Dana Cheatum: From Life Sentence to Life Coach
A former lifer now offers hope and direction to hundreds of abused women in California with a sole purpose – help incarcerated women gain a renewed sense of self. “A woman with a vision empowers an empire of women to do more, see more, and be more,” said Dana Chea-tum, founder of Total Women Empowerment Life Coaching Inc. (TWELC), via … [Read More...]
Banksy mural turns old British jail into historic treasure
A mural on a former British jail has triggered efforts to preserve the building from developers. The Reading Gaol jail was up for sale, but a bid from building developers fell through, according to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). “Banksy,” a famous guerrilla artist, may have let his feelings be known about the project by … [Read More...]
Nina Simone: legendary singer, songwriter and civil rights activist
Born Nina Simone Catherine Waymon, Nina was a singer, songwriter and a civil rights activist. She recorded more than 40 albums between 1947 and 1958. Many of her songs address the racial inequality in the United States. Her song "Mississippi goddamn” was in response to the killing of civil rights leader Medgar Evers and the bombing of the 16th … [Read More...]
Q Ball nominated for Emmy Awards in 2020
San Quentin–filmed Q Ball was nominated for a Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Long Sports Documentary, making it the first Sports Emmy-nominated prison documentary film in California’s prison history. “They didn’t see our clothes or our incarceration,” said San Quentin resident Anthony Ammons, who was one of the stars in the film. Speaking of … [Read More...]
Snippets September 2020
Ray Kroc was a milkshake-mixer salesman and in 1954 asks the McDonalds’ brothers to let him franchise McDonald’s restaurants outside California and Arizona. UAVs are used for the shipment of live-saving medical equipment and medication where human transport would be too time-consuming in Africa. Turning down the $11 million dollar role for … [Read More...]
Peace movement takes root in all 36 California prisons
California’s top prison official, Ralph Diaz, says as a society our differences are a good thing, and no matter what a person’s social background is, “They bring value to the world simply by being here.” Diaz is secretary of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). His statement was delivered to San Quentin on the Day … [Read More...]
Pelican Bay’s new podcast ‘UNLOCKED’
Creators of a new Pelican Bay podcast look to build community and prisoner relationships—one story at a time, reported the Lost Coast Outpost. https://lostcoastoutpost.com/ “These guys just want to better themselves and create a stronger, more resilient, community,” said Paul Critz, a journalist who teaches inmate students the tools they need … [Read More...]
Inspirational entertainer urges others to claim their unique identity
Finding your unique voice and identity is important for everyone, boxer-tap dancer Joe Orrach illustrated for a San Quentin Prison audience. The show encouraged in- carcerated people to tell their own stories as part of their re- habilitation, making the show more than just entertainment for San Quentin residents. Nearly 100 people made up … [Read More...]
Wall CITY Edición Español: ARTE EN PRISIÓN
Mural en la unidad H de San Quentin "Calvary" de Octavio Ocampo Recreada por: C. O'Neal en el 2010 … [Read More...]
World renowned magicians tour and perform at SQ
An international squad of escape artists, grand illusionists, mind readers and tricksters descended on San Quentin State Prison for a special Nov. 26 performance right before Thanksgiving. Set to make their Broadway San Francisco debut later that night, Champions of Magic chose to first visit SQ and dazzle prisoners with theatrical wizardry and … [Read More...]
Remembering Patrick Maloney’s 40 years at San Quentin
Patrick Maloney taught art to incarcerated men at San Quentin for more than 40 years, his first 10 years were spent voluntarily teaching condemned men on Death Row. Maloney was born, Feb. 5, 1938. He passed away on Aug. 18, 2019, surrounded by his loving family and his art at the home that he built in Nicasio in the late 1960s. His … [Read More...]
Around the World
Norwalk Public Defender Philip Peng in the Andes Mountains of Ecuador … [Read More...]
Cartoon
by John Krueger , IllustratIon by KelvIn ross … [Read More...]
ART
By Ronald Gabriel … [Read More...]
The healing power of drama therapy
People might think Marin Shakespeare at SQ simply provides prisoners the opportunity to display their acting talent—but there’s a whole lot more to it. The program actually bases its core principles around the rehabilitative benefits of drama therapy. Suraya Keating and Marianne S. facilitate the weekly workshops and are both professionally … [Read More...]
Performances spark emotions and raise awareness
The Oct. 23 performance of Marin Shakespeare at the San Quentin chapel featured another series of original parallel plays—inspired this time by The Winter’s Tale. David Gadley started things off by illustrating the inner turmoil caused by overdose and an unavoidable drug test in Making Better Choices, before Jason Griffin examined the trauma … [Read More...]
The surprise of original theater
The flyers and playbills clearly advertised a collection of “parallel plays,” yet hardly anyone who attended Marin Shakespeare San Quentin’s October showcases knew quite what to expect. “The performances you will see today invite us to contemplate a crucial choice many of us must make in our lives—the choice to live from fear or love,” … [Read More...]
Hamilton meets Marin Shakespeare at San Quentin
Renowned acting company finds emotional connection with incarcerated actors Cast and crew members from the Broadway San Francisco production of Hamilton reconnected with the San Quentin community at the Oct. 11 Marin Shakespeare performance. First visiting the historic and innovative prison in June, this time the Hamilton gang filled an … [Read More...]
Capturing prison life through art – Avenal artists create historic murals
By R. Ramirez, Contributing Writer Historical murals are being created by the men of Avenal State Prison’s Facility F yard, capturing the pains and transformations of prison life. A two-part mural was painted on the Facility F chow hall walls. It aims to tell a compelling story. The paintings begin with incarcerated people working on a … [Read More...]
Art aficionados seeking new perspectives from prison artists
About a dozen San Francisco Bay Area art lovers in search of astonishing art ended up at San Quentin State Prison on August 21. One of the visitors, Christine Lashaw, a curator at the Oakland Museum, says she’s interested in telling stories about incarceration. Her idea is to display San Quentin art in the Oakland Museum. “How can we get … [Read More...]
SIDEWALK CHALK CONTEST
Just outside the Receiving and Release building 40 incarcerated men sat, squat or bent over and held chalk of every color to decorate a 32 inch by 32 inch square on a tar surface with the artists’ meaning of peace. It’s all for The Day of Peace https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Day_of_PeaceSidewalk Chalk Contest. Hines, who facilitates … [Read More...]
SQ’s No Limits dance crew performs
“The EOP program has enriched my life” San Quentin’s No Limits Dance Crew raised the roof once again during their May performance. The crew stepped it up and debuted their first piece of original choreography in the education department of the prison’s dormitory yard. “The men came up with most of the moves, I just directed them in the … [Read More...]
Britain’s Derby law school members visit San Quentin
Future cops, probation officers and students of criminal justice from Britain got an up-close view of an American prison during a visit to San Quentin. They met the incarcerated artists who had donated paintings to the University of Derby’s gallery. The art hangs in Friar Gate Square — “It’s a big copper building. People call it the copper box,” … [Read More...]
Navigating the unexpected: Improv offers critical life skills
Roars of laughter filled the classroom as the Prison University Project (PUP) Improv Troupe put on the last of two performances for the spring semester. The April 19 show was a result of everything that the students learned in the Improv for Life class. “Everything that you are about to see has not been planned; it has not been rehearsed; it … [Read More...]
Prison and Jail Tour offers unique insight into incarcerated conditions
A group of college students got a first-hand, up-close look at the California prison system on a recent tour arranged by a former inmate. About 20 students from Loyola Marymount University went on the Prison & Jail Tour created by a formerly incarcerated man, Francisco “Franky” Carrillo Jr. Carrillo was innocent, and he proved it several … [Read More...]
Program helps at risk youth through music
John Wallace went to jail and prison19 times, starting at age 18. Then he was sent to San Quentin, where he served two terms and started writing rap lyrics on his last trip there in the prison’s West Block. An initial opening to a career in music happened by chance when Wallace and other inmates created what he described as a “radio show” called … [Read More...]
Bread & Roses presents tribute to honor Audrey Auld
A parade of San Quentin musicians entertained about 100 inmates while honoring the late folksinger Audrey Auld, a favorite performer at the prison. “She opened up her heart; she brought her music. She was amazing!” guitarist Richie Morris said of Auld. “Audrey’s final performance at San Quentin was the performance of a life- time—the show to … [Read More...]
San Quentin’s 52nd annual Native American Pow Wow
Native American spiritual leaders from across California and the na- tion brought the spirit of family and the traditional healing dances to San Quentin’s 52nd annual Pow Wow. Colorful dancers from Oklahoma and elders from Oregon mixed with the local Native American prisoners to celebrate the sacred circle of life. “We came to let the men … [Read More...]
Artist and mentor Pat Mahoney retires
Pat Mahoney spent the last 40 years coming inside San Quentin to mentor incarcerated artists on the finer points of art; however, he’s best known as a keen listener and caring person. Mahoney is one of the founders of the San Quentin Arts in Corrections program, sponsored by the William James Association. He retired from the Arts in Corrections … [Read More...]
Cori Thomas brings attention to criminal justice system with play
When the Rattlestick Theater commissioned playwright and San Quentin volunteer Cori Thomas to write a play in 2016, she penned a draft featuring a 62-year-old man who has been incarcerated since he was 16 called Lockdown. At the time, she had never visited a prison or envisioned having her first play, which debuted in New York City, become a tool … [Read More...]
Lifer: A play about former SQ resident Glenn Bailey
Playwright Dr. Ayodele Nzinga was already collect- ing stories of communities impacted by the carceral system when she met Glenn Bailey, in 2014. She had just started work on “Beyond Bars: Growing Home,” a performance that explored how returning citizens processed the trauma of coming home, inspired by interviews with men recently released from … [Read More...]
Prison artists display their work in San Rafael’s Bartolini Gallery
Incarcerated artists under the tutelage of the William James’ Arts & Correction program produced “museum- quality” paintings that were displayed at the Bartolini Gallery in San Rafael from Jan. 16-March 28. “It’s just truly museum quality in so many ways,” said Libby Garrison, who cu- rated the exhibit. “They [the artists who are … [Read More...]
Prison University Project celebrates the year with Open Mic
Personal stories, comedians, singers and dancer entertained an audience made up of about 300 incarcerated men and 40 local volunteers late last December at the Prison University Project (PUP) annual open mic. San Quentin State Prison’s Christmas decorations were still on display in the Protestant Chapel as more than two dozen inmates, who … [Read More...]
Storytelling: bridging the divide between prison and the free world
The “right road lost/FOUND” is a play based on the memories, life stories and experiences of five formerly incarcerated men and women who navigate their personal paths through reentry into the free world. The production had its debut at the Los Angeles Trade-Technical College (LATTC), a community college in South Los Angeles. It was also … [Read More...]
