Carry on with the story

Get On With the Story addresses social exclusion of female inmates by fostering inclusion through arts and culture, collaboration with female writers and fighting prejudice. The project consists of a book club and creative writing workshop in the female penitentiary, collaboration between inmates and 12 writers on a short story collection, and the use of simple technological tools to directly engage the public in an online book club. Inclusive and collaborative nature of this project represent social innovation in the filed of artistic work and direct work with this marginalized group.

Carry on with the story (“Nastavi priču”) uses literature to address the marginalisation and exclusion faced by female prison inmates in Croatia. The programme provides access to culture and the arts to female inmates by providing writing workshops in prison. Carry on with the story fights prejudices by sharing the women’s stories through collaborative short stories.

Our programme provides tools and space for self-expression through art and culture. The programme provides outreach in prison and empowers female inmates. The inmates write prose fragments and short stories, which challenge prejudices and change the public perception of prisoners.

The programme works with female inmates, their mentors, and writers. Female inmates are authors and co-founders of the book club and creative writing workshops. Mentors work with prisoners; writers pen and publish short stories inspired by the inmates’ writings.

Carry on with the story connects female inmates with the world outside of prison. Public presentations of the book open honest and compassionate dialogue on prisons by shifting discussions in the public from the inmates’ criminal pasts to their stories and experiences.

All aspects of the project can be applied to different social environments, contexts, and regions. Carry on with the story can also be applied to other marginalised communities. For instance, a Croatian psychiatric hospital has recently expressed interest in implementing this programme.