Mothers of Bedford
October 10th, 5pm
The Market Theater
Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Books to Prisoners!
Join us for a special Opening Night Celebration screening of Mothers of Bedford as we celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the festival’s Founding Sponsor, Books to Prisoners.
Is it possible to become a better mother while serving time in a maximum security prison? Mothers of Bedford, a feature length documentary, follows five women incarcerated in the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility and looks at their lives through the lens of motherhood.
The film examines the struggles and joys these five women face as prisoners and mothers. It shows the normal frustrations of parenting as well as the surreal experiences of a child’s first birthday party inside prison, the cell that child lives in with her mother, and the biggest celebration of the year, Mother’s Day in prison!
Following the film, there will be a Q&A with Tanya Erzen and Traci Matheson.
Mothers of Bedford
Tanya Erzen, Ph.D. is a 2013 Soros Justice Fellow and teaches at the University of Puget Sound. She is the director of the Freedom Education Project Puget Sound, a college program in the Washington Corrections Center for Women. FEPPS works in collaboration with the Village, an organization formed by women inside the prison. Since January 2012, FEPPS has offered 20 college courses and a monthly lecture series at the prison taught by professors from the University of Puget Sound, Tacoma Community College, Evergreen and the University of Washington.
Traci Matheson spent 11 years at Washington Corrections Center for Women. She is now a full-time student and a hair stylist.
Sponsored by Books to Prisoners
Books to Prisoners
Founded in 1973 Books To Prisoners (BTP) is a Seattle-based, all-volunteer, nonprofit organization that sends books to prisoners in the United States. BTP believes that books are tools for learning and opening minds to new ideas and possibilities. By sending books to prisoners, we hope to foster a love of reading and encourage the pursuit of knowledge and self-improvement.
Founded in the early 1970s and sponsored by Left Bank Books, BTP receives 1,200 to 1,300 requests for books each month. Volunteers work two evenings a week opening letters, finding books in our collection that correspond to the request, and wrapping and mailing parcels. As one of the largest prison book projects in the country, BTP works in conjunction with other agencies that support prisoner literacy and promote social justice.
