Beyond Prisoner Publishing: grassroots literature for justice in Mexico

To mark National Story telling Week, the Impact and Acceleration Account team (IAA) are highlighting Dr Joey Whitfield’s Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) funded project supporting people affected by incarceration, disappearance, and state violence in Mexico to collectively write and independently publish new books.

It created space for emotional expression and catharsis, asserted the cultural, social and political value of their writing, and amplified their voices within publishing and justice-related spaces. Four collaboratively authored books were produced, alongside a short documentary film, involving a wider network of community, cultural, and justice-sector organisations.

The project was developed with grassroots publishing partners Hermanas en la Sombra and Viento Cartonero, and it demonstrates the cultural impact of research supported by Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), UK Research and Innovation, and Cardiff University.

IAA funding enabled a time-intensive, trust-based pilot in a complex international justice context. It supported collaborative publishing and reflective evaluation, allowing the project to exceed its original aims and demonstrate the cultural and social value of this writing. It also provided the foundation for continuation, directly leveraging £40,000 in follow-on Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) funding.