SQ Shakespeare troupe performs skits about trauma and healing
Nine original skits put modern personal trauma and healing on full display this past October. The audience discovers how Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors had inspired a troupe of actors to present original works of how trauma is passed down across generations until a choice is made to heal. The troupe used intimate personal skits to express … [Read More...]
Veterans Healing Veterans organizes Shakespeare plays
A group of San Quentin veterans joined with Shakespearean actors on Nov. 29 to portray the experience of service and sacrifice. A banner greeted the audience VETERANS HEALING VETERANS FROM THE INSIDE OUT (VHV-FTIO), a group with a mission to represent the imprint each generation of veterans leaves on the next. Lesley Currier directed the … [Read More...]
Developing a relationship from 40 years of letter writing
Letter-writing has not lost its appeal, at least not for Carol Horan, who values having something handwritten for its “lasting quality.” She has been a pen pal to prisoners for more than 40 years. Horan first wrote a man name Jeff Dicks, who later died in prison of a massive heart attack after 17 years on Death Row, according to … [Read More...]
Death Row gains attention with crucifixion painting
Prisoners on Death Row in Nashville gained the attention of many parishioners with a thought-provoking painting of the crucifixion scene of Jesus, reported Holly Meyer of the USA Today Network. Derrick Quintero, sentenced to death in 1991 for first-degree murder, is one of the artists who depicted the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. “The … [Read More...]
Comedyfest showcase brings comfort to SQ’s Protestant Chapel
A comedy fest showcased three funny and talented individuals who brought comfort, joy and laughter to more than 300 San Quentin inmates in San Quentin’s Protestant Chapel. Chuckles and Laughs was the theme of the Nov. 30 nighttime show as comics shared funny and edgy stories and jokes. “Laughter is the cure to the soul,” said Ramon Watkins. “I … [Read More...]
Queens of the Stone Age, Deadsy & Queeny King rock out at SQ
San Quentin is still on many great musicians’ “must” list of places to perform. Queens of the Stone Age, Queeny King and Deadsy are now among the legends such as Johnny Cash, Carlos Santana and Metallica that have rocked the prison. The Nov. 16 rock concert was the final leg of the “Villains World Tour 2018” for the Queens of the Stone Age. … [Read More...]
Native Hawaiian Religious Group holds annual feast
San Quentin was treated to a Hawaiian celebration of food, laughs and music. About 75 prisoners and two dozen Bay Area community members enjoyed the annual feast of the Native Hawaiian Religious Group (NHRG). “This is the second best thing to having a spread on the yard,” said inmate Romeo Pacos. The gathering reunites Asian and Pacific … [Read More...]
Magical tones from Bach played by cellist Zuill Bailey
The magical tones of Bach compositions filled the San Quentin Protestant Chapel under the masterful hand of Grammy Award-winning cellist Zuill Bailey. It was Bailey’s second performance this year at San Quentin. Each time he’s played at the historic prison, he’s moved some inmates to tears when they listened to his melodic solos. “I wanted … [Read More...]
The restorative power of creative writing: Incarcerated people find healing through the written word
Inmates captivated a San Quentin audience of more than 100 on Oct. 20 in the Catholic chapel. They told stories inspired by their childhood, life in prison, dreams and nightmares. “Writing—that’s what saved me in prison,” said Joe Camacho, a former prisoner and alumnus of the writing program called Brothers in Pen. “It became a survival skill to … [Read More...]
Karen Drucker and friends share an evening of music at San Quentin
Karen Drucker and Friends shared an evening of music with the men at San Quentin. For two hours, the singer-songwriter entertained more than 80 people who attended the performance on a Sunday evening in late September. Men of all races sprinkled the pews in the prison’s Catholic chapel, wearing state-issued blues stenciled with CDCR Prisoner on … [Read More...]
Beso Negro performs in year's final yard show at SQ
The Bay Area’s gypsy swing, band Beso Negro (Black Kiss) treated San Quentin prisoners to acoustic musical mastery at its Sept. 29 event, which was San Quentin’s final yard show of the year. Loud applause and whistles greeted the group, as lead singer/guitarist Adam Roach’s piercing vocals opened the 90-minute set. Bassist Cheyenne Young, guitarist … [Read More...]
Breaking the cycle of incarceration with music from behind prison walls
The day before inmates Thanh Tran, Eric “Maserati-E” Abercrombie, and Gregg “G” Sayers, created Reality Check — a song that describes the human condition—they sat in a small room in San Quentin to rehearse it for their first time on-stage performance as a group. As Sayers softly plucked his guitar, Maserati-E sang Reality Check’s hook. Tran chimed … [Read More...]
Rising operatic star mesmerizes SQ
Rising opera singer Sara LeMesh brought her musical talents to San Quentin State Prison, mesmerizing her captive audience with her singing and charm. In the prison’s Catholic chapel, LeMesh used the power of her soprano voice to entertain an audience of more than 100 as she ran through a set of 19 songs on a Sunday evening in August. The men … [Read More...]
San Quentin musical event showcases lyrical artists
Rap music has become heavily materialistic lately, but true “MC-ing” resurfaced on San Quentin’s Lower Yard, as visiting artist Kev Choice Ensemble and an array of young San Quentin lyricists moved crowd. At the August 24 yard show had a mosh pit of young prisoners “turned up,” as their generation calls it. They danced wildly, pumped their hands in … [Read More...]
Long road to perform Shakespeare’s “King Lear”
It is a long road to a performance of Shakespeare’s “King Lear,” held on May 18, and “Comedy of Errors” on May 25. The cast has been rehearsing since last November. How a theater troupe creates the rollercoaster ride of emotions expected at a Shakespearean play is a mystery to most audiences. To appreciate the effort that goes into building that … [Read More...]
Using poetry to build bridges
A Colorado group called Words Beyond Bars is building bridges between prisoners and the public through poetry. Words Beyond Bars (WBB) hosts a poetry-reading event every other month at a public library in partnership with another organization, Unchained Voices. Community members listen to the thoughts and words of the prisoners and write responses … [Read More...]
San Quentin Arts in Corrections At SFO
Don't miss "Flying Free" at SFO through October 24!! Accessible before security- Terminal 3 near United Baggage carousel Terminal 3 Arrivals-Level 1 - Pre-Security July 25, 2018 - October 24, 2018 https://www.flysfo.com/museum/exhibitions/san-quentin-arts-corrections-flying-free Carol Newborg, Program Manager San Quentin Arts in … [Read More...]
The show goes on for SQ Shakespeareans
Drama therapy was in full display on May 18 as a nine-day quarantine ended at San Quentin for inmate performers in the Shakespeare play King Lear — a week later, the prison was on normal program for Comedy of Errors. “First, I was in shock,” said Jason Robinson about West Block getting off the quarantine. “But, Steve Emrick (Community Partnership … [Read More...]
SQ artists raise money for the fight against cancer
Artists incarcerated at San Quentin used their talent to raise money for cancer research at Cords Gallery during a First Friday art walk in Oakland. “I’ve been so inspired by the work of men inside who want to give back to their community and give back in creative ways, to not just support each other inside but to make an impact on the lives of … [Read More...]
Butterscotch comes back to perform for TLM
A crowd of incarcerated men cheered like it was their parole day when Antoinette “Butterscotch” Clinton took the stage at San Quentin State Prison June 14. This time, she returned with Grammy-nominated artist Ryan Leslie. The musical genius turned a prison chapel into a concert, a reunion and a pre-graduation celebration for computer coding and … [Read More...]
Brothers in Pen anthology – "Pens Up, Don’t Shoot"
ANNOUNCEMENT The title of the latest anthology in the “Brothers in Pen” series, Pens Up, Don’t Shoot, arose from the phrase protestors rallied around after Michael Brown was killed in Ferguson, Missouri in August 2014. So much has happened since then. This book’s first stories began to be compiled in 2015… but due to its editor’s … [Read More...]
Alex Massart at the Matterhorn
"25 percent of millennial-age American men think asking a woman who is not a romantic partner to go for a drink is harassment, "according to a recent survey by The Economist/YouGov reports The New York Times 1-17-18. “This is the most asinine act I’ve ever seen a police officer make.” Joseph T. Deters, Cincinnati’s top prosecutor told reporters … [Read More...]
NY’s Metropolitan Museum of Art comes to SQ
Representatives from New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, seeking music for a ballet production, traveled cross-country to hear from incarcerated artists. “Ear Hustle — that’s where I learned about the excellent talent and music people are making inside of prison,” said Limor Tomer, the general manager of live arts at the Met. Ear Hustle, … [Read More...]
Dax Vivid at the White House
https://sanquentinnews.com/overview-inmate-deaths-2017-cdcr/ … [Read More...]
Around the World with SQ news
San Quentin News World Travels
SAN QUENTIN NEWS WORLD TRAVELS Various supporters with the SQ News in exotic locales....fromDisneyland, California to the real Matterhorn. Amy Goodman, Democracy Now, reading the San Quentin News “Police departments in 13 of the 25 largest U.S. cities did not post their (operating and use-of-force) procedures online.” “The Opaque Blue … [Read More...]
Young offenders learn expression through poetry
For nearly 15 years New Earth, a nonprofit organization, has served incarcerated and formerly incarcerated youth throughout Southern California. New Earth provides youth offenders in juvenile halls, group homes and probation camps with a support system and mentorship program. The organization also has a reentry center that caters to the needs of … [Read More...]
San Quentin News Travels the World
Giving Circle … [Read More...]
Unfretted about Cellist Zuill Bailey
Armed with horsehair bow, The cellist reaches down through, Vertical teachings, Through horizontal stratagem, Discovering subtle, powerful sound itself, Spreading life in its natural state, Floating in songs disciplines compiled, Colliding far above the, Serpent’s judgment, Above digital, electric lies, Acoustical sound resonates across time, … [Read More...]
Queeny King performs at SQ
At age 8, singer-song writer Queeny King sang in a Soviet Union prison. In March, she performed at San Quentin State Prison. Dressed in black bell-bottom pants with buttons along the side and wearing a black blazer with a shiny brown blouse, King put on a look that, on its face, could have been interpreted as belonging to rock, goth, punk or the … [Read More...]
Solitary Watch offers inmates photographs beyond a gray wall
The day he learned his solitary confinement would be extended, 17-year-old Benjamin Van Zandt killed himself in a New York prison. To bring awareness and bridge the gap between the public and those in isolation, an advocacy group held an art exhibit in a Unitarian church in New York, showcasing photographs requested by and produced for prisoners … [Read More...]
Singer/songwriter Neda Boin brings inspiration to SQ
There is a way to change anger and fear to love, singer-songwriter Neda Boin told an audience of San Quentin prisoners and outside guests. For her, it came after completing A Course in Miracles. Boin came from the Netherlands to release songs from her new album, The Light Has Come, at San Quentin State Prison. About 100 guests attended the February … [Read More...]
