Meet the Story Collectors Working on the F&C Archive !

If you'd like to tell your story to one of our trained story collectors, please reach out to Freedom & Captivity at freedomandcaptivity[@]gmail.com and we will connect you with the individual of your choice or assign you a collector from our fantastic team.

Catherine Besteman is an abolitionist anthropologist who believes in the power of stories to change hearts and minds. She also wants the end of the carceral state. 

Jeffrey Evangelos was elected to the Maine House of Representatives for the past decade, serving on the Judiciary Committee, where he championed criminal justice and civil liberty reforms, ranging from the rights of the innocent, parole, Native American sovereignty, the right to effect legal counsel and a host of other legal issues. He lives on a small farmstead with his wife Harolyn in Friendship, Maine.

Becca Shaw Glaser grew up in midcoast Maine, got involved in activism early, and has worked in many ways for a transformed world, with a heart split open often with grief and a love of liberation and lavender. Co-editor and illustrator of the book, Mindful Occupation: Rising Up Without Burning Out (AK Press), Becca was also a columnist for midcoast Maine newspaper The Free Press, archived at www.beccashawglaser.org.

A. Cuba Jackson is a dedicated abolitionist and storyteller, collecting narratives for the Freedom and Captivity Archive project to amplify and preserve the voices of system-impacted individuals.  

Oliver James is a practising therapist in southern Maine who utilizes a hybrid of ecotherapy, existential and narrative therapy approaches. He believes storytelling can help people construct new narratives and possibilities of self.

Nicole Lund is a visual artist, writer, prison abolition advocate and graduate student at the University of Maine at Farmington.  She has volunteered at the Maine State Prison helping residents tell their stories through visual narrative.

Luca Mellon strives to be of service to people incarcerated in midcoast Maine as a paralegal, case manager, neighbor, and friend. He would be honored to assist in preparing midcoast community members' stories for inclusion in this archive.

Lisa Parisi-Baribeau is a 39-year-old mom to a three-year-old boy. She is also a human services major at UMA, where she serves as a research assistant. Her vision is for a more equitable justice system, one that focuses on restorative justice and eliminates mass incarceration. 

Kelsey Park (she/her) is a group and conflict facilitator, trainer, and writer. Kelsey has used her background in Restorative Justice while working in prison settings, communities, nonprofits, and schools. Kelsey has seen the power of stories to generate immense harm and healing. Let's create some healing stories together. 

David Sites: Because of my experience of having a justice involved family member over the course of my childhood I am passionate about writing and sharing the stories of others that have had a justice involved friend or family member. I am also eager to write stories that share the experience of people with intellectual and physical disabilities with the justice system.

Joseph Sites: As an artist I am used to expressing myself through drawing and painting. I am excited to have this opportunity to share my art as well as help others share their stories of being impacted by incarceration.

Karen Sites: Writing has always been a passion for me. So as the family member of someone that was justice involved I am excited to be able to use my passion for writing to share my own experience as well as the experience of other family members in this project. 

Linda Small is an advocate and abolitionist who believes in the power of community, second chances, and individual transformation. She wants to resolve the root causes of incarceration.

Or submit your story on your own. Head to the Maine Historical Society’s Tell My Story page and fill out the form. For ‘Story Topic’ select ‘Freedom and Captivity’. This form will ask for your information, story title, and story summary. You can make your story anonymous by checking the ‘Make me anonymous’ box.