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Today, we are grateful to announce the winners of the 6th annual Keeley Schenwar Memorial Essay Prize. The prize, awarded to 2 formerly or currently incarcerated people, is given in memory of Keeley Schenwar, a devoted mother, daughter, sister, friend, writer, and advocate for incarcerated mothers.

As repression has escalated in so many realms of U.S. life over the past year and a half, we cannot allow ourselves to forget that nearly 2 million people in this country experience some of the most constant and brutal state repression, in the form of incarceration.

Meanwhile, 79 million people in this country live with a criminal record and all the barriers and obstacles that come with it. We must uplift the stories of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated writers who are sharing their stories firsthand — and calling us to action.

Harlow Scott's winning essay, “Cancer in Prison: A Death Sentence?” chronicles her diagnosis with colon cancer, 14 years into her prison sentence. She describes the medical neglect and abuse to which she’s been subjected.