Art Prison Program
California prisoners are learning art behind prison walls and it’s transforming their lives, reports the New York Times. They are creating artistic scenes with bright color and light on murals at prisons like Salinas Valley and San Quentin state prisons. “I don’t have much of a legacy,” said Jeffrey Sutton, who is serving 41 years for armed … [Read More...]
Artistic Ensemble Showcases Its Talents
A prison chapel served as a theater to dance, sing, rap and use spoken-word for an inmate performance, called Site Unseen. The audience of free people and men-in-blue walked across a makeshift stage and sat side by side to enjoy San Quentin’s Artistic Ensemble. “Prisoners, equality is not important to them … they like their plight. Like Prisoners, … [Read More...]
Musicians rocked San Quentin’s Catholic Chapel
San Quentin State Prison, known by its warden, Ron Davis, to be “The Titan of Rehabilitation,” one-upped itself with a spirited collaboration. Featured were incarcerated musicians sharing the stage with a gospel duo made up of a retired associate warden and a prison staffer, local Bay Area musicians, and a guitar/violin duo from Sacramento. There … [Read More...]
The Healing Power of Music rocks out at San Quentin
San Quentin welcomed back several Bay Area musicians who performed “oldies” hits in the prison’s Catholic chapel in September. The organization Bread & Roses billed it as “The Healing Power of Music.” Dozens of inmates attended the Sunday evening event tapping feet, bobbing heads and singing as the band grooved for two hours. The inmates began … [Read More...]
Shakespeare troupe brings on comedy and drama
Energy was high and humor flowed like good ale when performers in costume of Old England mixed with the audience at the San Quentin Protestant Chapel prior to the performance of two plays. The Shakespeare at San Quentin troupe held performances of Measure For Measure on May 12 and Richard II on May 19. Like Hamilton, these characters from the deep … [Read More...]
Avon’s 39-mile Walk of celebration and remembrance
A small array of pink T-shirts filled San Quentin’s Lower Yard as guests, volunteers and prisoners walked 39 miles celebrating the lives of cancer survivors and those who have succumbed to the disease. The 9th Annual SQ CARES (Compassion, Accountability, Responsibility, Express through community Service) Avon Walk for Breast Cancer was a two-day … [Read More...]
Native Americans’ 50 years of struggle
The San Quentin Native American community is celebrating 50 years of campaigning to protect and preserve their culture. Plans are underway to have another of the Native American Spiritual Group’s Pow Wows later this year. The Pow Wow is only one part of a larger set of activities, which includes honoring elders and traveling the “Red Road,” a … [Read More...]
SQ inmates’ victory lures biggies of podcasting
The CEO of a major podcasting network, along with other executives, took an eventful trip from the East Coast to meet with the incarcerated men who defeated more than 1,500 entries from 53 countries in a storytelling contest. PRX CEO Kerri Hoffman and Radiotopia Executive Producer Julie Shapiro entered San Quentin State Prison for the first time … [Read More...]
SQ artists on display at the Smithsonian
A group of incarcerated men with no architectural experience, created design ideas for a better America that were displayed in a museum overlooking New York’s Central Park. “It’s surreal. It’s something to be proud of,” said Noah Wright, one of the four incarcerated designers of the Genesis Project. “Sitting in here, you don’t expect that people … [Read More...]
PUP’s big open-mic night winds up its year
Teachers and aides with the Prison University Project, at San Quentin, along with inmates and prison staffers, roared with laughter on Dec. 30 to a sing-along spoof of the Twelve Days of Christmas by Alex Brigg. The parody made fun of police harassment as the audience chimed in with, “On the Fifth Day of Christmas, the police brought to me, five … [Read More...]
Kwanzaa offers solutions for the community
The timing of Kwanzaa’s 50th anniversary celebration in San Quentin was apt because the event happened on the third night of Kwanzaa when communities come together to share and solve problems. More than 100 men attended the event, which was hosted by Darnell “Moe” Washington. The celebration featured music, spoken word poetry and impromptu … [Read More...]
Veterans and Shakespeare converge tell war stories
A group of San Quentin veterans joined some Shakespearean actors to portray the traumas they endured in war. Recently, over 30 guests came into San Quentin as our nation’s former heroes performed excerpts from their lives alongside Shakespearean actors. The veterans enacted their war traumas to show the cost of war on the country’s soul. “What we … [Read More...]
Discovering what it means to be human
A diverse troupe of men, dressed as usual in prison blue, broke away from the everyday constraints of incarceration through the artistic expression of dance and dialogue. San Quentin’s Artistic Ensemble put on its latest performance in the prison’s Protestant Chapel on Nov. 18 for an audience of about 150 that included the local community as well … [Read More...]
There’s sure a whole lot of talent at San Quentin
In reality TV show fashion, San Quentin residents demonstrated they “got talent,” at the Third Annual Talent and Karaoke event, sponsored by the San Quentin Music Program. As the Lower Yard filled, about 150 people crowded around a makeshift stage to be treated to ’80s-style music by former Club Nouveau member, now incarcerated Jeffery … [Read More...]
SQ Death Row holds poetry slam
A poetry slam helped 10 condemned men talk about the challenges they face living on San Quentin’s Death Row. They presented poems to prison administrators and custody staff on Sept. 7 and 14. There is a stereotype that “we have no redeeming qualities,” said Clifton Perry, 46. “Although a jury thought this, I will never accept that I have no … [Read More...]
Artistic talented artists to a packed house
Nineteen San Quentin men shared stories, music, dance and acting with a packed chapel audience to demonstrate how art has inspired transformative change and growth in their lives. Packed into wooden pews in the Catholic Chapel were over 200 San Quentin men and 70 outside guests for the event, entitled Artistic Rebirth. “The inspiration for this … [Read More...]
SQ Mural Artists Work to Beautify the Prison
San Quentin artists say they enjoy beautifying the prison with their talents. Their latest project is to create 16 huge mural panels for one of the prison’s dining halls. Each panel measures 7 feet high and 4 feet wide. The finished mural will be 64 feet long. “I’ve been at San Quentin for 12 years, and there are six members of the mural crew who … [Read More...]
London Gallery Exhibits Death Row’s Art and Poetry
For most incarcerated individuals, prison is a difficult place to leave. But for a group of 20 men on San Quentin’s Death Row, a part of them made it over the walls of the prison and all the way to an art gallery in London. Between Friday, June 24, and Wednesday, July 6, the Made in Greenwich Gallery exhibited poetry and artwork from these men. The … [Read More...]
Christian Comedy Night Brings Laughter and Healing
The Protestant Chapel held its “First Christian Comedy Night,” which was filled with healing and laughter. The comedy fest featured seven diverse incarcerated men with different ethnicities and backgrounds. The common thread was how they process prison life through laughter. Deavon Torrance hosted and coordinated the event. He opened up the crowd … [Read More...]
The Spirit of Freedom II Concert Rocks SQ Lower Yard
The Spirit of Freedom II rock concert on The Lower Yard aimed to provide healing through music and it hit the target. The group Continuum rocked out with original music like “Make You Move,” a gritty song about making a woman dance to the music. Lyrics like, “I want to be there; I’ll never let you go and come and show it to me.” had the crowd of … [Read More...]
Juneteenth Celebration Held in Prison Chapel for First Time
San Quentin’s Rastafari Theater and Arts Ensemble team put on its first Juneteenth celebration in the Catholic Chapel on June 18. The team was founded by The House of the Lion of Judah Ecumenical Rastafari. The theme of the program was “The Day of Your Mind Emancipation.” Host and prisoner Shai Alkebu-lan greeted the crowd of about 80 men with one … [Read More...]
Musicians Showcase Talent for Juneteenth Celebration
The San Quentin Music Program put on a Juneteenth Celebration on the Lower Yard this year. Juneteenth is the celebration of the final slaves being freed from Texas in 1865, two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. “This was a wonderful stress reliever,” said spectator Charles Ross. “It’s a lot of … [Read More...]
Inmates Showcase Musical Talents at Recital
Inmate pianists and guitarists performed in a recital: Dancing with the Keys plus Bach, Beethoven and The Blues. San Quentin State Prison’s Catholic Chapel hosted the March 20 event for about 45 inmates and outside guests as students from the Arts-in-Corrections piano and guitar class displayed their talents. “Most students didn’t read music when … [Read More...]
Shakespeare Play a Hit with Prison Audience
A Court Jester’s comical version of the Harlem Shake dance and audience participation revamped Shakespeare’s play “As You Like It,” making it a hit with the San Quentin State Prison audience. “I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard at a Shakespeare play, and I’ve been to a lot of them,” said Samantha Armacost, a visiting audience member. “As You … [Read More...]
San Quentin Inmates Perform The Tempest
Inmate Nythell “Nate” Collins, 40, said acting lessons from Marin Shakespeare Company have helped him understand the human condition of oppression. “How did he come up with all this stuff?” Collins asked about Shakespeare. “What was his thought process so his work stayed with us all these years, especially with relationships? Shakespeare was a … [Read More...]
Naturally Talented Artist Began While Incarcerated
By Wesley Eisiminger Staff Writer Bruce Fowler turns his natural talent in drawing and painting into magnificent works of art. Fowler said he started drawing 16 years ago doing pencil drawings of seascapes when he was in a county jail. He never went to any class on drawing or paintings. “When I came to San Quentin from Ironwood, I started doing … [Read More...]
Marin Shakespeare Program Expands to CSP-Solano
By Harry C. Goodall Jr. Journalism Guild Writer In the gymnasium of California State Prison-Solano, inmates donned costumes and recited lines of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream in April. The presentation was produced by Lesley Currier, managing director of Marin Shakespeare Company, a company that also arranges productions of Shakespeare at … [Read More...]
Donovan Inmates Write Shakespeare Play for San Diego University
Students at San Diego State University performed a play, “I’M GOOD,” written by inmates at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility (RJD). “In my career, this is some of the best writing I’ve been involved with,” said James Pillar, a teaching artist with the Playwrights Project, reported San Diego Union-Tribune. Experience in theater isn’t new to … [Read More...]
Merle Haggard: San Quentin Parolee, Music Icon
By Thomas Winfrey Art Editor “I turned 21 in prison doing life without parole,” music legend Merle Haggard sang in his famous 1968 hit “Mama Tried.” The song was Haggard’s public apology to a religious mother, Flossie Mae, and his acknowledgement that “she tried to raise (him) right.” Merle Ronald Haggard passed away on his birthday, April 6, 2016, … [Read More...]
Blues Quartet Sings Classics to Prisoners
On a Sunday night more than 100 men, most slightly older than your average prisoner, gathered in a chapel to hear a Blues Quartet brought into San Quentin State Prison by Lisa Starbird of Bread & Roses Presents. “We’re on to a great start,” said guitarist and singer Kurt Huget after playing “Ain’t No Sunshine,” “House of the Rising Sun” and … [Read More...]
