If your words had the power to change a heart, a mind, or a policy, what would you choose? This question, which most of us might consider hypothetical,  has opened new ways for many incarcerated individuals across the country to find a new purpose  as they reflect upon their past and envision new futures. “Writing Beyond the Prison: Reimagining the Carceral Ecosystem with Incarcerated Authors,” a public humanities project funded by the American Council of Learned Societies (ALCS), celebrated the launching of an online writing curriculum for use in carceral settings and a “living archive” of incarcerated individuals’ work digitally preserved in the SBU library. This event brought together scholars, activists, and formerly and currently incarcerated individuals to discuss the transformative power of writing within the carceral system.

This project not only provided valuable resources for education and advocacy but also underscored the importance of creative expression in the rehabilitation process. Through storytelling, incarcerated individuals are able to reclaim their narratives and challenge the ways they have been defined by the carceral system. Attendees heard pieces created by incarcerated individuals, saw animated short films of some of the work come to life, and had the opportunity to hear directly from incarcerated author and activist Ivan Kilgore, who joined the conversation via telephone call from his cell in Solano State Prison. 

The thought-provoking conversation was preceded by a keynote address from Lawrence Bartley, the publisher of The Marshall Project Inside. Bartley, a formerly incarcerated journalist, has worked tirelessly to bring accurate, trustworthy news to incarcerated audiences through News Inside and its companion video series, Inside Story. His keynote addressed the role of the media in reshaping the narrative around incarceration and empowering marginalized voices.

The event, supported by the Center for Changing Systems of Power and the Humanities Institute at Stony Brook,  served as a powerful reminder of the need for systemic reform. It reinforced the idea that writing, education, and media can help dismantle the prison-industrial complex and give incarcerated people the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to society.

For more information about the Writing Beyond the Prison project, visit their website. 

Take a look at this event from a student perspective. 

SBU’s third Science on Stage, an innovative collaboration between scientists and artists created by English Professor Ken Weitzman, focused on one of the most urgent  and devastating threats to our planet and our very existence: climate change.  The evening’s performances and the conversations that ensued beautifully highlighted how everyone fits in the narrative.

The event opened with an original composition by Professor of Music, Meg Schedel. Carnival of the Endangered Animals took deconstructed instruments to depict the calls of endangered animals. The sounds that filled the room gave voice  to creatures that are rarely heard in the wild. Using Artificial Intelligence to map recordings of these endangered species onto instruments, this opening performance conjured the beauty, struggles, and perseverance of not only the animals portrayed in the music, but all creatures affected by climate change. 

The three plays that followed balanced seriousness and humor. “Counterfactual” emphasized the importance of political differences, showing that no matter what your views are, we’re all affected by the same conditions, climate change being one of them. “Ghost Forest” personified natural disasters and brought necessary awareness to the growing presence of ghost forests, which are coastal forests killed by tectonic plate shifts or riptides. Lastly, “Resplendence” fused together memory and pain to evoke the longing for childhood, or at least, how things used to be. Following a family through generations, the play showcased how things continue to change, no matter how we battle with that fact; one can never go back to how things once were.

Whether you have had a personal experience with climate change or not, it is clear from Science on Stage that you inevitably will. Keeping these key issues at the forefront of all minds while also allowing each individual to integrate it into their own lives is important. Science on Stage brought the scary unknown into a format that all can take in and feel personally. From such understanding, we can only hope that the world may benefit.

We’re really delighted to welcome three new faculty to the Department!

Ileana Jiménez 

Professor Jiménez joins us as a PRODiG+ Fellow, and as part of the English Teacher Education Program. Her research focuses on Black and Latina feminisms, feminist and queer pedagogies, and digital feminist activism in the high school English classroom. As an English teacher-activist, she taught women of color feminisms and queer literature classes at the high school level for over 25 years. In 2011, she received a Fulbright to interview queer and trans high school students in Mexico City on their relationships and friendships, as well as their experiences with bullying and harassment. She received her BA in English Literature at Smith College; an MA in English Literature at Middlebury College; and a PhD in English Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. She is @feministteacher on social media platforms.

Name one work you love to teach, and why it’s meaningful to you:

I can’t really name one, but as a set, I really love teaching the Combahee River Collective’s “Black Feminist Statement” (1977); Audre Lorde’s Sister Outsider (1984); and Toni Morrison’s Beloved (1987). Each text has been a part of my teaching for the last 27 years and each informs my stance on transformative justice. I truly believe that each one needs to be read by every high school student in the US.

