United Black Family Scholarship Foundation

Giving Voice to the Voiceless

The Hundred Stories Project is a groundbreaking initiative led by UBFSF in partnership with Stony Brook University and HERSTORY. This pilot program empowers incarcerated individuals to share their stories through a self-taught writing curriculum, resulting in the publication of 100 prisoner-written manuscripts and a series of anthologies composed of essays and poems.

Beyond the written word, the project aims to produce film shorts and animations adapted from these works, offering an in-depth exploration of the personal journeys of incarcerated individuals and the impact of modern social justice movements on the carceral ecosystem.

This initiative is supported by student volunteers from the University of California, Santa Cruz, the University of New Mexico, and Stony Brook University. Together, they edit, transcribe, and prepare these stories for publication, which are preserved as part of the “Living Archive” at the Humanities Institute at SBU and our subsidiary, Zo Media Productions, LLC.

Key Project Components:

• Writing Beyond the Prison: A curriculum and anthology series that reimagines the carceral ecosystem with incarcerated authors.
• Living Archive: Materials are publicly accessible for universities, scholars, advocacy organizations, and more.
• Funding and Support: The project is partially funded by the American Council of Learned Societies, Lenski Covey Foundation, and the Center for Changing Systems of Power at SBU.

The Hundred Stories Project is more than a literary endeavor—it is a platform for change. By amplifying the voices of incarcerated individuals, the project aims to:

• Raise awareness of the impact of mass incarceration on underrepresented communities.
• Inspire more effective solutions to the systemic issues that sustain the carceral ecosystem.
• Create opportunities for healing, empowerment, and social justice advocacy.

Featured Works by Ivan Kilgore, UBFSF Founder

• No Rhyme or Reason
• Social Justice Autobiographies
• Kill the Bastard

These writings, along with many others, serve as powerful examples of the stories this project aims to bring to light.

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