Renown Photographer Shares Life Stories at SQ
Pictures help people to understand and appreciate others, a noted Black photographer said in a recent visit to San Quentin State Prison. David Johnson said his black and white photos of San Francisco kids playing hop-scotch or young people dancing the night away not only portray the beauty of his medium, but were “designed to enlighten the world … [Read More...]
TEDx Displays Prisoners’ Extraordinary Artistic Skills
As a way to display the artistic talent inside prison, a miniature city based on the collective memories of more than a dozen incarcerated artists was exhibited at a Jan. 22 TEDx event, Life Revealed. The technology, entertainment and design event at San Quentin State Prison showcased “many incarcerated human beings who are starting their lives … [Read More...]
Art Program Helps Prisoners Transform Their Viewpoints
himself as “the dangerous one,” and in 1998, it became apparent after he committed a senseless murder that earned him a life sentence. Fast forward to 2016, now 36 years old, DeWeaver said that focusing on artistic expression empowered him to endure his 18 years of incarceration and ultimately to reconnect with his sense of humanity. “Through art, … [Read More...]
‘Music Is About Freedom,’ Naima Shalhoub Tells Prisoners
Naima Shalhoub and Marcus Shelby expressed the seven principles of Kwanzaa through their music at the fourth annual celebration inside San Quentin’s Catholic Chapel. “This is what music is: it’s about freedom; it’s about fellowship and sharing with community and what places need it the most,” said Shalhoub. Before a packed room, Shalhoub used her … [Read More...]
Prison University Project Students Display Talents
A prison chapel served as a theater on Christmas Eve when more than a dozen incarcerated college students took to the stage for an open mic. More than 150 guests were entertained by performances that included spoken word, original songs and testimonies of personal transformation. Carlos “Juancito” Meza performed two spoken word pieces, Sorry Son … [Read More...]
Actress Helen Hunt Looks Into Restorative Justice
A familiar sight greeted many prisoners who have participated in group processing as they entered the Protestant Chapel on Nov. 20 to watch the show Faultline at San Quentin State Prison. The group circles were made up of prisoners and free people, but most notably the actress Helen Hunt. Each circle was made up of 11 individuals and resembled an … [Read More...]
Butterscotch Performs Live at SQ
San Quentin inmates packed into the prison’s Protestant Chapel on a recent December night for an intimate concert put on by musical artist Butterscotch. Butterscotch took the stage, guitar in hand, to play a five-song set. She earned several standing ovations for her performance, which showcased her jazzy voice. But the music didn’t stop there – … [Read More...]
Artist Rhona Bitner Visits San Quentin to Capture Its Memory
A respected artist visited San Quentin State Prison to take large-scale color photographs of the North Block Dining Hall where Johnny Cash performed in 1958 and recorded an album in 1969. “It means a lot to stand where Johnny Cash played as I reach the end of this nine-year project,” Rhona Bitner said. Bitner’s project, Listen, which images … [Read More...]
Jazz Fest, a Melting Pot of Musical Flavors
The San Quentin Gumbo Classic Jazz Fest on Oct. 17 served up spicy tunes and a mixture of musical flavors. The group We Just Came to Play headlined the show. It consists of lead guitarist Greg Dixon, drummer Dwight Krizman, bass Darryl Farris, Howard Milton on congas and volunteer Denali Gillaspie on keyboard. They performed eight original jazz … [Read More...]
Shakespeare Inspires Inmate Plays on Prison Life
A prison chapel served as a theater for San Quentin inmates as they revealed some of the hardest parts of prison life through performances inspired by Shakespearean plays. Inmates performed a total of 16 acts in their October showcase, “Parallel Play: Original Theater Inspired by Shakespeare,” in the San Quentin State Prison Protestant Chapel. … [Read More...]
Katya McCulloch’s Dedication to San Quentin Artwork
For the last 11 years, Katya McCulloch has been teaching block printing at San Quentin State Prison. Over the years, she has figured out what works in a prison setting and what doesn’t when it comes to making prints. On most Friday mornings, McCulloch can be found in the San Quentin art studio teaching linoleum block cutting techniques, commonly … [Read More...]
Lower Yard Music Program Features ‘Spirit of Freedom Rockfest’
Michael Adams revealed how prison has affected his life when he sang an original song during a July 25 performance on San Quentin State Prison’s Lower Yard. “I wrote that song when I was in the hole, and everybody I trusted had left me,” Adams said. “I prayed to God to change my focus.” Adams said he was able to perform the song after fellow inmate … [Read More...]
Public Gets Rare Glimpse of Art in Prison
On June 19 San Quentin was transformed into an international art gallery as part of a four-day art conference held primarily at the University of San Francisco on “Arts in Corrections – Opportunities for Justice and Rehabilitation.” More than 75 of the conference attendees came to the prison to hear performing artists read poetry and to view visual … [Read More...]
Juneteenth Celebration Rocks the Yard
It was all about spreading love at the Funk on the Green Juneteenth celebration. Juneteenth is about the remembrance of the slaves in Texas finally hearing in 1865 that they were free. When the sun finally broke through the clouds, over 100 inmates gather to watch the event. “This is our Memorial and Independence Day. It’s good to see that … [Read More...]
Focus on Arts Boosts Grades and Later Success
Students who are trained in the arts perform better in school and enjoy a greater chance of success as adults, a study for the National Endowment for the Arts concludes. “Students who have arts-rich experiences in school do better across-the-board academically, and they also become more active and engaged citizens, voting, volunteering, and … [Read More...]
Julius Caesar and Macbeth Entertain 600 Guests
In a week’s span, Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar and Macbeth were performed at San Quentin State Prison for audiences that totaled more than 600 guests including community members, prison staff and fellow inmates. Lesley Currier and Suraya Keating of the Marin Shakespeare Company have been directing plays inside San Quentin for 12 years. They work … [Read More...]
Music, Spoken Word, Poetry, Comedy…All Flourish at S.Q.’s First Lower Yard Show
A talent show on the Lower Yard of San Quentin State Prison on May 31 was the first of what is planned as an annual event on the Lower Yard. Acts included spoken word, poetry, music and comedy. The crowd erupted in applause when Billy Hazelton and Jens O. Brazwell took to the stage and performed classic Rhythm and Blues. Brazwell said that he has … [Read More...]
Beloved Artist Rene Garcia Jr. Passes Away
San Quentin lost a valued member of the community on May 8. Teacher, multimedia artist and friend to many behind the walls of San Quentin, Rene Garcia Jr. passed away. Garcia was born on July 9, 1973, and leaves behind his wife, Holly, two young children and a mother and sister who live in Arizona. Best known outside the walls of San Quentin for … [Read More...]
Francisco Vargas Finds That Getting Back Into Prison Can Be as Hard as Getting Out
Artist and ex-convict Francisco Vargas returned to San Quentin to talk to a group of men about his successes and failures in life. But his return to the historic prison did not go as planned. Getting out of prison can be rather difficult; just ask any lifer. For Vargas, getting back in proved just as difficult. Stopped at the gate for wearing the … [Read More...]
USF Students Perform Restorative Messages
A group of San Francisco college students and jail inmates presented a performance art show exploring mass incarceration and restorative justice issues. Dance, music, spoken words, and an original score performed and composed by Jeffery Atkins, a local musician and composer, were the medium used to deliver their restorative message. The University … [Read More...]
Day of Peace Brings Art to the Lower Yard
For the last two years, the Day of Peace committee has brought art to the San Quentin yard. On April 25 artists created acrylic paintings on canvas board to display their ideas of peace. Each painting was dedicated to a self-help group or program at San Quentin. Some artists painted while out on the yard, which added an artsy vibe to the music from … [Read More...]
Jazz Legend Frank Morgan Honored in Featured Documentary
Legendary jazz saxophone player Frank Morgan was honored for a second time at San Quentin State Prison. Sound of Redemption: The Frank Morgan Story, a documentary film, was shown in the prison’s Protestant Chapel in April. In 2012, jazz icons paid tribute to Morgan in a live performance to a packed audience of inmates, staff, and outside guests. … [Read More...]
PUP’s Art History Class Takes a Field Trip
A college class consisting of prisoners going on a field trip inside the prison is almost impossible to imagine, but Patten University at San Quentin’s Art History class did just that. Thanks to the generosity of the artists housed inside San Quentin, students were able to view artwork first hand in the prison’s art studio. Kara Urion, Program … [Read More...]
San Quentin’s Iconic Painter Alfredo Santos Dies at 87
Alfredo Santos, a San Quentin legend, died at the age of 87, at 6:15 a.m. at Jacob Healthcare in San Diego on Friday, March 15. Famed for his creation of the murals in San Quentin’s South Dining Hall, Santos gained recognition for this work in 2003 when he returned to the prison to view the work he completed almost 50 years prior. Santos won a … [Read More...]
Jai Uttal Performs ‘Music From the Heart’
The Music from the Heart devotional concert services hosted Grammy-nominated artist Jai Uttal in the Catholic Chapel for the fourth time on Dec. 7. Those who attended were encouraged to chant sacred Sanskrit mantras along with the musicians. According to Jai, “Mantras mean that which transforms the mind. When we sing mantras, the mind comes back to … [Read More...]
Artist Ned Axthelm Shares Artistic Talents With the San Quentin Community
His Mother Encouraged Him to Make Art With Visits to Museums Ned Axthelm says he finds it rewarding to teach San Quentin and Solano prisoners the fine points of artistic painting. “I like that art can enrich someone’s life and that enrichment can be in different ways for different people. But there are still similarities amongst the differences, … [Read More...]
Guests Hear 19 Gifted Writers At Ninth Annual ‘Brothers in Pen’ Eventl
On a warm, sunny Saturday in November, more than 60 guests from outside the prison traversed the lower yard – past a football game, a basketball game and men doing pushups and stretches – to the ARC building to attend the ninth annual “Brothers in Pen” public reading. This event, introduced by creative writing instructor Zoe Mullery and with … [Read More...]
Original Production of Waterline Calls Forth a Standing Ovation
Art often imitates life, and when executed well, an audience is able to draw connections between the performance and reality through the power of the narrative. On Oct. 4, the original prison production of Waterline did just that. Waterline is an interpretative performance utilizing modern dance and dramatic monologue. Based on the life stories of … [Read More...]
SQ's Inmate Radio Crew Honored With Award
Stories of hope, recovery and rehabilitation are hitting the airwaves thanks to an inmate-run radio program at San Quentin. Now in its third year, the hardworking San Quentin Prison Report (SQPR) radio crew can now say they are an award-winning radio station. The inmates, staff and volunteers who create the program were honored with a Society of … [Read More...]
