Maya Schenwar

Coverage of Schenwar’s work and interviews with Schenwar have appeared in C-SPAN,[7] Democracy Now,[8] MSNBC,[9] Al Jazeera,[10] Library Journal, The Thom Hartmann Program,[11] Talking Points Memo,[12] Wisconsin Public Radio,[13] Minnesota Public Radio, The Majority Report, The Utne Reader, In These Times, The Sun magazine, YES!

She has done a wide range of public speaking, both in the United States and internationally, at universities, community centers, conferences, prisons, bookstores, and other venues.

[14] Schenwar is also a board member of Love & Protect, an organization that supports those who identify as women and gender non-conforming persons of color who are criminalized or harmed by state and interpersonal violence, and of the Chicago Community Bond Fund, a revolving fund and advocacy organization that pays bond for people charged with crimes in Cook County, Illinois.

Previous to her work at Truthout, Schenwar was a contributing editor at Punk Planet magazine and served as media coordinator for Voices for Creative Nonviolence.

It also examines the racism and oppressive foundations of extensions of the prison-industrial complex such as the child protective services system and school policing.

The prize seeks to honor the writing of those who are either formerly or currently incarcerated, as well as "to continue drawing attention to the cruel realities of the oppressive systems she struggled against and wrote about.