Lifelines Poetry Project began as prison outreach in the form of poetry workshops during Alison Pelegrin’s tenure as Louisiana Poet Laureate. In 2025, Alison partnered with Adam Clay, and since then, in addition to making multiple trips to prisons in the state, they incorporated Lifelines as a 501(c)3.
The Lifelines Poetry Project has made dozens of poetry visits inside of prisons and has mirrored those workshops at community events across the region.
The New Orleans Poetry Festival is Alison’s enthusiastic community partner in this project. The launch event for the Lifelines Poetry Project was at their 2025 Festival.