Photos Retrieved From the San Quentin Archives Enhanced and Displayed at the Haines Gallery
A group of San Quentin inmates has pushed the limits of how art may be defined. Participants of the San Quentin Prison Report Archive Project took archived photos of San Quentin’s past and added commentary. Their unique results were on display at the Haines Gallery in San Francisco from Sept. 4 through Nov. 1. Artist Nigel Poor, along with Shadeed … [Read More...]
Musicians Premal and Miten Perform For a Packed House at San Quentin
Several hundred inmates packed the San Quentin Catholic Chapel, chanting sacred mantras with Deva Premal and her band. “Spirituality is our theme. Mantras are powerful and they reach out,” Premal and partner Miten said later. “We offer tools for meditation and inner peace so that the energy of the mind can be channeled in a good way. Music with … [Read More...]
Three Prison Bands Perform Their Unique Musical Talents on the Lower Yard
Three inmate bands filled the air with their unique music on a Saturday morning in San Quentin’s Lower Yard. In the midst of tennis matches, basketball games and inmates observing the weekend, hundreds throughout the yard on Sept. 13 were listening to the hip-hop and rock sounds of Contagious, Morris & Mason and Human Condition. “This was the … [Read More...]
Brothers in Pen Project Gives Voice Through Writings at the Yerba Buena Arts Center
Every Wednesday San Quentin inmates assemble to write and share prose and poetry, forming a group known as the Brothers In Pen. These creative writers are part of an ongoing project that publishes anthologies of prisoners’ writing. This September at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Zoe Mullery, who facilitates Brothers In Pen, shared the … [Read More...]
Couple Retires After Decades Performing In Prisons
For uncounted thousands of prisoners across America, a performance by harpist Linda Rice was a chance to listen and see something completely unexpected, entertaining and inspiring. Linda is known as “The Harp Lady” in hundreds of prisons across the country. Her husband, Willis, accompanied her on concert trips, hauling her blue harp in an aging van … [Read More...]
‘DARKNESS IN THE GOLDEN STATE’
A well-attended fundraising event sponsored by Legal Services For Prisoners With Children (LSPC) was held in August at the Luggage Room Gallery on Market Street in San Francisco. LSPC is a nonprofit organization located at 1540 Market St. in San Francisco. Its main mission is to organize communities impacted by the criminal justice system and … [Read More...]
Music Legend Collaborates Prisoners
R&B and jazz music filled the air as more than 300 head-bopping, finger-snapping inmates took in the sounds of two inmate bands performing on the Lower Yard of San Quentin State Prison. Inmates crowded near the stage to hear Bread and Roses guitarist Gail Muldrow join in with the bands on Aug. 16. Two weeks before, Muldrow played at San … [Read More...]
San Quentin Celebrates Annual Day of Peace
Eight years ago, a race riot on the Lower Yard of San Quentin State Prison prompted a multiracial group of men, most serving life sentences, to form the Day of Peace committee. The men said the Day of Peace was established to show inmates that there are ways to reject violence and support peace. “Open dialogue, violence prevention workshops and … [Read More...]
Inspiring Performance Held in Catholic Chapel
The night felt more like being at Yoshi’s in Jack London Square in Oakland than the Chapel of the Rosary in San Quentin State Prison. Lee Jaspar, accompanied by members of The Jazz Band, Dwight Krizman and Greg Dixon, played “Theta Bop,” an up-tempo original song to close an exciting night of beginning and accomplished pianist recitals. “I’m … [Read More...]
Artist Spends Prison Time Sharing His Many Talents and Experiences
Noted musician David Jassy shares his music production knowledge, performance talent and experience with the men at San Quentin since arriving as an inmate one year ago. The artist, songwriter and music producer had a song nominated for a Swedish Grammy Award in the best dance category in 1999. Jassy, 40, was born and raised in Stockholm, Sweden. … [Read More...]
$2.5 Million Awarded to Arts-in-Corrections Programs
After an absence of more than 11 years, Arts-in-Corrections programs are returning to California prisons. On June 3, the California Arts Council awarded contracts to service providers to operate art programs in 14 state prisons. The seven contracts totaling almost $800,000 were awarded from a $1 million commitment made by the California Department … [Read More...]
SoVoSo Entertain Prisoners in San Quentin’s Catholic Chapel
The nationally touring acappella ensemble SoVoSo brought its unique improvisational style to San Quentin’s Catholic Chapel on Sunday, June 22. The group’s name is a derivative of “from the Soul to Voice to Song.” They describe themselves as vocalists who “imitate musical instruments.” Group members: drums (Dave), bass (Brian), lead guitar (Zoe), … [Read More...]
Hip-Hop Artists Locked Out For Second Time at S.Q.’s Day of Peace Event
For some guys, coming to prison was a fast process. Do the crime ... then do the time. However, for a group of up-and -coming hip-hop artists from the East Coast known as the Coalition, getting inside San Quentin has been extremely difficult. For two years in a row, the Coalition has accepted an invitation to play at the annual Day of Peace event. … [Read More...]
Alcatraz Presents a Theatrical Play: ‘In the Kitchen With a Knife’
It was the first time I had ever been to Alcatraz and I was so excited, especially because this was to be no ordinary tourist trip by ferry across the choppy waters to the infamous “Rock.” I was traveling with a group of people who had purchased tickets from the William James Association to attend a special performance of the play “In the Kitchen … [Read More...]
Prisoners and Marin Shakespeare Collaborate In Modern Version of ‘The Merry Wives of Windsor’
Dozens of Bay Area community members came inside San Quentin State Prison on June 25, mingling with nearly 100 convicted criminals to watch a Shakespearean play performed by inmate/actors, working with interns from The Marin Shakespeare Company. “When the interns first got here, they watched us with nervousness. But, by the end of it, they come … [Read More...]
San Quentin Prisoners Share Their Talents at The Yerba Buena Center for the Arts’ Exhibit
Artists behind the walls of San Quentin have blurred the boundaries of community. Artwork from the men who take part in the art classes sponsored by the William James Association in San Quentin will make its way into a prominent San Francisco arts center beginning July 18. The Yerba Buena Center for the Arts is holding its triennial art exhibit … [Read More...]
Musician Mark Hummel Provides Advice and Entertainment to the Men in Blue
The blues harmonica is not heard often in modern society’s pop music. The prison subculture is no exception, but that did not hinder harmonica blues man Mark Hummel, 58, from performing and discussing music with about two dozen inmates on a recent visit to San Quentin State Prison. During the two-hour performance, Hummel talked about the blues and … [Read More...]
San Quentin’s Rec Supervisor Don ‘Coach’ DeNevi Displays His Creativity Through Painting
By Tommy Winfrey Don “Coach” DeNevi, 76, has been supervising the recreation department at San Quentin since December of 2001, and although he says he loves his job, he can’t live without his art. “Whenever I go home each day after working with my inmates on crisis after crisis, I paint. I must paint!” exclaimed DeNevi. Growing up on the south side … [Read More...]
Tony Saunders Displays Musical Talents on the Lower Yard
On an evening in April, bassist Tony Saunders, 58, gave a memorable performance for some of the men at San Quentin State Prison. He also discussed music, demonstrated his playing style and talked about his own road to recovery. A dozen inmates who attend a weekly guitar workshop listened to Saunders play his custom bass and discuss his career … [Read More...]
Rising
By Raphael Calix As an angelic force in the world With everlasting traces of love The encouragement over bigotry and hatred We hear you loud and clear, Dear “Maya” Marching proudly through the old neighborhoods With filaments into our hearts Overcoming the blight of racism We found safety in her bosom Mute-yet alertly listening to “Maya’s” … [Read More...]
POETRY CORNER
Convict, A Way Of Life Outside there is peace, but that doesn’t concern me, for I’m confined within these walls, walls of misery. I slipped on the outs and this is where I fell. Into this whistle blowing, bell ringing, man-made, barred earthy hell. Each morning I wake and I curse the light. Indicative of the beginning, another daily fight. A fight … [Read More...]
San Quentin Inmates Embrace Yoga
Yoga classes are so popular at San Quentin that some prisoners improvise to find a place to practice. One of those prisoners is Bruce “Rahsaan” Banks, who leads a small group of inmates in yoga in the gym on Saturday and Sunday mornings, which are the only days it is open. “I caught people’s interest, who noticed I knew exactly what I was doing. … [Read More...]
John Brown’s Play Revisits Slavery And Liberation in San Quentin
There was standing room only in San Quentin’s Protestant Chapel on Feb. 28 to watch “John Brown’s Body”—a documentary about a play of the same name centered on Stephen Vincent Benet’s 1928 epic poem about slavery and liberation in the Civil War era. The documentary premiered last year, but this was the first time that it was shown in San … [Read More...]
Prison Art On Display for Good Causes
Tucked away in prison cells across America are talented artists who are working to turn their lives around and help make the world a better place, says a lady who is exhibiting inmate-produced animal paintings and drawings. “I would like the show to provoke questions on the part of the viewing public to challenge their preconceived (ideas) about … [Read More...]
Four S. Q. Bands Debut at Music Lockdown Concert
Four San Quentin bands made their public debut Feb. 8 in a fun-filled night. Two bands from Marin County performed a benefit concert at the Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley alongside videos of the prison bands. Music Lockdown, a Benefit for the Prison Arts Program ,featured This Old Earthquake and Beso Negro. The concert included a filmed … [Read More...]
POETRY CORNER
My Secret Place By Mike Wolke There’s a secret place inside my head Where no one’s allowed to go. There, stands a guard, a wee small ogre A neon sign and a single world of “No.” This secret place is neither good nor bad But, belongs to me alone. I hide my precious treasures there Within this chambered zone. Once I thought I’d share this place With … [Read More...]
Healing Squad Helps Rehabilitate Elderly Inmates Through Art
Caregivers from the University of Southern California made their way inside San Quentin on March 7, bringing a sense of community to a small group of aging prisoners. The four women, known as the Healing Squad, was led by Aileen Hongo and co-facilitated by Jill Asars, Bethany Davis, and Angela Craddock. The eclectic group of women hail from all … [Read More...]
S.Q. Officer P. Jo Showcases Hidden Photo Talent
Officer P. Jo, 34, is putting his talents to good use. His picture of San Quentin was selected to be the image for the 2014 San Quentin calendar. He says, “It feels great that the administration selected my photo, but most of my thanks must go to San Quentin Office Technician Raphaele Casale because she is the one who pushed me.” Jo, who has been … [Read More...]
Prison Humor Highlights PUP’s Annual Open Mic Event
Tommy Winfrey read a selected chapter from a memoir, The Things I Peed On, and had a crowd of about 100 inmates grabbing their sides with laughter, as San Quentin’s Prison University Project held its annual open mic. Aaron Taylor, also known as The Show, had the audience yelling, “Aw hell no!” to his descriptions of silly inmate behavior. Angel … [Read More...]
