Manhattanville College Sponsors Prison Writing Symposium on October 28: Open to Public

Purchase, NY October 14, 2015 -- Noted journalist Tom Robbins, renowned prison justice scholar Joy James, spoken word artist Anderson Smith – this distinguished trio will lead a prison writing symposium at Manhattanville College on October 28 in Purchase NY. The symposium, to be held in Reid Castle at 7 PM, is free and open to the public.

Just this past year, columnist Tom Robbins wrote two lengthy feature stories in The New York Times on prison guards at Attica and Ulster Correctional Facility who are accused of brutally beating prisoners. He is on the staff or the New York Daily News and The New York Observer and known for his articles on political corruption and urban issues.

Joy James is one of America’s most important scholars on prison writing and the prison industrial complex. She is the F.C. Oakley 3rd Century Professor of the Humanities and a professor in political science at Williams College. James is the editor of a number of books, including Warfare in the American Homeland and The Angela Davis Reader. She is the author of Shadowboxing: Representations of Black Feminist Politics and the recipient of numerous grants, fellowships and awards.

Anderson Smith recently received his MFA in creative writing from Manhattanville College and holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from St. John’s University. Born and raised in the Bronx, he is a spoken word artist and a Rehabilitation Through the Arts creative writing facilitator at Fishkill Correctional Facility where he teaches a course called “Methods in Mystery.”

For more information, contact Camille Rankine, Assistant Director, MFA Program in Creative Writing, 914.323.5239.

About Manhattanville College:

Manhattanville College (www.manhattanville.edu) is an independent, co-educational liberal arts institution dedicated to academic excellence and social and civic action. Manhattanville prepares students to be ethical and socially responsible leaders in a global community. Located just 30 minutes from New York City, Manhattanville serves 1,700 undergraduate students and 1,000 graduate students from more than 50 countries and 30 states. Founded in 1841, the College offers more than 50 undergraduate areas of study in the arts and sciences, and offers graduate programs in Education, Business, Creative Writing, as well as Continuing and Executive Education programs.

Media Contact: Axel Bang, 914.234.5433, abang@axelbang.com.