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 take the stress away and to not think about where I was at.” More than 20 inmates read the stories they had written with the encouragement of instructor Zoe Mullery. “Writing—that’s what saved me in … [Read more...] about The restorative power of creative writing: Incarcerated people find healing through the written word
Zoe Mullery’s creative writing class
Only By Flashlight by Ed “Foots” Lipman
The famed incarcerated poet, Ed “Foots” Lipman was born New Year’s Day 1941. After he spent nearly half his of 34 years behind bars, he died of natural causes on Sept. 8, 1975. “I have never been so affected by poetry…I looked up his name on the internet, found little to nothing, and felt overwhelmingly compelled to change that,” said researcher. S.J. Lawrie. By publishing Only By Flashlight, Lawrie brought to life Lipman’s collection of 55 raw and blunt poems. I had the opportunity to experience Lipman’s work while attending Zoe … [Read more...] about Only By Flashlight by Ed “Foots” Lipman
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 JulianGlenn “Luke” Padgett serving ably as master of ceremonies, featured short readings of fiction or memoir (or some combination of the two) from 19 gifted writers. Intelligent, insightful and … [Read more...] about Guests Hear 19 Gifted Writers At Ninth Annual ‘Brothers in Pen’ Eventl