Pianist Sarah Cahill Honors Former San Quentin Inmate With a Concert in the Protestant Chapel
A concert honoring former San Quentin inmate Henry Cowell drew an eclectic crowd of inmates and outside visitors to San Quentin’s Protestant Chapel. Performers included concert pianist Sarah Cahill and the Ives String Quartet. Cowell “was very prolific for a person who only had one hour a week to play the piano” while in prison, said Cahill. He had … [Read More...]
Pretend That You Could Go Back in Time
It would probably be frightening for someone from the future to appear before us and provide a message about what is to come and then disappear. However, what if that message was a warning that we should change our course or suffer dire consequences? Would we listen? Would we change our minds? On the other hand, would we dismiss it as nothing more … [Read More...]
S.Q. and Marin Shakespeare Collaborate On Play Inspired by ‘Merchant of Venice’
As the fog descended upon San Quentin in the early hours of Nov. 8, anxiety rose among the men and women waiting to enter the gates of San Quentin to see “Parallel Play: Stories from San Quentin Inspired by ‘The Merchant of Venice.’” Several weeks ago, the play was canceled because of an institutional lockdown. On this day, the play was delayed due … [Read More...]
William James Association Promotes S.Q. Arts Project
The William James Association (WJA) is an organization that promotes work services in the arts, environment, and education. In addition, community development currently provides the Prison Arts Project for prisoners. “The biggest thing about the Prison Arts Project is it’s inspiring,” said Laurie Brooks, Executive Director of the William James … [Read More...]
Film Crew Director Offers Views of Mural Artist Alfredo Santos
San Quentin recently hosted a film crew capturing footage of art and artist behind the legendary walls. The film crew came to San Quentin to make a documentary about Alfredo Santos, the artist who created the South Dining Hall murals. The crew’s director, Paul Sutton, made the first documentary about prisons in 1980 titled Doing Time. Doing Time … [Read More...]
What Would a San Quentin Superhero Do?
Many things are observed during the month of October: National Domestic Violence Awareness, National Breast Cancer Awareness, National Diversity Awareness, National Popcorn Month, Dia de la Raza on the 12th, Columbus Day on the second Monday, and Boss’s Day on the 16th. However, one of the most popular is on the 31st, Halloween. People love to … [Read More...]
Artist Amy Ho Brings Creativity to San Quentin
For the past year, the Thursday Prison Art Project class has had the opportunity to learn from artist, Amy M. Ho. Ho, 30, comes from Chicago and studied art in the Bay Area. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of California at Berkeley in Art Practice and a Masters of Fine Arts degree from Mills College. She now works on … [Read More...]
Healing Through Performance Art
The Insight Prison Project (IPP) known for its restorative justice groups such as the Victims Offenders Education Group is not normally associated with the art community at San Quentin. However, IPP has recently introduced a new group, The Artistic Ensemble. The Artistic Ensemble centers on performance art and writing. Tristan Jones, 30, has been a … [Read More...]
Prisoners’ Artwork on Display At San Francisco City Library
In San Francisco, a city known for its artistic and cultural diversity, two unique art exhibits in the city’s public library displayed dozens of works created by incarcerated artists and drew positive reviews from the public. From June 15 through September 1, the exhibits, On the Line and Book Art from Arts-in-Corrections, showcased artwork created … [Read More...]
San Quentin Has a Rich History of Artwork
Many people are unaware of San Quentin’s rich history of artwork. There are murals abound through out the institution that catalog California’s history, along with the prison’s. The best-known artworks are in the South Dinning Hall. Six 100-foot murals span the long walls of the chow hall and illustrate images of California. Artist, Alfredo Santos … [Read More...]
Teaching at San Quentin for Over 25 Years
Pat Maloney, 75, has been teaching art at San Quentin for more than 25 years. Maloney spent the first three years of his career at San Quentin interacting exclusively with the men on Death Row. It was horrifying to know the guys on the row have a limited possibility with their future,” Maloney said. For those on Death Row who spend most of their … [Read More...]
‘San Quentin Report Hits Air Waves
Over half a century has passed since voices from San Quentin were broadcast on a regular basis over the radio waves. San Quentin returns to radio with the San Quentin Prison Report, a new program created by inmate Troy Williams and his crew (Curtis Carroll, Tommy “Shakur” Ross, Sha Wallace-Stepter, Brian Asey, Greg Eskridge, and Earlonne Woods). … [Read More...]
S.Q. Creative Writing Class Does a New Anthology
INMATES SHOWCASE THEIR WORK AT THE ANNUAL PUBLIC READING Despite massive cuts in prison arts programs throughout the state, some arts programs managed to survive. Teacher Zoe Mullery and her San Quentin Creative Writing Class, produced another outstanding anthology for this year’s Annual Public Reading. Approximately 40 outside guests attended this … [Read More...]
Nigel Poor’s Passion for Photography
In the nearly three years Nigel Poor, 50, has been volunteering in San Quentin, her perceptions about life have broadened. “I have been privileged to see the people some of society considers invisible,” she said. Poor is an artist who has tenure at Sacramento State, where she has taught photography for the last 10 years. She started teaching an art … [Read More...]
Dramatic Arts Inside Prisons
In the late 1960s, San Quentin prisoner Rick Cluchey wrote a play called, The Cage. After a successful run through out the country, it was made into WEEDS, the box office hit movie staring Nick Nolte. Theater groups have produced plays within the prison system for decades. For example, in the 1980s, a full-fledged production of Samuel Beckett’s … [Read More...]
‘Painted Ladies of San Quentin’ Novel Debuts This Summer
The Painted Ladies of San Quentin, the latest graphic novel from artist Jason Lenox, is scheduled for release this summer in the anthology UGLI STUDIO PRESENTS #2. San Quentin News was given an exclusive sneak peak of the graphic novel’s manuscript, as well as an interview with Lenox. The artwork of the new novel is visually stunning and includes … [Read More...]
‘The Merchant of Venice’ Takes Center Stage
The San Quentin Protestant Chapel was transformed into a Shakespeare stage with inmates and free volunteer actors before an audience of about 300 prisoners and free people for the performance of The Merchant of Venice. “These men show Shakespeare matters to the way they’re living. It really matters,” said Sean Keilen. “I expected to be moved by the … [Read More...]
Prisoners Who Love Music
Many of the men at San Quentin love music. “Asked on the Line” conducted 23 random, informal interviews with men in blue and asked, “What is your favorite type of music, favorite artist, and favorite song?” Most have a favorite type of music. Some had two or three favorite types, and a few claimed to like all types of music. The top three answers … [Read More...]
San Quentin Jazz Concert Honors Black History Month
The Soulful Sounds of Seasoned Ensembles Toes were tapping and hands were clapping as a standing-room-only San Quentin audience celebrated Black History Month with a live jazz concert. “It’s been quite some time since I’ve heard live jazz music,” said James Jenkins. “What I witnessed today rivals any music performance I saw out in the free world. … [Read More...]
Johnny Cash: Legendary Prison Reform Advocate
Country music star Johnny Cash spent years performing for prisoners all over America, including San Quentin, becoming a fervent and outspoken voice for prisoners’ rights. Cash’s first prison concert was at the Huntsville State Prison in Texas in 1957. Cash’s most famous prison performances occurred in the 1960s when he recorded live albums at … [Read More...]
Musicians Honor Jazz Artist
It was a night of music when a San Quentin prisoner took the stage with several renowned musicians to pay tribute to former inmate and jazz artist Frank Morgan, who died last year. The Protestant Chapel was filled with sound on Oct. 12 when prisoner and jazz pianist Reginald Ausin performed with bass player Ron Carter, alto saxophonists Grace Kelly … [Read More...]
Prisoners Benefit From Artist’s Workshop
Renowned artist David Leffel spent two days teaching San Quentin inmates the fine points of painting with oils. “Most beginners try to transfer what they see on to canvas with exactness, and that’s not a reality,” Leffel told the students. “Don’t get stuck in the middle, where you can’t see where you’re going, worrying too much about details,” he … [Read More...]
Actors Relate Personal Stories in Famed Hamlet Play
The Hebrew prayer sung by Julian Glenn Padgett rang through the auditorium just inside San Quentin State Prison’s gates. It opened Padgett’s performance that included songs such as “My Girl” by The Temptations, sung to a swaying crowd, and a performance in which he told his childhood memories to a tearful audience. At age 5, Padgett’s mother … [Read More...]
Volunteer Instructor Lauds Art in Prison
Thursday mornings you’ll find prison art project manager Carol Newborg supervising her open studio class in “Arts in Corrections,” where San Quentin prisoners work to create works of art in various mediums. Newborg began working with artists in 1985 at the California Institute for Women at Norco. She recently began her open studio class at San … [Read More...]
Rupa and The April Fishes
POPULAR LATIN BAND PERFORMS DURING DAY OF PEACE EVENT Wow! Who are those guys? That was the buzz around San Quentin when the April 28 Day of Peace featured the captivating music of Rupa and The April Fishes. The April Fishes’ Latin sound had prisoners’ head bopping and dancing around the yard. The sound was different from the usual prison bands, … [Read More...]
Hamlet Production Captivates Crowd
More than 300 people packed the San Quentin Garden Chapel in June, transforming the space into a Danish castle awash with Hamlet’s anguish and anger over the murder of his father. For approximately three hours, Suraya Keating and Lesley Currier of Marin Shakespeare Company treated prisoners and outside guests to a masterfully directed rendition of … [Read More...]
Hitland Concert Rocks The Yard
About 1,000 San Quentin prisoners munched on hot dogs, sipped fruit drink and soaked up rap and rock music on the Lower Yard for the 10th year, thanks to a group called Hitland Ministry. “It’s a joyous day. It’s about being part of a community. It’s something to be appreciated. It’s been respectful by inmates and officers alike,” said Ronnie (Roc) … [Read More...]
Interim Community Partnership Manager
Steve Emrick, a former bridging teacher who also worked with inmates in the Arts in Corrections program, has been appointed Interim Communities Partnership Manager. Emrick is currently handling the CPM duties, taking the place of Laura Bowman-Salzsieder who is relocating to Florida with her family. … [Read More...]
Artists Transform North Block Clinic
In April, prison artists transformed the dreary walls of imprisonment into a message of beauty and a commitment to change. Patrick Maloney, who instructs the San Quentin Prison Arts Project, directed prisoners Ben Ballard, Steve Smith, Roy Gilstrap, Chadrick Tobias, and Thomas Winfrey in creating 19 paintings to cover the walls of the North Block … [Read More...]
Inmates Cheer Patten University’s Annual Open Mic Event
Christmas Eve’s annual open mic night brought out “a lot of hidden talent in San Quentin,” said prisoner Ray Richardson. The prison’s Protestant Chapel served as the venue for over 20 original acts, including slam poetry, comedy, and musical performances, performed by new and familiar faces. Emcee Jonathan “JW” Wilson opened with a reading of Will … [Read More...]
