Books and Writing Changed My Life

Terrell's Story of Success

Terrell was arrested and charged as an adult with armed robbery at the age of 16. He joined Free Minds just prior to his transfer to federal prison. He quickly became a loyal and enthusiastic member, writing us stacks of letters, as well as requesting, reading and reviewing more than 25 books during his incarceration. Terrell is now 23 years old and is back home. He has spent nearly the last 7 years of his life behind bars. Free Minds recently sat down with Terrell at a Starbucks in downtown DC to catch up:

Terrell is currently pursuing a degree in Construction Management.

FM: What kind of life were you living before you were locked up?

Terrell: “Well, I’ve always been a thinker, but when I was 16, I was just constantly trying to prove myself. That means that I went with the crowd. Whatever they were doing, I was doing it too. I was trying to prove myself, and that’s what got me in trouble.”

FM: What did you envision for your future at that time?

Terrell: “What did I envision? To be honest, I never had a concept of the future. I was busy planning my legacy. I didn’t expect to survive and so I just wanted to be remembered as someone who was bad. I wanted my tough reputation to be glorified. I wanted kids in the neighborhood to be saying, “Yeah, I knew him!” Now when I look back, I see that it was all just ignorance and stupidity.”

FM: Were you a reader before you got in trouble?

Terrell: “I never read much, but it wasn’t because I wasn’t smart. I’ve always been intelligent. The teachers at my school labeled me as “special ed” because my behavior wasn’t good. When my father died I stopped caring about school at all. I was embarrassed to be in special education classes, so I just made sure everyone knew I didn’t care and wasn’t even trying. Once I became incarcerated, I just had to gear up my mind to focus on self-defense, and that was all I cared about. I had to adapt.”

FM: When and why did you first begin to read?

Terrell: “It was because of you! It was because of Free Minds. I remember meeting you in the hallway and you gave me a book. I just started reading. I remember two books in particular that really affected me. Makes Me Wanna Holler by Nathan McCall, and A Question of Freedom, by R. Dwayne Betts. They were both written by intelligent young men who had committed crimes, been locked up and yet still, they made it out. Those books meant a lot to me. And as I began to read, I began to be determined to improve my vocabulary. I got a dictionary that I kept with me whenever I read and when I’d come to a word I didn’t know, I’d stop reading and look it up. I looked up every single word that I didn’t know. I think if you were to go back and read my letters from after we first met until just before my release, you would see a huge leap in my maturity and my intellectual growth.”

FM: Why do you read?

Terrell: “Well, at first I read for entertainment. I was reading all of these so-called “Urban Literature” books about the streets. But then I began to see the effects that these stories would have on the people who were reading them for entertainment. “Urban lit” has the same as the effect on people as violent or sexist music videos, negative stories on the nightly news and violent movies. It has such a huge psychological impact on young people who see it and hear it. They eventually believe that is reality. I realized this and decided that I only wanted to read for my education. I started asking you all for books that could help me. I even decided to change the way I talked. I used less slang and people noticed. At first they thought I was fake, but then they realized I was serious and they saw me carrying myself differently. They began to look up to me, and that felt good!”

FM: You have been home now for six months. How hard has it been for you to adjust?

Terrell: “I tell everyone this. You have to start preparing yourself for the community when you’re still inside. I got very clear on what I wanted for myself before I actually came out. I knew what would happen if I made a wrong turn. If I go with “that” crowd, I’m going to be walking “that” walk. It’s like the game of chess (which I learned and became good at while in prison). You have to think before you make a move. If I take that rook now, what’s going to happen several moves from now? Is it going to be worth it? So I had to think if I go with these people, is it really worth the possible consequences? Is it worth getting put in a position of either hurting someone or getting hurt myself?

The most important change I have made is that I’ve stopped trying to prove myself to others. Now I just want to prove something to myself!”

Terrell is currently working full-time with a local construction company as a carpenter. When he began an apprenticeship with the union and took the entrance test, he scored so high that the supervisor decided to employ him immediately. He has already been promoted and is now applying to work as a Project Manager. Terrell is also a full-time student at Westwood College, pursuing his Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management.

On November 6th, Terrell voted for the first time in the presidential election.

Terrell: “It felt so good to be able to use my voice—it was powerful knowing how hard people like Martin Luther King and Malcolm X fought just for me to have this right, and I will never take that for granted!”

 

Poetry as a Tool for
Violence Prevention & Healing:

Free Minds’s New Community Project “On the Same Page”

Free Minds Reentry Member Lamarzs reading from the literary journal at an “On the Same Page” event.

