When it came time to build her spring schedule, Jasmyn Maingi had plenty of courses to pick from for her English major. She made the bold choice and signed up for Introductory Creative Nonfiction Writing with Dr. David Adams, held at the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville as part of the Ohio Prison Education Exchange Project.
She is glad she made that choice and got beyond her own fears and society鈥檚 stereotypes.
鈥淭he first time I walked in I was very nervous,鈥 Jasmyn says. 鈥淚t is not at all what you think or that anybody would say that it is. You have to look past the fact that you鈥檙e in a prison and remember that you are around human beings who deserve to be treated as such.鈥
At the beginning of the class, the inside students were wary of Jasmyn as well, but over time everyone loosened up, in part due to the subject matter of the class. Much of the work involved writing, sharing and critiquing personal essays.
鈥淚t has been really interesting to see them all open up. It鈥檚 like peeling back the layers of an onion,鈥 Jasmyn says. 鈥淟earning to open up and be personal with these people that you don鈥檛 know and you鈥檒l never talk to again because you鈥檙e not allowed to is an interesting experience.鈥
This experience in the OPEEP has shifted Jasmyn鈥檚 trajectory. She wants to be an advocate for people like her classmates who don鈥檛 have a voice and feel like their opinions don鈥檛 matter. She sees future publishing and editing projects that give a voice to the voiceless and marginalized.
鈥淎ll those girls want so badly for their stories to be heard and they want to be published and they want to write books so people will read what they have to say,鈥 Jasmyn says. 鈥淭hey are funny. Their writing is witty and humorous, but it is also genuine and down to earth.鈥
Learn more about OPEEP
- Several class members contributed to the April 2023 issue of the 911爆料网 Lima鈥檚 literary journal Hog Creek Hardin. Visit the current issue