UBFSF | Hundred Stories Project
Giving Voice to the Voiceless
The Hundred Stories Project (HSP) is an initiative of the United Black Family Scholarship Foundation that empowers incarcerated writers to develop, publish, produce, and receive compensation for their creative and intellectual work. Through writing, storytelling, and collaboration, the project provides incarcerated individuals with opportunities to strengthen their voices, share their lived experiences, and connect with communities beyond prison walls.
Incarcerated writers often have limited access to publishing opportunities, creative resources, professional networks, and fair compensation for their intellectual property. Their perspectives are also frequently excluded from public conversations about incarceration and justice. The Hundred Stories Project works to change this by creating platforms where incarcerated writers can tell their own stories, retain ownership of their work, and reach broader audiences through publishing, multimedia storytelling, education, and public engagement.
Ultimately, the project seeks to amplify unsung voices while using storytelling as a pathway toward personal, creative, and economic empowerment. By bringing firsthand experiences of incarceration to students, policymakers, and the broader public, the Hundred Stories Project aims to challenge stereotypes, foster empathy, encourage meaningful dialogue, and contribute to reforms centered on education, rehabilitation, and intellectual property rights.
Expanding Perspectives Through Storytelling
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.
CAGES | The Global Impact of Incarceration
Through partnerships with UBFSF, Zo Media Productions, Herstory Writers, Santa Clara University, and USC’s Readers’ Circle, incarcerated participants will contribute personal writing that students help translate, edit, and prepare for publication. The project also envisions bilingual workshops, readings, video exchanges, podcasts, documentary content, and an annual anthology connected to the Hundred Stories Project. Zo Media Productions will help distribute this work through print, digital, audio, and video platforms.
The project is designed to benefit both incarcerated participants and university students. Writers gain opportunities for creative expression, publication, and connection with audiences beyond prison walls, while students receive hands-on experience in translation, editing, media production, and cross-cultural collaboration. Ultimately, CAGES aims to build a lasting international network that uses storytelling to connect communities, preserve incarcerated voices, and promote deeper conversations about incarceration, human dignity, and social change.
Archive Website Walkthrough
Why This Project Matters
Incarcerated writers often face limited access to publishing opportunities, creative resources, professional
networks, and fair compensation for their intellectual property. Their perspectives are also frequently excluded from public conversations about incarceration and prison reform.
The Hundred Stories Project addresses these barriers by giving incarcerated writers the tools and platforms to share their firsthand experiences while helping the public better understand the realities and broader impacts of incarceration.
- 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.
No Rhyme or Reason
Social Justice Autobiographies
Kill the Bastard
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