Free Minds has launched a new community initiative which uses our literary journal They Call Me 299-359 as a tool for education, reflection, and healing. “On the Same Page: Free Minds Poetry in the Community and the Classroom” is led by Free Minds senior members now home after serving their sentences, and uses a format of shared reading and discussion to prevent youth violence and incarceration.

As its name indicates, "On the Same Page" is designed as a way to find common ground with diverse audiences to learn more about youth and build relationships. By connecting through non-traditional mediums such as poetry, participants are able to have a real discussion about the root causes of youth violence and, ultimately, to brainstorm solutions. As one participant commented after the workshop, "I look at the news totally differently now. I feel like I have a different perspective."

Free Minds members and staff sharing poems from the literary journal with students at MaiAngel GED program

A hallmark of the "On the Same Page" program has been the breadth of audiences targeted. From international congressional staffers to GED students, reading from the literary journal has brought new information and self-examination, as participants are asked to look both at their own lives and at larger public policy.

A second powerful component is that each session is designed and facilitated by Free Minds members themselves. The ability to share from their past experiences and use them to teach others has been life-changing. One Free Minds member, Dashon, said of “On the Same Page,” “It allows me to help youth avoid the same path that I was on when I was their age and give them a head start. Show them doing positive is always more fruitful.” As David Tulman, English teacher at Booker T. Washington Public Charter School, enthused, "Free Minds members are growing into true and positive leaders. It's so cool for my students to be able to see that."

Free Minds members reading poetry with Lantos Congressional International Human Rights Fellows at an On the Same Page event.

Through "On the Same Page," Free Minds has also been able to strengthen community engagement and partner with remarkable organizations. In collaboration with PEN/Faulkner Writers in Schools, Free Minds members are now given the remarkable opportunity to visit DC High Schools as guest authors. On a recent trip to Bell Multicultural High School, we met with the school book club coordinated by the school librarian. Students were able to analyze the poems, share life experiences, and relate to the Free Minds poets. Their favorite poem was “They Call Me 299-359,” and by meeting the faces behind the numbers many students came away with inspiration for change on a personal and societal level.

If you know of a school, program, or other organization that would be interested in hosting an "On the Same Page" event, please contact Free Minds at mail@freemindsbookclub.org.

 

 

Volunteer Write Night Continues to Thrive

In 2011, Free Minds began a series of Volunteer Write Nights in which members of the Washington community come together for an evening of poetry, food, and friends. In the months since the first Write Night, the event has grown exponentially, reaching new people across the metro area.

Poems by incarcerated Free Minds members, decorated with comments from a Volunteer Write Night.

Write Night is held on the fourth Tuesday of every month, and it is open to any interested parties. At the event, Free Minds staff, members, and volunteers meet, mingle, read poetry, and write feedback for the poets. All of the poetry at Write Night is from Free Minds members who are currently incarcerated in DC or in federal prisons scattered across the country. Because many of them are far from home, they have little contact with their friends and families in DC. For them, receiving feedback in the mail is a huge boon and a powerful demonstration that they have a supportive community waiting for them when they return home.

One young poet, Derrick, wrote to Free Minds to express his gratitude after he read the comments volunteers wrote on one of his poems. “I would like to thank all the people that showed love to my poems. I didn't know that they were that appreciated. Thanks for the motivation I'll keep 'em coming just for y'all no question!”

Volunteers at Write Night reading poems and writing feedback to Free Minds poets.

Volunteers are encouraged to get creative with their responses. Some of the more artistic people decorate the poems with brightly-colored drawings, while others even write poems in response!

At a recent Write Night, one volunteer was inspired by a young man’s essay on falling in love. She wrote, “This is the stuff of life—contemplating love, experiencing it & contemplating it once more. This is a beautiful piece of writing! I hope you will always hold onto it & read it again as you go through! Bravo!” Another volunteer called his time at Write Night “one of the most fulfilling experiences of my adult life.”

New faces are always welcome! If you are interested in participating in volunteer Write Night, please email us at mail@freemindsbookclub.org.

Anyone can get involved. Even if you are unable to attend any of our Write Night events, there are other ways to help:

• Comment on our blog. Our members’ writing is posted weekly on our blog and your positive comments make a difference. Your feedback is printed out and mailed directly to the authors.
• Donate to support a book club member. In order to run our book clubs we must provide the members with books and, for our Books Across the Miles! members, mail them books, the Connect, and your feedback. If you’d like to contribute to help Free Minds provide our members with the joy of books, please click here.
• Organize a book drive, or order from our Amazon.com wishlist. Contact us at mail@freemindsbookclub.org if you would like more information.

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