Our Team
The American Penal Press Contest is advised by a board of experienced journalists and scholars, including former and current editors of prison newspapers. Staff from the Pollen Initiative administer and host the contest in collaboration with partners and sponsors.
Advisory Board
Jesse Carson
Editor in Chief, Mule Creek Post
Jesse Carson is the editor-in-chief of the prison-run newspaper Mule Creek Post in California and a member of the Society of Professional Journalists. He earned a bachelor’s degree in communication studies from Sacramento State University. His work has been published by Prison Journalism Project, Central California Catholic Life, and California Prison Focus, as well as the anthology Perspectives from the Cell Block.
Kevin M. Lerner
Associate Professor of Journalism at Marist University
Kevin M. Lerner is an associate professor of Journalism at Marist University. He was the founding editor of the website for Architectural Record magazine — where he was part of a team that won a National Magazine Award — and has published journalism in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and New York magazine, among others. He has judged the National Magazine Awards, the ASME Next Awards, and the Columbia Scholastic Press Awards.
Ryan M. Moser
Award-winning author and journalist
Ryan M. Moser is an award-winning author and journalist with lived experience who was published in over 200 literary journals and media outlets while he was incarcerated. Since his release in 2023, Moser has joined the board of directors of three nonprofits, completed two reporting fellowships, founded the Reentry Business Network, and has appeared on many TV and radio shows, as well as podcasts. He is currently a freelance journalist living in Philadelphia.
Phillip Vance Smith, II
Former editor of Nash News
Phillip Vance Smith, II was most recently the editor of The Nash News at Nash Correctional in North Carolina. He has been incarcerated for 22 years. His writings have been published in HuffPo, Slate, and Film Comments, among others.
Peter Y. Sussman
Retired journalist and editor at the San Francisco Chronicle
Peter Sussman is a retired journalist and editor at the San Francisco Chronicle. He co-authored “Committing Journalism: The Prison Writings of Red Hog” with prison writer Dannie M. Martin.
Robert Taliaferro
Former editor of The Prison Mirror
Robert Taliaferro is a formerly incarcerated journalist who, from 1985 until 1989, was the editor of The Prison Mirror in Minnesota Correctional Facility-Stillwater. During his tenure, The Prison Mirror won three Best Newspaper Awards (1985, 1986, 1988) and the Charles C. Clayton Award (1987). Taliaferro served 38 and a half years of confinement and was released in 2022. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Independent Studies, a master’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, and a Certificate in Adult Education from Metropolitan State University.
Steering Committee
Kate McQueen
Kate McQueen is the editorial director at Pollen Initiative. She previously served as an editorial advisor for San Quentin News and as the managing editor for Prison Journalism Project’s newspaper, PJP Inside. She also writes and researches on the history of the press. Her work on prison journalism and criminal justice has appeared in the Atavist, Alta Journal, Next City, JSTOR Daily, Journalism History, and Literary Journalism Studies.
JoyBelle Phelan
JoyBelle Phelan serves as Project Coordinator for the American Penal Press Contest with Pollen Initiative, supporting a national effort to recognize and elevate excellence in prison journalism. In this role, she leads the development of submission systems, judge workflows, and publication tracking infrastructure for a growing network of prison newsrooms across the country.
She is also the Executive Director and co-founder of Unbound Authors, where she is building a statewide prison newspaper, Messenger Quarterly, as part of Mercury Mountain Media’s expanding publishing platform. She also contributes to public storytelling as a Features Host with Colorado Radio for Justice.
Jan Thompson
Jan Thompson is a professor and director of the School of Journalism and Advertising at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. Her professional work crosses various genres such as music, sports, and history. With 15 Emmy nominations, she has won Emmys for original music, directing and writing.
Jesse Vasquez
Jesse Vasquez is the executive director of the Pollen Initiative. He was editor-in-chief of San Quentin News from 2017 until he paroled in 2019. He serves as the strategic advisor for San Quentin News, ForwardThis Productions, and Change Talk podcast, and sits on the Governor’s advisory council to transform San Quentin into an innovative rehabilitation center. His writing has appeared, among other outlets, in The Washington Post and CalMatters.
Our Partners & Sponsors
