Catching Lightning: More Letters from Prison (Some People Press)

Synopsis

For nearly four decades, Patty Prewitt wrote letters from prison—letters that documented not only the harsh realities of incarceration but also the friendships, humour, hope, and resilience that made survival possible. Catching Lightning: More Letters from Prison continues her extraordinary memoir, chronicling the final years of her imprisonment before her sentence was commuted after thirty-eight years. Through deeply personal correspondence, Prewitt reflects on injustice, forgiveness, endurance, and the quiet acts of kindness that sustained her through decades behind bars.

Honest, compassionate, and remarkably free of bitterness, this moving collection offers an intimate portrait of life inside the American prison system while revealing the enduring strength of the human spirit. Together with Trying to Catch Lightning in a Jar, these letters form an unforgettable testament to hope in the face of extraordinary adversity.

About the Author

Patty Prewitt is an American memoirist whose life sentence was commuted after she spent thirty-eight years in Missouri prisons. Throughout her incarceration she wrote thousands of letters to family and friends, documenting prison life with wit, honesty, and compassion. Her writing has been published by Some People Press, a nonprofit dedicated to amplifying the voices of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated writers.

Publisher

Some People Press

Publication Date

April 30, 2026

Format

Paperback

Pages

274

Subjects

Memoir · Prison Writing · Social Justice · Biography · American Nonfiction

ISBN

9798994197721