New York, NY – Resilience Multimedia, publisher of the widely praised book, “Think Outside the Cell: An Entrepreneur’s Guide for the Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated,” has announced the winners of its writing contest for people who are or were in prison, and their loved ones. The winning stories will be included in books in Resilience’s “Think Outside the Cell Series,” which is intended to help the incarcerated and formerly incarcerated tackle hard challenges and have successful lives. In the process, the series will present a fairer, more balanced image of those who’ve spent time behind prison walls.

“We were moved by the honesty and power of the many stories we received,” said Sheila Rule, president of Resilience Multimedia. “We thank everyone who entered. And although the contest has ended, we invite others to contact us if they have work they’d like to offer for the series.”

Contestants were asked to submit stories about actual events on one or more of these topics: reentering society after incarceration, waiting for loved ones to return home from prison, and prison marriages and relationships. Three winners were chosen for each of the topics, receiving $300 for first place, $150 for second place, and $75 for third place. For the topic prison marriages and relationships, there was a third-place tie, with each writer receiving $75.

Reentering society after incarceration:
1st Place: Tion Terrell, Pound, VA
2nd Place: Esther Morales Guzman, San Diego, CA
3rd Place: Delores Mariano, Anaheim, CA

Waiting for loved ones to return home from prison:
1st Place: Lawrence J. Schulenberg, Council Bluffs, IA
2nd Place: Kimberly Milberg, Massachusetts
3rd Place: Zee Mink-Fuller, Burleson, TX

Prison marriages and relationships:
1st Place: Tanea Lunsford, San Francisco, CA
2nd Place: Joel Williams, Ione, CA
3rd Place: (tie) Daniel Skalla, Rockwell City, IA and Lise Porter, San Diego, CA

Many stories that did not win cash prizes are still eligible for inclusion in the series. Writers whose stories are published will receive a free copy of the book in which their work appears.

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