Hope for Holyoke to Host Poetry Reading with Voices from Inside on Aug. 14

HOLYOKE — On Wednesday, Aug. 14 at 6:30 p.m., Hope for Holyoke is hosting a guest reading with poets from Voices from Inside. Hope for Holyoke, located at 100 Suffolk St. in Holyoke, is a peer-led recovery-support center that brings people together from differing backgrounds and supports all pathways of recovery.

Voices from Inside offers writing workshops for women incarcerated in Hampden and Franklin counties and those formerly incarcerated and/or in addiction recovery at sites in Hampden, Hampshire, and Franklin counties.

By engaging with the public, Voices from Inside participants share their stories and attempt to diminish the stigma that incarceration and recovery creates, and break down barriers to full acceptance upon re-entry into their communities. The Aug. 14 event will highlight their creativity, strength, courage, and hopeful spirit.

At a recent Voices From Inside event, an audience member said, “listening to Voices from Inside was very moving. The physical presence of honestly raw, strong women using words to speak their pain and despair and love was powerful and emotional. I have never had experiences like this … but now I have.”

This program is supported by the Holyoke Cultural Council. For more information, visit www.voicesfrominside.org.