Graphics: Klaudia Borawiak
“Promotion of Reading in Prisons” – A Pioneering Educational Project in 8 Penitentiary Units in 2025
“Promotion of Reading in Prisons” was our new project, which, for the first time in Poland, simultaneously encompassed eight penitentiary units! Throughout 2025, in cooperation with the Prison Service, experts, actors, and educators, we implemented a structured program aimed at developing reading habits among inmates.
Through literary workshops, performative reading sessions, special reading corners in prison libraries, and literary broadcasts aired on prison radio networks, we reached over 5,000 individuals serving their sentences in correctional facilities and detention centers.
Where will the project be implemented?
The program will be conducted in eight penitentiary units across Poland:
Warsaw-Białołęka Detention Center
Warsaw-Grochów Detention Center
Warsaw-Służewiec Detention Center
Poznań Detention Center
Grójec Detention Center
Radom Detention Center
Rawicz Prison
Krzywaniec Prison
The project ran from March 1 to December 31, 2025, including both in-person sessions and remote activities in the form of literary audio programs.
Who will lead the sessions?
Mgr Justyna Żarczyńska – co-author of the project, art historian, art therapist, curator at the National Museum in Poznań, author of numerous articles on literature and culture, and creator of the blog „Justyna Czytuje.”
Piotr Prasuła – curator at the Adam Mickiewicz Museum of Literature, expert in Polish literature and its historical contexts.
Experts from the Polish Language Foundation:
– Prof. Dorota Jedynak-Zdunkiewicz – specialist in language and literature.
– Dr. Paulina Potasińska – researcher of Warsaw-related literature.
– Dr. Helena Balcerek – linguist and expert in literary education.
Kinga Kosik-Burzyńska, Krzysztof Dziuba, and actors from Klub Szyderców Bis and Klub Komediowy conducted performative reading workshops.
Mati Fuczyło– journalist, rapper, and beatboxer from Radio Eska – produced literary broadcasts for prison radio networks.
Project Program
The project consisted of four key activities, designed not only to promote reading but also to develop interpretative skills and literary reflection among participants – individuals serving prison sentences.
1. Literary Sessions – Exploring Satire and Essays
Inmates explored the works of Polish masters of humor and satire, including Antoni Słonimski, Julian Tuwim, Magdalena Samozwaniec, Ludwik Puget, and Jan Maria Swinarski, along with the historical context of their writings.
2. Performative Reading Workshops
Actors assisted participants in developing reading-aloud skills, working on intonation, diction, and text interpretation.
3. Special Reading Corners in Prison Libraries
Each participating correctional facility established a satirical literature section, where inmates had access to books related to the themes discussed in the workshops.
4. Literary Broadcasts in Prison Radio Networks
Mati Fuczyło produced recordings featuring read-aloud excerpts from books, expert discussions, and inmate reflections. This initiative reached those who could not participate in workshops – enabling over 5,000 inmates to access literature from their cells.
Why was this project unique?
– The first project in Poland implemented simultaneously in 8 prisons
– A unique combination of workshops, performative reading, and literary audio programs
– Reached thousands of inmates through prison radio broadcasts
– Involved collaboration with top literary scholars, actors, and educators
– Supported by the Prison Service and cultural sector partners
“Let’s Laugh! On Witty Writers Not Only from Warsaw” Justyna Żarczyńska Opens the “Promotion of Reading in Prisons” Project
Justyna Żarczyńska Opened the “Promotion of Reading in Prisons” Project**
With humour, passion, and deep knowledge – this was how Justyna Żarczyńska, co-author of the “Promotion of Reading in Prisons” programme, launched the first literary meeting in one of the correctional facilities. Her lecture, titled “Let’s Laugh! On Witty Writers Not Only from Warsaw”, took the audience on a journey into the world of interwar satire and cabaret, showing literature as a space not only for reflection but also for laughter.
The participants – inmates – listened with interest as Żarczyńska talked about legendary places such as the Pod Picadorem café and the Qui Pro Quo cabaret. She introduced the most prominent figures of that cultural scene – from Hanka Ordonówna and Adolf Dymsza to Antoni Słonimski, the patron of 2025.
The lecture also looked beyond Warsaw. Attendees learned about the vibrant cabaret scene in Poznań, including groups such as Ździebko and the Club of Mockers. A particularly engaging part of the session was the reflection on the role of women in the literary and cabaret life of the interwar period.
Justyna Żarczyńska conducted the meeting with a great sense of humour and sensitivity to the audience, which resulted in lively reactions from the participants. Her lecture not only opened the series of 32 planned sessions as part of the project but also clearly showed that literature can be a starting point for conversations about values, freedom, and identity – even in such an unusual setting as a prison.
Stay with us and follow the progress of the project on the Facebook page of Fundacja Dom Kultury!
Subsidized with funds from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage from the Fund for Promotion of Culture – state purpose fund
