The American Prison Writing Archive (APWA) developed from a book project that published writing by currently incarcerated Americans. Though the book's submission deadline passed, the "submissions never ceased." Recognizing the importance of giving currently incarcerated people an opportunity to share their stories, the APWA continues to accept and archive essays. Most of these pieces are solicited through prisoner-support newsletters and Prison Legal News, and the archive publishes work from "anyone with first-hand experience inside US carceral institutions," including "prison employees and volunteers, who materially shape the day-to-day conditions in which incarcerated people live, and who are in turn deeply affected by their work." Readers can browse the more than 2,000 essays in the APWA using the search tools in the top-left corner. For example, readers can narrow the collection by state, prison, or language. These essays cover various topics, and the archive team hopes that by sharing the lived stories and experiences of those affected by prison systems, continued study and debate around mass incarceration will be grounded "in the lived experience of those who know prisons best." APWA is a project of Hamilton College and is led by project director Doran Larson.