Prison Education Advocate Amplifying Incarcerated Voices Through Literature and Academia
Professor Doran Larson, an English professor at Hamilton College, has dedicated his career to bridging the gap between academia and the incarcerated population through innovative educational programs and literary initiatives. Since 2006, he has led the Attica Writer's Workshop and founded both the Attica-Genesee Teaching Project and the Mohawk Consortium College-in-Prison program, bringing college-credit courses to inmates. Larson's scholarly work, including essays in prestigious publications and edited volumes like "The Beautiful Prison" and "Fourth City: Essays from the Prison in America," focuses on prison writing, teaching, and reform. His ongoing project, The American Prison Writing Archive, aims to create an open-access digital repository of essays by prisoners, staff, and volunteers. Beyond his prison-focused work, Larson is an accomplished author of novels, a novella, and short stories, as well as critical essays on American literature and film. Through his multifaceted approach combining direct engagement with incarcerated individuals, academic research, and literary production, Professor Larson continues to be a leading voice in prison education and reform, advocating for the power of writing and education in transforming the American prison system