American Writers Festival this Sunday

Some of the nation's top literary talents will speak Sunday at the Chicago Cultural Center as part of the American Writers Festival.

• The free event offers an incredible opportunity to hear writers talk about the topics they care about.

Driving the news: Caits Meissner, who edited the new book "The Sentences That Create Us: Crafting a Writer’s Life in Prison," is being interviewed Sunday at 1pm.

• It's a guide to help incarcerated people develop writing careers through insights from 50 writers, many of whom were formerly in the prison system.

📖 We caught up with Meissner this week to discuss the book and festival.

Biggest surprises while editing the book: "How often the act of writing has literally helped people get out of prison. … Three of the contributors, each of whom spent decades in prison, are now home."

Why these voices matter: "If we want to understand the impact of prison on individuals and communities, firsthand accounts are going to be critical to penetrating the opacity of prisons."

Hopes for readers: "Readers with justice involvement will have the benefit of seeing their stories, struggles and inspiring solutions reflected in the pages. A more general readership will find it a critical book on the craft of writing."

• "I hope readers on both sides of the wall are inspired to unlock their own creative and personal liberation, while grasping the crushing nature of America's penal system."