Wisconsin Prison Humanities Project seeks to bring quality educational enrichment to Wisconsin’s incarcerated populations.
Since 2002, The Wisconsin Humanities Prison Project (formerly Oakhill Humanities Project) has been offering noncredit classes for men incarcerated at Oakhill Correctional Facility in Oregon, Wisconsin. These include courses in poetry, fiction, art, comix, digital literacy, Russian literature, theater, Afro-Am literature, and science fiction.
The instructors are all volunteers, and many are graduate students. Some of our instructors have said that their classes at Oakhill were the best they’ve ever taught. Some have changed careers paths to devote themselves to teaching the incarcerated.
Many of our incarcerated students, encouraged by their experiences in WPHP classes, have gone on to gain college credit at UW (through Odyssey Beyond Bars), and Madison College, with some planning to apply to college upon release.
The sense of community created in these classes has been a life changing experience for both students and instructors.
– Director, Ron Kuka
First, a big thank you!
Expectations for a volunteer Humanities class, for no college credit, while incarcerated, were low. Those expectations were exceeded on the first day. Compassionate instructors met the class with enthusiasm for teaching their craft. Each instructor lent a perspective that gave a complete picture of what good writing entails. Every writer had a piece of their fiction showcased, examined and given a path towards improvement. The teachers walked the tightrope of critique and encouragement needed to aid writers to improve while not losing their jot of writing. This class and its instructors deserve acknowledgment for their feats and for blowing away my expectations.
– J. Clark (student)
Interested in volunteering?
Please email Kora Quinn at kdquinn@wisc.edu for next steps!