The I Am Beautiful project invites women in prison to share their writings and art to be considered for an annual publication entitled “I Am Beautiful.” Their contributions make this book a work of their own. It also allows them to help other women in prisons across the country who may be struggling with the trauma of abuse.
This project represents the personal contributions of women inmates across the country who sent us their writings and art regarding their experiences of abuse.
The project encourages them to express their past experiences, their road to survival over abuse, and their opportunity to make a difference in the lives of other women in prison who have experienced indignity and violence at the hands of others, often from those who were supposed to love them.
It is our hope that other women who read these books will be encouraged to find their own beauty and find what others have shared as a source of healing, and they learn to stand on their dignity as human beings worthy of respect.
I Am Beautiful
Let us broadcast words of healing…
Let us take a handful of words and scatter them…as seed;
Some of these words will fall on the path
as we journey through this life
Some of these words will fall in the rocky places
when we are going through hardships
Some of these words will help us overcome the prickly thorns
that try to choke and suppress our joy
Some will fall into the goodness of our hearts
and transform our thinking
Then, we choose and take the responsibility
for the words we allow into our consciousness and
the words we sow into the consciousness of others
Think beautiful words within
Then, spread them all around
Written by Denise
I Am Beautiful Blog Series
In anticipation of the release of Volume Eight of “I Am Beautiful” in 2019, we will be starting a new blog series entitled – I Am Beautiful! During the months of December and January, prior to the release of this book, we will share entries from previous volumes. Each blog is written by the women in prison who submitted their personal works. As you read their stories and view their art, may their resilient spirit and messages of hope inspire you to help their collective voices be heard.
Women prisoners are invited to contribute to the book series and a new volume is published annually. Their contributions make this book a work of their own. It also allows them to help other women in prisons across the country who may be struggling with the trauma of abuse. Our hope is to provide them with courage and comfort.