Loen Kelley is a former television documentary producer (CNN, CBS, NBC). She founded Prison Writers in 2015 after realizing incarcerated people had virtually no platforms to tell their own stories. Working directly with prison writers across the country has given her an unfiltered view of the prison system — and has been the most meaningful work of her career.

Koka Kliora has been an essential part of Prison Writers since 2023. She serves as the backbone of our editorial and digital operations. She reads and edits the stories we receive from incarcerated writers, publishes them to the website, manages correspondence with contributors, optimizes stories for search visibility, and helps shape new initiatives and projects. Koka works in online health care and lives in Wisconsin.

Contributors from all across the country tell us that being published gives them a new identity beyond their crimes. For most, it’s the first time they’ve felt heard and had purpose. Writing also gives them a way to build meaningful ties to the broader community — ties that research shows are among the strongest predictors of success after release.