Caits Meissner
Advisor, Creative Writing Curriculum Development
Caits Meissner is a writer, creative producer, and nationally recognized nonprofit leader whose work centers on building ethical, imaginative, and sustainable arts programs for justice‑impacted communities. From 2018–2023, she served as Director of Prison and Justice Writing at PEN America, where she transformed a small grassroots initiative into a nationally recognized department—expanding its annual budget from $50,000 to nearly $3 million and launching fellowships, mentorship programs, public events, and a monthly podcast and publication series that uplift incarcerated and formerly incarcerated writers.
She is the editor of The Sentences That Create Us, an acclaimed anthology featuring more than 50 justice‑involved writers, tens of thousands of copies of which were distributed free of charge to incarcerated readers across the United States. Her nonprofit work also includes consulting for the Mellon Foundation’s Imagining Freedom Presidential Initiative, where she researches and facilitates national convenings focused on equitable compensation for incarcerated writers and ethical best practices for arts organizations.
Beyond her justice‑centered work, Caits has collaborated with major cultural institutions—including Lincoln Center, Tribeca Film Institute, the Guggenheim Museum, Urban Arts Partnership, and the Lower Eastside Girls Club—supporting program design, organizational strategy, and community‑centered creative development. Her cross‑sector experience positions her as one of the country’s leading architects of trauma‑informed, community‑rooted arts programming.
As Advisor for Creative Writing Curriculum Development at Ben Free, Caits brings her deep expertise in justice‑oriented arts education to help shape rigorous, accessible, and transformative writing curricula. Her work empowers system‑impacted individuals to reclaim voice, build confidence, and engage in creative practices that support healing, agency, and personal growth.