Sounds Like Trouble to Me: Author Talk & Community Conversation

Inspired by true events, Sounds Like Trouble to Me tells the story of a correction officer who kills her abusive husband — and suddenly finds herself incarcerated in a women’s Pr*son. As she confronts systemic abuse behind bars, wrestles with her own history of trauma, and struggles to piece together fragmented memories before her trial, it is the women she meets inside who ultimately transform her — and spark a collective uprising that echoes far beyond Pr*son walls.

This timely novel sheds light on the realities of women’s incarceration, domestic violence, institutional abuse, and the power of women building community in the most restrictive environments. In an era shaped by #MeToo and renewed scrutiny of women’s prisons, Sounds Like Trouble to Me invites urgent conversation about justice, accountability, and survival.

The evening will feature:

• A reading from Sounds Like Trouble to Me
• Jean Trounstine on why she wrote the novel and how it connects fiction with lived experience
• A panel conversation with partners with lived expertise and community advocates
• Audience Q&A and discussion

More Than Words and Roca are especially excited to welcome students and young adults to this conversation, alongside members of the broader public. This event builds on their shared commitment to amplifying voices impacted by the justice system and creating space for learning, dialogue, and change.

📚 Books will be available for purchase through More Than Words at the event or you can pre-order.

Date and Time: Wednesday, May 20, 2026. Doors open at 3:30 PM. Program starts at 4:00 PM.

Don't miss this opportunity to learn, engage, and support our youth. Reserve your spot today!

Sounds Like Trouble to Me (Running Wild Press, May 12, 2026) is the debut novel by Jean Trounstine — a longtime advocate for incarcerated women and Pr*son reform. The book explores memory, abuse, accountability, and collective resistance through the lens of women navigating life behind bars.

“A blindingly original MeToo… showing how even in the darkest environment, female friendship not only nurtures, but builds extraordinary power and light.” — Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author

Jean Trounstine is the author of eight books and a longtime journalist and advocate focused on prisons, parole, and justice reform. She is the author of Shakespeare Behind Bars and Boy With a Knife, and has spoken internationally on Pr*son reform and women’s incarceration. Trounstine was the first person worldwide to direct Shakespeare inside a Pr*son and is a recipient of Italy’s Gramsci International Award for Theatre in Pr*son.

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