Is Writing Enough? Creativity, Incarceration, and Trauma
Time: Jan. 29, 2026, 7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Location: Shinder Theater, Downtown YMCA, 340 Montgomery St. (with virtual option)
Part of the Syracuse Symposium series.
Conventional wisdom says that creative self-expression is a path to healing and recovery for those who have experienced harm, particularly when that harm is compounded by the criminal legal system. Many of us can recall the power and poetry of prose and verse penned by incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people. But is this power sometimes overstated? While creativity is a human impulse that empowers and can facilitate healing, many justice-impacted people have experienced harms through systems that cannot be surmounted simply through the act of creative self-expression. Moira Marquis and Johnny Page begin with conversation on the complexities of creativity for justice-impacted people before sharing examples of creative expression.
Attend in person or register for Zoom link.
RELATED: A writers workshop is planned for Friday, Jan. 30.
Additional supporters:
- Writing Studies, Rhetoric, and Composition
- Center for Community Alternatives
- Humanities New York
- Project Mend
- YMCA of Central New York - Downtown Writers Center
About the presenters:
Dr. Moira Marquis is the Manager of Higher Education Partnerships at the Petey Greene Program, which delivers educational programming to thousands of justice-impacted people throughout the country. She has a PhD in English from UNC Chapel Hill and her writing can be found in academic and popular publications including the forthcoming Cambridge Companion to American Prison Writing, Slate and Time Magazine Her book, Thought Threats, which tells the story of censorship in the history of America's prisons is forthcoming from UNC Press.
Johnny Page is Director of Reentry for the Illinois Department of Human Services. A formerly incarcerated leader, Johnny brings more than a decade of experience in community-based organizations and violence prevention initiatives. He served as Executive Director of ConTextos Chicago, where he advanced programs centered on storytelling, healing, and leadership development for those most impacted by violence and incarceration. His career reflects a deep commitment to restorative practices, trauma-informed care, healing-centered engagement, and creating opportunities for system-impacted individuals to thrive.