MIDWEEK Jan. 8: Devon Kurtz | Faces of Mass Incarceration
About this MIDWEEK practice
Join us for a discussion on Quaker ministries within prison walls, where Devon Kurtz will share powerful insights from Sketches from Behind Prison Walls, a collaborative book created with incarcerated individuals in Vermont under a New England Yearly Meeting grant. Through reflections and stories, Devon will illuminate the resilience, creativity, and dignity that can endure even within the confines of incarceration. He aims to inspire and guide attendees to discern ways they can become advocates, supporters, or active participants in addressing the injustices of mass incarceration, helping to foster transformative change both within prison walls and beyond.
Devon Kurtz is a committed prison reform advocate dedicated to advancing both political and spiritual reform in the U.S. criminal justice system. Over the past several years, he has facilitated Quaker worship among incarcerated men, blending spiritual support with a broader mission of justice. Devon has advised policymakers in 25 states, producing numerous reports that shine a light on the current state of the prison system and potential paths for reform. Most recently, he coauthored Sketches from Behind Prison Walls with men incarcerated in Vermont, bringing forward their perspectives, art, and wisdom in a project aimed at humanizing those behind bars and amplifying their voices.
What is MIDWEEK?
In the Quaker tradition of Midweek (Wednesday) worship, Beacon Hill Friends House brings you MIDWEEK: Experiments in Faithfulness. This is a weekly, one-hour, facilitated spiritual practice with Quaker flavor and an experimental ethos. Each week, a guest facilitator engages us in a unique spiritual practice that is meaningful to them, and that we can bring into our own lives.
MIDWEEK is always free and open to the public. If you'd like to support this program, you can make a donation here.
Event Accessibility
Beacon Hill Friends House is working on making our historic space accessible to everyone. (Covid policies for onsite attendees are below).
Automated Closed Captions will be available for all participants (on Zoom and in-person).
Physical space: This event will take place in our Parlor, which does not have a ground-level entrance. Our primary entrance is up a flight of stairs. If you would like to attend this event but need it to be held in a different space, please indicate so on your registration. On the basement level, we have a single-user, all-gender bathroom with wall-mounted handrails and ample space for chairs and/or aides. We are not a scent-free space but tend to be low-scent.
Attending onsite at BHFH (Covid policy and directions)
All MIDWEEK practices are offered on Zoom and in-person at Beacon Hill Friends House. Here is the information you need if you choose to attend onsite. All registrants will also be sent the Zoom link.
Covid policies: All in-person attendees are required to wear a mask while inside. Masks will be available for those who forget them.
If you are feeling under the weather, please opt to attend on Zoom rather than onsite. You can make that choice on the day of the event and simply hop on the Zoom link!
Getting to BHFH: Use the address "8 Chestnut St., Boston, MA, 02108" for navigation. We recommend taking public transit to get here: We are a short walk from every transit line in Boston. If you choose to drive in, paid street parking is available on Charles Street (and on Beacon Street before 6 pm). We also have parking passes available for $9 to the Boston Common Garage.
About Beacon Hill Friends House
Beacon Hill Friends House is a Quaker Center for Learning and Action in downtown Boston, MA. Founded in 1957, its mission is "to embody the Quaker principles of faith, simplicity, integrity, community, and social responsibility in order to nurture and call forth the Light in all of us." BHFH lives into its mission by:
Providing a center where Friends and others can meet, worship, and learn
Advancing and fostering the principles of the Religious Society of Friends
Offering opportunities for leadership development, personal deepening, and collective action
Maintaining a diverse, intentional, residential community guided by Friends principles