Held Together: The Work of Belonging in a Carceral World
Held Together: The Work of Belonging in a Carceral World is a community anthology featuring poetry, visual art, essays, reflections, and personal storytelling from justice-impacted individuals, family members, advocates, and community voices across Indiana. Rooted in South Bend and shaped through Dismas House’s storytelling workshops and community partnerships, the anthology explores incarceration, reentry, healing, dignity, and belonging through deeply human stories and creative expression.
More than a book, Held Together is an invitation to see incarceration not as something abstract that happens “somewhere else,” but as something that impacts real people, real families, and entire communities. Through art and storytelling, this project seeks to reduce stigma, create economic opportunity for justice-impacted artists and writers, and remind us that every person deserves the opportunity to build a life they are proud of. Contributors retained the rights to their work and were compensated for their published pieces as part of our commitment to ethical storytelling and restorative practice.
Copies of Held Together are available through Dismas House of Indiana for a suggested donation of $20, with proceeds supporting reentry programming, storytelling initiatives, and community-building efforts at The Dismas Hub. To request a copy or learn more about the project, please contact us or stop by The Dismas Hub during open hours.