What’s next, in terms of your research and/or writing?

I’m currently working on a series of articles that are coming out of my dissertation, including one that just came out in English Journal on teaching women of color feminisms in the high school classroom and another one that I’m revising focusing on Black girls and #MeToo digital activism. In the future, I’d like to write a memoir about my journey as a feminist teacher. 

Fun fact: 

During the pandemic, I ran a lot, including three half-marathons: one in Brooklyn; one in Providence; one in London. Finishing my dissertation over the last year took me out of training and I’m slowly trying to get back to a more regular running routine. I’ve never considered myself an athlete, but running reminds me to get back in my body as well as outside beyond desks and screens.

David Heska Wanbli Weiden

(Photo credit: Aslan Chalom)

Professor Weiden joins us as one of the inaugural faculty of the Native American and Indigenous Studies initiative. An enrolled citizen of the Sicangu Lakota Nation, he is author of the novel Winter Counts (Ecco/HarperCollins), winner of numerous literary awards and named by Time magazine as one of the best mystery novels of all time. His short fiction appears in the anthologies The Best American Mystery and Suspense Stories, Never Whistle at Night, Denver Noir,Midnight Hour, This Time for Sure, and other anthologies. In 2024, he was Indigenous Artist in Residence at Brown University and has received fellowships from PEN America, MacDowell, Ucross, Ragdale, Sewanee, and Tin House. He’s the editor of Native Edge, a new series of the University of New Mexico Press.

Name one work you love to teach, and why it’s meaningful to you:

The novel Winter in the Blood by James Welch has deep meaning for me, as it was the first book I’d ever read written by an Indigenous author. Although I didn’t completely understand it as a teenager, it literally changed my life as I realized that Native people could write about ourselves and our communities. The novel is truly a classic, and I’m looking forward to sharing it with my students here!

What’s next, in terms of your research and/or writing?

I’m finishing my next novel, Wisdom Corner for HarperCollins. I’m also in the final stages of editing an anthology of Native-authored short stories titled Native Noir for Akashic Books. Finally, I have a scholarly article that I’ve just completed, “Leonard Peltier’s Sun Dance,” that will be published next year in The Cambridge Companion to American Prison Literature.

Fun fact:

I’m a big music fan, and I’m really excited for the opportunity to see great live music here! I tend to listen to alternative rock most frequently (Radiohead, X, Television, etc.) although I also love classic jazz and am hoping to catch a set at the Village Vanguard soon. 

Neisha Terry Young

Professor Young joins us as part of the English Teacher Education Program. She has been an educator for 19 years and has taught middle and high school English in Jamaica and the United States. She also has experience as an instructor in teacher-preparation programs at Drexel University and Temple University. She earned her teaching diploma from Shortwood Teachers’ College in Jamaica (with honors), her BA in English from Georgia State University (Summa Cum Laude), her MA from Southern New Hampshire University, and her PhD in Education Policy and Leadership from Drexel University.

Professor Young’s research explores the affordances of multiliteracies in supporting the intersectional identities of Black immigrant youth. She has received various recognitions and awards for her work, including the Drexel University School of Education Ann Marie Weil Award (2022), the English Language Arts Teacher Education (ELATE) graduate student research award (2022), the Robert Blake Memorial Scholarship from the International Congress for Critical Pedagogy and Transformative Leadership, and a 2024 MAXQDA Research for Change: Black History Month grant. She is the Director of the VOICE Lab, a new research lab in the Department of English, which aims to be a collaborative hub that provides platforms for the crafting and amplifying of immigrant narratives.

Name one work you love to teach, and why it’s meaningful to you:

I love teaching the poetry of Langston Hughes, whose works offer a profound critique of racism in the United States while celebrating the resilience, strength, and vitality of the Black diaspora. His poetry embodies a spirit of defiance and endurance that never fails to inspire both my students and me, leaving us feeling deeply empowered and transformed.

What’s next, in terms of your research and/or writing?

My current research explores the immigration narratives of Black immigrants in the United States. Part of this research will be included as a composite video in an exhibit on Caribbean immigrant experiences at the Penn Museum later this year.

Fun fact:

As an immigrant from Jamaica, I have always loved spending time at the beach. I am excited to explore the beautiful shores of Long Island and discover all they have to offer.