PUEBLO, Colo. — A group of 25 women at the La Vista Correctional Complex in Pueblo are making history as the first incarcerated people to judge a national book writing contest.
The inaugural “Inside Literary Prize” is hosted by Freedom Reads, the National Book Foundation and the Center for Justice Innovation.
“When we come out — those of us that are getting out — we want to do better in life,” said Shantel Edlund. “So we’re doing something in here.”
Edlund is two years into an 18-year sentence for her role in the death of a 29-year-old woman in 2021.
Edlund, a former language arts teacher in Wyoming, said reading has always been a big part of her life.
She said she spends the majority of her time in prison at La Vista’s library.
“Reading is important for everybody, because it keeps your mind active, and it keeps you experiencing the world through other people’s lenses,” she said. “You can escape your reality through things that other people have written.”
Steven Parkhurst is the program coordinator for Freedom Reads, which recently hosted a reading event inside the prison.
Parkhurst was released from prison last year after nearly 30 years behind bars.
“When I was 17 years old, I went to a teen drinking party,” said Parkhurst. “I picked up a gun in the house of a house party I was at and killed a 20-year-old young man named Trevor.”
Parkhurst said books are what saved him during his time in prison as he worked toward becoming a better person.
“It gave me a lot of hope and a road map of what I could do when I came home, if I was ever given the chance,” he said. “I think the phrase is ‘books saved my life.’”
The women gathered in May to judge the books and hear from local authors, including Kali Fajardo-Anstine, who read excerpts from her book "Sabrina and Corina."
The contest winner will be announced in June.
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