Inside Literary Prize

CCWF residents lend their voices to bestow this honor

Freedom Reads, a nonprofit organization, sponsors the Inside Literary Prize so incarcerated individuals can bestow an award on a book of their choosing. According to Freedom Reads, The Inside Literary Prize “fosters meaningful connections and thought-provoking discussions about acclaimed books.” On May 22, 2025, these connections and discussions took place at CCWF. 

Established in 2020, Freedom Reads seeks to transform how incarcerated people are treated and “to meaningfully elevate the dignity of the millions of people in this country touched by the criminal legal system,” according to the organization. 

The Inside Literary Prize is decided solely by incarcerated people across the country. In early 2025, 25 students attending Merced College and the California State University, Fresno, at the Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF) volunteered to be judges for the Inside Literary Prize for the nonprofit organization Freedom Reads.  According to Freedom Reads, 300 judges all read the same four books in order to determine which book will have the Inside Literary Prize bestowed on it. The judges were selected in groups of 25 from 12 prisons across five states and Puerto Rico. 

Judges read “Chain-Gang All-Stars” by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, “This Other Eden” by Paul Harding, “On a Woman’s Madness” by Astrid Roemer, and “Blackouts” by Justin Torres. Each book was a 2023 finalist for the National Book Awards, three for fiction and one (“On a Woman’s Madness”) for translated literature. Judges read the books over approximately four months, allowing individuals sufficient time to digest the material and ponder the judging criteria.   

Early in the morning of May 22, 2025, judges and four representatives from Freedom Reads gathered in the CCWF chapel to debate which books they liked best and why. While the Freedom Reads organizers, Alejandra Salazar-Gonzalez, Tyler Sperrazza, Steven Parkhurst and David Perez DeHoyos, took a backseat during the discussions in order to encourage dialogue between the participants, they posed questions to the judges to facilitate the conversation. 

Rousing conversations occurred over a two-hour timespan with the judges discussing each book and attempting to answer the question: What book does the rest of the world need to read? 

The judges took their responsibility seriously, thoroughly examining each work and discussing themes, motifs, world-building, and how they connected with the book emotionally. In evaluating each book, judges openly and honestly expressed their opinions, including respectfully disagreeing with one another about which book they liked best.

Even when the discussions delved into deep topics and personal reflections, the judges were polite and courteous with one another. Judges even admitted to changing their minds as each book was discussed, smiling while noting the difficulty of their task.

“Participating as a Freedom Reads judge was a very liberating duty,” said incarcerated judge Robbin Machuca. “This experience was an honor. I know with all of my being, this program is very needed and highly appreciated.”

As the two-hour window drew to a close, ballots and feedback sheets were distributed to the judges. Judges had 30 minutes to make their decision about which book they voted to award the Inside Literary Prize, as well as the justification for their choice. The forms were then collected and participants mingled amongst one another.

Incarcerated resident and judge Adanna Ibe said, “The whole experience was amazing. Who would have thought that we would be selected to have our voices heard?”

Ballots from every participating facility were tallied, and a winner was announced on July 10 at the New York Public Library. “Chain-Gang All-Stars” by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah won the Inside Literary Prize for 2025.

Following the judging, author and Poet Laureate of Berkeley Aya de León arrived to read passages from some of her books, followed by a question-and-answer session. Judges invited CCWF residents and other incarcerated individuals who had signed up to participate in this portion of the event. Participants asked questions ranging from how one becomes an author to how de León developed the characters in her novels to how she deals with writer’s block, which de León revealed is listening to the song “Unwritten” by Natasha Bettingfield. 

Attendees received copies of de León’s book “A Spy in the Struggle,” which she signed at the end of the event for interested participants. 

Freedom Reads organizers wore t-shirts to the event that read, “Freedom begins with a book.” During a day of literary debate and a discussion with an author with numerous published works, there was a sense of freedom in the chapel. “It gave me a lot of validation, despite being in prison,” said Ibe. “They [Freedom Reads] care about the female voice.”