MIAMI — Leeann Parker got three things the moment she left prison after almost 20 years: a cool outfit, a hug from her 3-year-old grandson and a tote bag of new books.
Parker, who was incarcerated when her daughters were 5 and 9, said she entered Homestead Correctional Institution angry and bitter.
At the end of August, with the help of a local nonprofit Exchange for Change, she left prison a writer. She left with a smile on her face.
Exchange for Change, which offers writing and communication skills-building classes to incarcerated students in South Florida correctional facilities, is celebrating 10 years of education this fall.
The nonprofit, founded by former journalist Kathie Klarreich, partnered with the Books & Books Literary Foundation to gift people books as they leave prison. Parker was the first.
“Nobody really cares about you when you get out, especially out of there,” Parker said. “So for me, these books are like somebody finally giving something back to somebody getting out of prison. I’m gonna cherish those books. I’m gonna start my own little library with those books.”