The San Quentin quarterly poetry reading sponsored and supported by Jennifer Scaife was canceled Dec. 31 due to heavy fog that crept in to the bay during the evening. Many inmates were saddened by this unfortunate turn of event. But once again, like the phoenix rising through adversity, Jennifer Scaife, the program director of the Prison University Project, made it happen.
On Jan. 12, the inmates at San Quentin continued their ritual of self-expression to an audience of over 50 comrades and a few outside guests who were blown away by the talent displayed that evening. I was floored by the cultural diversity and the range of subject matter uniquely expressed in each performers piece. The unity, respect and admiration held by everyone in attendance were astonishing. Even Dominique Brassey, a Patten College tutor, was compelled to perform.
The men of San Quentin would like to send out a special thanks to Jennifer Scaife. Whether performing poetry, rap of Shakespeare, you are always willing to see the men of S.Q. for the human beings that we are and not the way society may portray us.
