Conviction: New Songs from Women in Prison

Back in 2016, friends Susannah Long and Michael Conner received a grant to hold a songwriting class in the women's prison in Raleigh, North Carolina in partnership with Interfaith Prison Ministry for Women (IPMW). During the 10-week class, 10 women wrote over two dozen songs about life, loss, prison, faith, and freedom. I joined Sus & Mike as they toured the songs around North Carolina, adding harmonies to the tunes while visiting churches, festivals, conferences, and theaters.

Now in 2020, 9 out of the 10 women in the class are FREE and therefore able to record the songs they wrote while incarcerated. I’m very excited that there’s a campaign underway to bring these songs to your ears! Please check out the Kickstarter, live until March 13! For a preview of the songs to come, here’s a snippet of a performance the Conviction Band did at Duke Chapel back in 2018.

"These songs are about how women get to prison: grief, addiction, abuse, and loss-of-self. They're about seeking justice and freedom while serving time. They're about falling in love with partners, children, God, and making peace with all people. Some are funny. Some are sad. Some celebrate victory and some reckon with defeat. Together, this collection of songs is a testament to the strength and wisdom of women who choose to rise when the world would hold them down."