Shakespeare’s ‘Twelfth Night’ Lots of Laughs
For an hour or so, an array of San Quentin prisoners, staff members and volunteers stepped out of their routine into the shoes of Shakespeare actors, to the delight of a packed prison chapel. The eighth annual performance was a unique perspective of the Shakespeare comedy “Twelfth Night,” using political satire and music of the ‘60s. The production … [Read More...]
Prisoners Learn to Paint
Acrylic, watercolor, pastel, or just plain graphite provide Pat Malony various mediums to teach potential artists incarcerated in San Quentin the finer points in painting. For the past 23 years, Malony has been working for SQ Arts in Corrections. He began when he was 53 years old. He’s seen many changes in S.Q. However, his art class has survived … [Read More...]
Artists Beautify H-Unit
In the San Quentin Prison complex of drab gray concrete, unforgiving steel bars, and razor wire-toped fences, one building has a distinction: H-Unit’s building four is undergoing a beatification process. Inmates sponsored by Correctional Officer J. Lee have been painting murals inside of the building for the last 66 months. It has been an evolving … [Read More...]
A Message of Love by a Unique Production
Hitland brought its annual production of “The Grave Robber” back to San Quentin with a message of love and the question of what will you do with your life after death. As men filed into the foyer of the Protestant Chapel they were met by a large portrait of a young man and on the portrait read 1988-2011. EERIE SOUND The eerie sound of an organ … [Read More...]
Asian Theater Classes Promote Racial Unity
During the fall semester, Patten University offered a course in Asian- and African-American Theater. The African lessons were later dropped due to the professors scheduling therefore Asian theater became the main focus. Terry Park taught the classes. He is pursuing a master’s degree at the University of California at Davis. Park has been involved … [Read More...]
S.Q. Talent Show Brings Down the House at the Chapel
Ben Prince’s comedy roast of defending champion Huggie’s standup comedy act took first place at the annual San Quentin talent show in the Garden Chapel. Although this was Prince’s first appearance in the SQ talent show, he has had some experience with stand up comedy. Prince was an amateur performer at the comedy club in Long Beach, “I’ve been a … [Read More...]
Unique S.Q. Group Raises Awareness About Life Sentences Through Rap Music
A group of San Quentin inmates, who were sentenced to life as youth, use rap to raise awareness of youth life sentences. As the arrest rate of juvenile offenders continues to rise due to violent crimes, law enforcement agencies respond by proposing gang injunctions and stiffer sentences. While on the other hand, the San Quentin juvenile lifer’s … [Read More...]
Christian Theatrical Group Impacts S.Q.
The San Quentin Garden Chapel’s drama team continues to perform impactful Biblical messages through modern day theatrical productions. However, unlike San Quentin’s Shakespeare group that is sponsored by a Marin theatrical company, the Garden Chapel drama team has no outside volunteers, Members express their desires to form relationships with local … [Read More...]
Film Production – A Marketable Skill After Parole
The San Quentin Media Department plays a major role in San Quentin’s prisoners rehabilitation. Under the supervision of Larry Schneider, prisoners are given an education in film production. This opportunity is not available at any of California’s other 32 prisons, however San Quentin prisoners are making information available for other prisons to … [Read More...]
Healing With Jazz
Tom Harrell is a world-renowned trumpeter who suffers from schizophrenia. While playing, and only while playing, all symptoms of his illness, disappear. Miraculously, the colorful bebop jazz tunes become a healing balm. Harrell began building his jazz resume in the late ‘60s, touring with Stan Kenton’s big band, Horace Silver, Woody Herman and many … [Read More...]
Making a Difference Through Music
Kurt Huget teaches guitar on Thursday evenings in San Quentin’s upper yard Art Center. He also regularly performs at meals for the needy at St. Vincent’s Dining Room in San Rafael. Huget sang and played guitar for over 700 needy men, women and children as they ate free Thanksgiving meals at St. Vincent’s. Channel 4 KRON News covered the event and … [Read More...]
Open Mic Night Brings Out Talent for Inmates and Volunteers
An open mic event sponsored by Jody Lewen and Amy Roza of the Prison University Project was held on Christmas Eve. An audience of San Quentin inmates and Patten University volunteers crowded the old laundry building where college classes are normally held. Classroom deck chairs were replaced with regular chairs, converting the building into a … [Read More...]
POETRY
CONCURRENT TIME By Lydia Maniz Dedicated to my husband, Robert Maniz 21 years – only 12 more to go. 12-23-10 Doing time in a prison with no walls. Marking days till the ink runs out. Building walls in front of doors and breaking windows just to breathe. Trying not to lose myself amongst fiends in these cutthroat streets Crank games are to mind … [Read More...]
POETRY
JUST ANOTHER DAY By Jason Scardino So sets the moon, to let the sun rise, So starts the day, while the night dies. At which point it’s due time to wake my game up, Shake the sheets out and pour the first shot into my cup. Hear the bird song? I’d too sing the same tune, Spread my wing out and soar into the afternoon. Yet I’m on two feet, that fight … [Read More...]
Shakespeare’s ‘Twelfth Night’ Lots of Laughs
For an hour or so, an array of San Quentin prisoners, staff members and volunteers stepped out of their routine into the shoes of Shakespeare actors, to the delight of a packed prison chapel. The eighth annual performance was a unique perspective of the Shakespeare comedy “Twelfth Night,” using political satire and music of the ‘60s. The production … [Read More...]
Indian Country
Powwow is an indigenous ancient ceremony practiced by most North American tribes still to this day. The Powwow is a sacred ritual. Its purpose is to celebrate the spring and fall equinoxes and the summer and winter solstices. In bygone days, Native Americans used the Powwow to call forth cures for sicknesses and to ensure success in warfare. Today … [Read More...]
Prisoners Learn to Paint
Acrylic, watercolor, pastel, or just plain graphite provide Pat Malony various mediums to teach potential artists incarcerated in San Quentin the finer points in painting. For the past 23 years, Malony has been working for SQ Arts in Corrections. He began when he was 53 years old. He’s seen many changes in S.Q. However, his art class has survived … [Read More...]
His Years of Doubt Came Tumbling Down
Following is a religious essay by Sean K. Long written in the form of a letter to his mother. It has been edited for space. Dearest Mom, I’m so excited right now and the only reason I haven’t written you sooner about what’s happened to me is because I know I’ve written similar letters in the past. The only difference between then and now is … [Read More...]
S.Q. Murals…The Good and the Bad
San Quentin State Prison is widely known for its size, the notorious criminals who’ve passed through, its valuable location by the bay, and the formidable walls and gun towers that surround the fortress-like facility, protecting society. Those who have served time in San Quentin, volunteered their services, or visited the prison with a strange … [Read More...]
NATURE’S TEACHERS
The air will teach you how to smell, the moon will teach you her mystic tale, the fire will teach you how to see, the sun will teach you what you must be. The water will teach you how to feel, the Gods will teach you how to heal, the earth will teach you how to hear, the Goddesses will teach you to be a Seer. The equinoxes will teach you the law of … [Read More...]
THE BELTS MY FATHER WORE
I remember the belts my father wore, one for church, one for the chores. And when trouble came my way, I remember what my father would say, Son, which of these belts shall I use? This will hurt me, more than hurt you. I stood and stared at the belts on the bed, fear and hate running through my head. My mother begged and cried at the door as I stood … [Read More...]
BEING HUMAN
Climbing Poetree I wonder if the sun debates dawn some mornings not wanting to rise out of bed from under the down-feather horizon If the sky grows tired of being everywhere at once adapting to the mood swings of the weather If the clouds drift off trying to hold themselves together make deals with gravity to loiter a little longer I wonder if … [Read More...]
Who Am I
What am I but a lost & lonely man, attempting to make it the best way I can. Who am I but someone who wants to be normal & sane, a person who’s struggling desperately to stop all the hurt and pain! Who am I but someone who unfortunately ended up in prison, Just another statistic who messed up a life that was God given! Who am I to … [Read More...]
In Indian Country
The eagle is a bird that Native people feel is connected to the Great Spirit. Because the eagle flies the highest of all birds, close to where the Great Spirit dwells, he is regarded as a special messenger to, and from, the Creator. And as such is very sacred to Native people. Eagle feathers are considered the most sacred of prayer tools, and have … [Read More...]
Dancing Into San Quentin’s Hearts
A group of teen-agers called “Shining Light” sang and danced their way into the hearts of hundreds of San Quentin inmates in June. The group from Lebanon, Pennsylvania, at first appeared somewhat apprehensive about performing in front of a large group of convicts. But once the show began, with the music thumping and the youngsters gracefully … [Read More...]
Romeo and Juliet Enthrall San Quentin
Inside the walls of San Quentin State Prison, there was an unusual announcement over the intercom, “The Protestant chapel will be open for Shakespeare after dinner, and all are welcomed to attend!” For the seventh year in a row, the Marin Shakespeare Company and the William James Association have sponsored the production. Suraya Keating directs … [Read More...]
Inmates Win a Throwdown
Six San Quentin inmates defeated a group of professional writers in a “Literary Throwdown” competition recently. The event, hosted by authors Keith and Kent Zimmerman, in association with Litquake. The Zimmerman brothers, authors of more than 15 books, including best-selling memoirs with the Sex Pistols and the Hell’s Angels, have taught a weekly … [Read More...]
MEMORIES OF FREEDOM
Will these walls that now surround me Be my future, then my end These cold steel bars before me Are my truth, I can’t pretend Are my memories of freedom Just a taste, forbidden fruit Are my visions for the future Out of reach, perhaps quite moot Will this gate that does not open Keep my spirits trapped within Do you keep me here in prison As my … [Read More...]
THE CORDOBA RIGHTS
You are being placed above the rest You have the right to smile, to wink at me, to blow me kisses, and to remain silent; any words you whisper, can and will be used against you in a court of love. You have the right to be represented in said court by a man who loves you. If there is no such man in your life right now, however, I will appoint myself … [Read More...]
SHINING LIGHT
Awesome and Wonderfull Voices lifting us up Inspiring in your delivery Of the Spirit of God Innocence of the soul On your faces shining With a joyful exuberance Singing/Acting/Dancing Here present with us all Inside the San Quentin Is the mighty presence Of the Lord … [Read More...]
I’VE BEEN THERE
Where trees grow inward Hiding their fruit from squirrels & crows Where afro’s symboled men of old Panthers & kings sported crowns & rings Worn by black queens Goddesses not bitches Our men hero’s not snitches Of modern times Or nigga’s that rhyme Without reason or story line I’ve been there… Where rain dropped hails of blood Through … [Read More...]
The Giants Angel
We had an angel in our dugout for a season, No doubt, the good Lord had a reason, But to all the men in San Quentin This God given and lovely vision Was always a major distraction, Do we watch the game or gape at Allison? Men from all over San Quentin, C.O.’s, counselors, and maintenance, Visiting players and even the umpires, Always she caught … [Read More...]
