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The John Howard Society of Manitoba is inviting Winnipeggers to the relaunch of a publication dedicated to sharing the works of incarcerated men and women across Canada.
The Inside Scoop works with people who have had encounters with the legal system for them to have a creative outlet to share everything from poetry to drawings to recipes.
Although the publication has been around for many years, the relaunch event constitutes a rebrand of The Inside Scoop. “What we’re trying to do now is we’re trying to think about our audience,” explained Anna Sigrithur, the literacy coordinator for the John Howard Society of Manitoba on Morning Light.
“We have two really, really different audiences. We have people who are incarcerated or who have maybe recently been incarcerated and they’re working with the John Howard Society in some way… or there are people who are community members of all stripes, maybe people who don’t have any experience of incarceration.”
Sigrithur says that the key to engaging both sides of their audience is showcasing pieces that humanize the authors. “We’re not here to stereotype or glorify,” she elaborates. “We’re here to make this be an interesting human interest publication – something that everybody can engage with on some level.”
One of the ways that The Inside Scoop aims to create that engagement is a couple of new sections. This includes a feature called the Dream Canteen, where inmates can write about things that they would want access to in their institution’s canteen. Another new feature in the magazine is a theme for each issue, which Sigrithur reveals to be “Where We’re From”.
“All of the pieces are kind of geared around this general idea of either who we are as a person, maybe outside or beyond having some sort of contact with the criminal justice system, or like [a] geographic place.” A great example of this is the publication’s feature story by an individual named Timmy, who documents his travels around northern Manitoba en route to Winnipeg, all while tracing his experiences with loved ones and grief.
The experience of having an avenue for expression – especially one that is shared with the public – is one that allows incarcerated people to regain their agency. “It gives people a sense of pride,” says Sigrithur, noting that four of the contributors to The Inside Scoop will be sharing readings at the launch event for the publication, two of which will be readings recorded by authors currently incarcerated.
The launch event for The Inside Scoop takes place on January 30 at 7 p.m. at X-Cues Café and Lounge in Winnipeg’s West End. Readers can pick up a copy at McNally Robinson’s Grant Avenue location, the University of Winnipeg, and at various community groups. They can also contact the John Howard Society of Manitoba for more information.