Young women in prison. Mothers of those in prison.
How Jean Trounstine heals wounds--and helps authors like me
This powerful short story collection sheds light on an often forgotten group: the mothers of children facing incarceration.
When I was first writing Days of Wonder, I knew I needed to research how young women fared in prison—and out. I was directed to Jean Trounstine, who co-founded the amazing Changing Lives Through Literature classes. In these classes, approximately 10-15 women on probation, a probation officer and a judge, sit in a classroom (the women bring snacks and candy and set them in the middle for everyone to enjoy) and discuss a book. “You have to come to a class to understand,” Jean told me, so I did. I was really anxious for the women to like me—especially since they were reading one of my novels, but I could see, that these women were equally nervous. But not for long. When I told them I didn’t know how to drive, they relaxed. when I told them all the mistakes I had made, they relaxed. And when I told them that I wanted to hear their stories, that I’d respect them and illuminate them. ”You won’t turn us into Orange is the New Black?” one woman asked, and I assured her that was the furthest thing from my mind. I also told them it was absolutely okay if they said negative things about my book. I was just really interested in their opinions.
The class was extraordinary. Jean and I hit it off and became sisters and friends. The women and I talked, we went back and forth, and most importantly, we laughed, and by the end of the class, I was glowing. In the next month, I had emails and conversations with the women for my book. They told me things I never would have known (and so, did Jean!). I learned that women formed strong friendships that lasted. That knitting decreased violence and gave women an opportunity to have a bank book by selling what they made to guards or visitors. And some began knit businesses when they got out. I wrote about it here for Modern Daily Knitting. And as I began to think about what innocence and guilt really mean, and the more I talked about it with Jean, the more my views changed. Read about it here in The Daily Beast.
♥️♥️♥ Want to read Finding Freedom in Fiction Writing, by Jean, from Writer’s digest? Go here.
Want to see the incredible reel for Mother Love, created by the talented Mary Lasley? Go here! Jeantrounstine.com
️ Here is some of the amazing praise:
”How brilliantly, and how heartbreakingly, Trounstine makes real the articles we read too often in our local newspapers. Her stories capture, in ways I’ve never seen before, the passionate and profound truth; every murder involves the loss of two lives. As soon as you open Motherlove, you’ll know that nothing is more important than to keep reading.” –Margo Livesey, author of The Road from Belhaven
“Jean Trounstine is the rare artist who is equal parts activist, and her new book Motherlove is as heartbreaking as it is empowering! This is essential reading for anyone who has ever imagined what it might be like to have a child charged with homicide, not to mention a book for anyone who has been frustrated by the criminal justice system. Trounstine offers ten meticulously-drawn portraits that are testaments to true empathy, an empathy only richer for its complications. It’s astounding that this is her first fiction, but we’re so lucky that she has applied decades of indispensable advocacy to this too-often-ignored subject. Unforgettable in every way.” –Porochista Khakpour, author of Brown Album: Essay on Exile & Identity
Want to see my reel for my book, which could not have been written without Jean?
Mother Love explores the stories of ten mothers, each struggling with the aftermath of murder. While fictional, Trounstine’s characters are drawn from her more than thirty years of experience with prisoners and their families, making her stories all the more real and resonant.
MOTHERLOVE is distributed by The Concord Free Press, an all-volunteer press that gives its books to readers in exchange for their generosity. To date, the press has inspired more than $6 million in diverse donations to causes and people in need.
Pick up a copy for free at a local indie bookstore or request a copy online at https://www.concordfreepress.com/motherlove/