eau claire ministry helps inmates express themselves through unique magazine
Flip quickly through an issue of the Pen Project , and you ’ d be forgiven for thinking you ’ d encountered a well-produced zine full of Christian-themed art and literature . There are paintings and photographs , essays and poems – some of them written by hand or typewriter , giving the publication an old-school DIY vibe .
This first impression is entirely accurate – the Pen Project is indeed a well-produced Christian art and lit magazine – but that ’ s only part of the story . The missing part , in fact , is the most important part : The Pen Project is created for – and largely by – people behind bars .
The magazine , the third issue of which is coming in April , is produced by 513FREE , an Eau Claire-based ministry that began a decade ago as a Christian rock band . The group evolved into its current form , which encompasses the magazine , music , mentorship , and other programs for at-risk populations .
“ Most of these guys behind bars , they don ’ t have a way to use their talents and their gifts .” – Jesse Hamble , 513FREE Director
The magazine ’ s slogan – “ Faith . Art . Purpose .” – is an accurate summation of the Pen Project ’ s goal . “ Many of them actually find purpose ,” Jesse Hamble , 513FREE ’ s executive director , says of the inmates who have been involved in the magazine . “ Most of these guys behind bars , they don ’ t have a way to use their talents and their gifts .”
Inmates from four or five correctional institutions have contributed poems , paintings , testimonials , and more to the two already-published issues , and 513FREE has plans to expand the magazine ’ s reach . They ’ ve published 3,500 copies of the first two issues , the majority of which have been distributed inside Wisconsin . Eventually , they want to turn the Pen Project into a quarterly magazine that reaches nationwide . As far as they know , no similar publication exists .
After Hamble and some friends formed 513FREE as a band in 2007 , they began to perform shows in places typically untouched by such performances : homeless shelters , rehab facilities , and eventually jails and prisons . Soon , the volunteer music ministry was performing 100 gigs a year , many of them behind bars . Visiting these institutions – from Wisconsin state prisons to the Cook County Jail in Chicago – opened the band members ’ eyes to the needs of the incarcerated , many of whom struggled with addiction and worried about what life held for them once they were released .
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