at U.C. Irvine.
- Marcus is the author of "Political Disappointment: A Cultural History from Reconstruction to the AIDS Crisis" (Harvard, 2023). An assistant professor of English at the University of Notre Dame, she publishes essays on literature, music, sound and art.
Monday, March 16: Bill Mackay will perform his music on the guitar and offer a brief guitar workshop. He is a guitarist, improviser, composer and singer based in Chicago. MacKay’s guitar mastery and songwriting were also highlighted by his commissioned score for the short film "Flight Logs" in 2019 (Chicago Film Archives). MacKay is also a poet, visual artist and polyglot, and is a member of both the avant-garde rock outfit Black Duck (with Douglas McCombs) and the experimental groove-drone project BCMC (with Cooper Crain).
Among other publications, his work has received praise in The Washington Post, Chicago Reader, New York Times, Mojo, Uncut, Downbeat, Paste, Pitchfork and NPR.
Monday, April 20: Christopher Burch will discuss his art. He is a multi-disciplinary maker and educator based in San Francisco and St. Louis. Engaging with myth, legend and folkloric expression, Burch breaches issues of identity, spirituality and social justice. Through a wide range of mediums, including painting, drawing, sculpture, music, and large-scale public works, Burch generates an enigmatic sense of wonderment that, at its core, is a testament to the poetics and resilience of the human spirit.
Burch received the Painting Fellowship for his graduate studies at the San Francisco Art Institute (MFA 2008). He shows globally and has exhibited with the Museum of African Diaspora, Luggage Store Gallery, White Walls Gallery, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and The Headlands Center for the Arts.
Monday, May 18: Esther Viola Kurtz will lead a workshop on Afro-Brazilian music and dance. Kurtz is a professor of ethnomusicology at Washington University. Her research focuses on Afro-Brazilian music, sound, movement and dance practices. Her first book, "A Beautiful Fight: The Racial Politics of Capoeira in Backland Bahia," was published University of Michigan Press. Her second book project considers how jazz musicians in St. Louis navigate current conditions to make a living, theorize their tradition, build community and define their own value system.
These events are open to guests of the Prison Education Program. If you are interested in attending any of these events, please contact Mary Reising at mary.reising@slu.edu.
Art Exhibition
Expressions from Within
From March 4 through April 12, the Saint Louis University Museum of Art (SLUMA) will host "Expressions from Within," which features work created during an open studio at the Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center (ERDCC) in Bonne Terre, Missouri.
Each week, a self-selected group of men gathers in the prison’s education wing under the guidance of Stan Chisholm, artist-in-residence for Saint Louis University’s Prison Education Program. Some are seasoned artists; others are exploring art for the first time. The resulting pieces range from portraiture, comics and typography to fantasy, abstraction and design. Rarely does the work depict prison life itself. Instead, the studio offers space for experimentation, skill-building and self-expression — an environment where participants can reflect collaborate, and engage their creativity beyond the constraints of their surroundings.
In addition to open studio sessions, Chisholm leads a collaborative mural initiative at ERDCC, guiding a dedicated team of artists from concept to execution. Working at scale requires patience, technical precision and collective vision. Completed murals in the Visitors Center and Education Wing now serve as lasting markers of shared effort and artistic discipline. Together, these projects reflect the Prison Education Program’s broader commitment to cultivating agency, creativity and intellectual life within institutional spaces.
Graduation Ceremony
March 23, 2026 at the Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center (ERDCC)
On March 23, 2026, Saint Louis University’s Prison Education Program (PEP) will host a graduation ceremony at the Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center (ERDCC) in Bonne Terre, Missouri, recognizing the matriculation of the class of 2026.
The ceremony marks a significant academic milestone for students who have pursued higher education while incarcerated. It affirms their successful completion of coursework and continued progress toward degree attainment. The event includes formal recognition of student achievement, remarks from university representatives, and acknowledgment of the faculty, staff and correctional partners who support the program’s mission.
SLU’s Prison Education Program is committed to expanding access to rigorous, Jesuit higher education within correctional settings. Graduation ceremonies serve as an important institutional moment — publicly recognizing scholarship, discipline and intellectual growth while reinforcing the University’s commitment to educational equity and human dignity.
News
Higher Education in Prison
Open Campus: Adams State University hires David Carrillo as adjunct professor making Colorado one of the first states to employ an incarcerated professor.
NCHEP 2026: On April 8-10, 2026 the Alliance for Higher Education in Prison is hosting the 15th annual National Conference on Higher Education in Prison. This year's theme is "Beyond Access" calls the higher education in prison field to move beyond celebrating entry points and toward examining the integrity, depth, and potential of education during incarceration. In this time of shifting policies, funding challenges and evolving student needs, sustainability means more than survival; it must reflect equity, accountability and long-term impact. This theme challenges us to consider how to build coordinated systems, scalable practices, and shared responsibility within and beyond the classroom.
Formerly incarated author and director, Tracy P. Williams (TPIII), wrote, produced, and directed his first stage play, "Sins of My Father." Adapted from his acclaimed novel of the same name, Sins of My Father invites audiences on an unforgettable journey through pain, forgiveness, and the healing grace of God. Tracy serves as the Lee College Director of Reentry Services where he supports justice-impacted students and families while teaching government and leading initiatives focused on education and transformation. A minister, playwright and motivational speaker, Williams brings a message of hope and restoration that resonates far beyond the stage.
Voices of Incarcerated People
The XSTREAM Media Center located in the Eastern Reception Diagnostic and Correction Center was featured in the latest edition of The Prison Journalism Project (PJP) newsletter. PJP seeks to empower marginalized communities by bringing transparency to the world of mass incarceration through journalism.
Voices of Reentry: This project invites formerly incarcerated people to tell their stories and, through storytelling and community dialogue, engages the public in conversation about the role we can all play in welcoming returning citizens into our communities.
Inside Wire: Colorado Prison Radio beams music, stories, news and entertainment into prisons across Colorado and broadcasts its sounds to listeners outside facilities as well, across the U.S. and beyond.
Legal Aid Justice Center: The Legal Aid Justice Center partners with communities and clients to achieve justice by dismantling systems that create and perpetuate poverty.