There were songs and poems, laughter and somber reflections as a dozen San Quentin prisoners took the stage during the Prison University Project’s annual open mic event.
Several PUP teachers and about 75 prisoners sat in the prison’s Catholic Chapel to listen to the dozen or so prisoners who took the microphone. The stories ranged from how crime affects communities to bombarding college program sponsors Jody Lewen and Kara Urion with jokes.
Several prisoners who took the mic asked for a moment of silence in respect to the families in Newtown, Conn.
The first speaker, known as “Maestro,” recited parts of the periodic table. He finished his time by giving the audience a hip-hop version of Elton John’s Rocket Man.
San Quentin thespian John Nesbitt recited parts of Hart Crane’s Voyages, a sonnet about a love affair.
Tommy Winfrey read a self-reflection piece, The Scarlet Letter I Wear. “I searched the world for opportunities to be a better me,” he read. I wrote the piece to explain how incarceration affected my life, Winfrey said “I must learn from my poor choices. Decisions made in haste have propelled me into the spotlight of observation.”
Antwan Williams performed in his second open mic. Williams said Jody and Kara gave him the confidence so he could succeed in education. He added that if he had just a little guidance on the streets, he wouldn’t have ended up in prison. “I wrote the piece I read while trying to figure myself out,” referring to how going to college while imprisoned taught him responsibility and commitment.
Wayne Villafranco used congas to tell an ancient story about how young men mature into responsible adults. The primal sounds and words kept the audience engaged in the story. “The story had much meaning. I could pick out that he was telling about the circle of life. It was good,” said one prisoner.
Kevin Sawyer played a guitar rock tune he wrote called Hazel’s Theme.
A line in Rafael Calix’s poem, From Ghetto ‘hood to State ‘hood, read, “My observation tells me the past is still passing.” Calix said the line refers to the negative influences he encountered in his neighborhood. “Those negative influences are things like single-parent households, poverty, drugs, and the misrepresentation by the mainstream media.”
Trumpeter Larry “Popeye” Faison played Mercy, Mercy by Cannonball Addely. Faision said, “The tune had an added value to the time it was written to today’s plight in the prison system. We need a little mercy.”
Mike Tyler read one of his popular spoken word pieces, called Where I’m From, in which he talks about the hokey collectiveness of the small town of Los Banos.
Chris Schuhmacher personalized from a song by Third Eye Blind, Motorcycle Drive-by.
He said, “Winter time and the wind is blowing outside – this is San Quentin and I don’t know what we’re doing in this prison – the sun is always in my eyes…I’ve never been so alone – I’ve never been so alive.”
www.prisonuniversityproject.org
