​In the Spotlight - Frances Stewart

Frances Stewart has been involved with Voices from Inside since 2001, when she first learned about VFI when she was incarcerated. After she got out of jail, she attended the volunteer training to become a writing group facilitator.  She currently facilitates workshops at the Western Mass Regional Women's Correctional Center in Chicopee, the After Incarceration Support Services and The Western Massachusetts Recovery and Wellness Center in Springfield. She says that she got so much out of the writing workshops that she wanted to return to the jail to offer these workshops so that other incarcerated women, could benefit from them too.
 
Frances also noted that her favorite thing about the writing workshops is how at the beginning of a workshop series, there are women attending who don't even want to speak, but by the end of the workshops, these same women are willing to read their writing aloud to the rest of the room. Most importantly, she feels like she has a community with the women inside the facilities where she leads the workshops.
 
When asked about what inspires her to write, Frances answered that she actually majored in English and that her father was a novelist as well - the writing workshops, it seems, are her opportunity to explore that creative side again. After 30 years of struggling with drug addiction, Frances is also proud to say that she has been clean for two years now, in part thanks to the writing workshops. She is hopeful and excited to see her 11-year-old granddaughter grow up as she enjoys time with her family free of addiction.