Chris Atkins, the founder of the prison book scheme Bang Up Books and the author of A Bit of a Stretch (Atlantic Books), is working on a new anthology of writing by prisoners, ex-prisoners and their families. The book is set to be published by Profile Books as an e-book and audiobook, which will be freely available.
Titled Once Upon a Time, the anthology is now open for submissions by anyone who wants to share their own or their family member’s stories from prison. “We want people to put pen to paper who have never written before, so we can showcase the talent behind prison walls and also give them the self-esteem boost of seeing their name in print,” Atkins said.
The team is also looking for volunteers from the book industry to help field through submissions, as well as edit and structure the anthology.
Anyone interested can get in touch at onceuponatimeanthology@gmail.com.
Bang Up Books is a scheme run in partnership with the Ministry of Justice, which delivers books to UK prisons.
