Doran Larson, a Hamilton College professor, solicited prison education programs across the nation for submissions for the recently published book Fourth City: Essays from the Prison in America. In addition to editing and curating Fourth City, Larson teaches a class at Attica, as well as a “Prison Writing” course at Hamilton College.

The term “fourth city” comes from the idea that the 2.26 million incarcerated Americans out-number the fourth largest city in America (Houston, at 2.1 according to the 2012 census).

Larson’s experience stresses the importance of sharing the voices of those who are incarcerated. Of the book and its authors he states: “they cannot express the depth of their thanks; they are thankful even to know someone wants to read their work, let alone publish it.”

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