In their talk “The Hurts of the Past, the Wounds of the Present: Classics as a Window into Mass Incarceration” Emily Allen-Hornblower (Rutgers University) held a conversation with mass incarceration survivor and social justice activist Nafeesah Goldsmith about ancient Greek tragedy and its resonance for currently and formerly incarcerated men and women. The ancient plays serve as an anchor point and opening for dialogue regarding the lives of the incarcerated before, during, and after prison, and the interconnectedness between all of us that classical literature can bring to light. Their talk hoists the power of storytelling - ancient and modern - to spark meaningful conversation about what it means to be human and the dehumanization of prisons, putting the shared humanity of all front and center.
