Photography at San Quentin Prison: finding a personal narrative

In 2011 Nigel Poor began teaching a history of photography class at San Quentin State Prison through the Prison University Project an organization that provides AA degrees to incarcerated men at San Quentin. The class was initially conceived of as an opportunity for the men to study the history of photography and the power the image has in shaping our understanding of the world. But the class transitioned into a different experience where the men began to engage with the photographic image and use it as a catalyst to explore and define the mostly hidden lives of those who are incarcerated.