DEATH ROW REALITY CHECK
This is a world of different kinds of life, A change in reality, a world real tight. You enter this world through cast iron gates. You can sense all the pressure and feel all the hate. They’re unloading the bus the man’s laying down the rules, They’re taking away your rights and giving you your blues. The next gate is opening, you feel tense down … [Read More...]
Poetry
BETTER TO LIGHT CANDLES By Merle Shain It is better to light a candle Than to curse the darkness. It is better to plant seeds Than to accuse the earth The world needs all of our power And love and energy, And each of us has something that we can give The trick is to find it and use it. To find it give it away So there will always be more. We can be … [Read More...]
WILLIE TO PLAY AT S.Q?
Will-he, or won’t he? Administration officials have confirmed that talks are under way which could result in country music legend Willie Nelson headlining a spring time concert on the lower yard at S.Q. in March of 2010. While emphasizing that nothing has at yet been decided, prison Public Information Officer Lt. Sam Robinson acknowledged that … [Read More...]
An Explosion of Notes
To tens of thousands of prison inmates across the nation, she is “The Harp Lady,” who charms and amazes audiences with her blue 47-string acoustic/electric harp and the heavenly music it echoes in concerts from San Quentin to Florida. She is Linda Rice, whose musical specialty is weaving several songs into one amazing explosion of notes and tunes … [Read More...]
The Captive’s Past
Stifled cries of yesterdays pain Are haunting memories of a runaway train The moans and groans of a troubled past Are like a ship that’s been torn rattled and thrashed The only resemblance of what once was Are scattered pieces of a broken mast The chains and shackles of the captives past The flower fades and the grass is gone The hills are barren … [Read More...]
I Write For My Children
I write for my children In words only hearts can fathom. I write for my children Pen-drenched in love storms And magical poems; Each alphabet a teardrop, Every page a river I write for my children; No longer can I see their glow— A soft and tender sadness Illuminates their souls. I write for my children To invoke their spirits, Faint breaths upon … [Read More...]
USED VS. LOVED
While a man was polishing his new car, his 4-year-old son picked up a stone and scratched lines on the side of the car. In anger, the man took the child’s hand and hit it many times; not realizing he was using a wrench. At the hospital, the child lost all his fingers due to multiple fractures. When the child saw his father, with painful eyes he … [Read More...]
Before I Play My Joker
I am the dealer. Who wants to play my game? You see me now once you start to play Your life will never be the same. Now I must warn you Before you get in, You’ll play your best, But you’re never going to win. Now you can catch me on the corner Or the middle of the block, And I’ll be glad to serve you: Hennessey, weed, speed, heroin or a … [Read More...]
Growing Lives Through Gardening
Did you know that the Insight Garden Program (IGP) in H-Unit will be growing an organic vegetable garden that will provide organic vegetables to local non-profit organizations? If you’re like me, you’ll be pleased that something positive is happening at San Quentin that will be shared with the local community. Now you are probably asking why we … [Read More...]
The King of Pop’s Six Degrees of Separation from San Quentin
Michael Jackson 08/29/1958 — 06/25/2009 DANCING WITH THE KING OF POP The death of Michael Jackson on June 25 at age 50 brought back memories for at least two San Quentin inmates whose paths had crossed with his: Julian Glenn (Luke) Padgett and Michael Harris. Padgett was a dancer in one of Jackson’s famed music videos and Harris knew him through … [Read More...]
Folsom Inmate’s Poetry Inspires Swedish Choir
“It’s all about keeping the soul free, free to soar,” writes Spoon Jackson, a poet incarcerated for the last 30 years. Those lines are part of a poem called “Realness,” which he included in a letter Jackson wrote seven years ago to a pen pal in Sweden. The pen pal happened to be a member of the choir at Krista parish, just north of Stockholm, … [Read More...]
Protestant Chapel Hosts Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream
The San Quentin Shakespeare troupe took the Bard’s classic, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and put a new spin on it, to the enjoyment of all. In the Protestant Chapel on June 15, the small group of prisoners and volunteers from the Marin Shakespeare Company put on a play for a mixture of guests, press and inmates. To most, this play is usually produced … [Read More...]
Poetry
Realness It’s all about Keeping it real No matter How you feel Keeping it real The way the ants Move up an ant hill It’s all about Keeping it real When there are no clouds You can see It’s all about Keeping it real Because it’s always Raining somewhere Although our heart’s Been broken before It’s all about Keeping our hearts As open as the sky It’s … [Read More...]
Pulitzer Prize Winner Advises Writers
One of America’s top writers gave some tips and advice to San Quentin’s Creative Writing Class recently. The speaker was Junot Díaz, author of Drown and The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, which won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. A writer lives and dies by the quality of his details, Diaz said during his San Quentin appearance on June … [Read More...]
Art Instructor Receives Award From Dalai Lama
Steve Emrick, San Quentin Arts in Corrections program coordinator, received an award from His Holiness the Dalai Lama for his compassionate contributions to society. The award, “Unsung Heroes of Compassion,” is a ceremony in which champions of empathy and kindness from around the world are honored for their work and compassionate actions. Emrick … [Read More...]
I am Who I am
I am Who I am But I’m not who I was. I wonder what one mistake in a life time does? I hear happiness all around my life and me, I see happiness being cut off; Right after my boundaries. I want only, what I cannot have. I am as if “me” but now it is time To take a different path. I pretend to people and myself that I’m ok I feel deep down that I’m … [Read More...]
Sharing My Peace
Peace is our future, peace is our goal Peace is something within our control Peace in our homes, Peace on our streets Peace is the winner we cannot defeat Unite a community, get past the colors Live in tranquility, Love all your brothers A moment of clarity, we seek to uncover Living in harmony, we need one another Peace is forgiveness, Peace is … [Read More...]
Lovely One
Last night a lovely woman, tall, blond, fortyish; almost turned her ankle turning back to take a second look at him. He saw this question in her eyes, “You think I’m really that beautiful?” The loveliness in the vulnerability he saw in that aching look made him want to run to her, wrap her in his arms, kiss her eyes and tell her, “Yes, yes, yes, … [Read More...]
S.Q.’s Prison Hobby Craft Last in the State
California Department of Corrections in the mid 70’s established a hobby craft program for incarcerated inmates. San Quentin’s hobby craft program is one of the last left operating in the state’s penal system. For over 30 years the hobby shop was located on the bottom floor of the “old hospital building.” Once construction began on the new hospital … [Read More...]
Q&A On Learning to Play The Guitar
An Interview With KURT HUGET What influenced you to work with prisoners? Because of my work with Bread & Roses, I had been to San Quentin several times, presenting music workshops. When Steve Emrick told me that the arts program wanted to start a weekly guitar class, it sounded like an interesting challenge to me, so I accepted his offer to … [Read More...]
Cadence
My daughter who I long to see To hear, to hold, and to be with thee I wait in chains to be set free Each second away eternity. Your birth the promise of hope reborn The debts I owe, the vice forsworn From despair to hope my heart is torn Beneath the mask of shame I’ve worn Invest in you my broken pride My heart, once closed, now open wide From dark … [Read More...]
Sweetheart
Sweet and kind, I love you so much Wonderful and warm is your gentle touch Exciting and alive is how I feel Enthroned in my heart your love so real Together with you, I’m waiting to be Holding you close, your beauty to see Ecstasy and bliss build each day Anticipating release my heart pounds away Restored once again to my one true love Together for … [Read More...]
Anyway
People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered; Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; Be kind anyway. If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies; Succeed anyway. If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; Be honest and frank anyway. What you … [Read More...]
THE BOOK CLUB
Gain knowledge and feel pleasure at the same time ... through books! How great is that? That’s the Variety Book Club (VBC). Since 2003, the members—of whom this writer has been one since 2006―monthly review and discuss the current booklist consisting mainly of current New York Times paperback best sellers Following a short roll-out by a title’s … [Read More...]
Acolyte
One day, while wandering in the desert, He found himself―developing his spirit; And things were going well, until his hairshirt Got ripped by a devil’s jealous fit. And then the universe offered this truth: A woman chose this man to participate In her delusion she could use her youth A beauty to prove she’s Venus incarnate. Unraveled totally, … [Read More...]
Fear-Less
It can't be about the outcome; Because I have no control over the outcome I can only be present for this moment…. and this moment… and this moment. It's about me. About how I am able to be with my emotions; my feelings; myself. About how I handle this situation; and if I choose to continue to operate from a place of fear. It can't be about the … [Read More...]
Father
Father I already know how to shoot a gun. Though not my biological, you are still responsible. I watch the way you talk, the way you walk and the reason you don't f_ _k with me somehow I feel it's my fault. Father, I already know how to be slick. I watch how you get at my mother and them other chicks, but I don't know what it is to be a man How to … [Read More...]
NEVER GIVE UP!
I once read about a man who refused to give up. Almost everything he did turned out bad. I mean all bad. This man was defeated at and by just about everything. He failed in business back in 1831. He was defeated for the legislature in 1832, failed in business again in 1833 and was elected to the legislature in 1834. His sweetheart died in 1835. He … [Read More...]
Death Row Reality Check
This is a world of a different kind of life, a change in reality, a world real tight. You enter this world through cast iron gates; you can sense all the pressure and feel all the hate. They’re unloading the bus, the man’s laying down the rules; they’re taking away your rights and giving you your blues. The next gate is opening you feel tense … [Read More...]
The One Percent Rule
Calculating prophets Manipulate equations suborning reasons for greedy imbeciles; Panderers who pimp Phobic philosophies Transmute all meanings to confuse the consumed. Mean inheritors of liberty’s martyrs Crunch on the carcass of America’s poor. … [Read More...]
Reflection
What do you see when looking into a mirror Your reflection; past or present What do I see when looking into the mirror My reflection; past and present I close my eyes and it’s still there I can’t escape, I can’t change it Since it always, always catches up with you Stop, and change direction Open your eyes and see your new reflection … [Read More...]
Reflection
What do you see when looking into a mirror Your reflection; past or present What do I see when looking into the mirror My reflection; past and present I close my eyes and it’s still there I can’t escape, I can’t change it Since it always, always catches up with you Stop, and change direction Open your eyes and see your new reflection … [Read More...]
After a While…..
After a while you learn the subtle difference Between holding a hand and chaining a soul And you learn that love doesn't mean leaning And company doesn't mean security And you begin to learn that kisses aren't contracts And presents aren't promises And you begin to accept your defeats With your head up and your eyes open With the grace of a woman … [Read More...]
I Know
I Know….. I know who I am the black dot centered in the light the silent peace wedged deep between the struggle in the fight I am the star in the sky of night leading to freedom simply by shining bright I am the first atom made flesh I bless you with my greatness and you hate this the fact that I gave the world language history explains this I am … [Read More...]
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