ABSTRACT
This chapter explores Kyes Stevens' work in developing the Alabama Prison Arts + Education Program, initially at the Talladega Federal Prison through a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and since expanded to several correctional facilities across Alabama. The project was developed with the belief that all people deserve access to education and that the creative spirit is an essential part of our humanity. APAEP grew from one poet teaching in one prison to a community of hundreds of writers, artists, and scholars teaching in many correctional facilities. This chapter follows the story of that growth and demonstrates the importance of a program free of traditional educational hierarchies and preconceived notions about who can and cannot produce art, and who can and cannot access education.
