“Rise Like a Phoenix”- Free Minds Mentor Brian McEwen speaks to Reentry Support Members
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FM interns Darius and Everett. To find out more about Brian, go to the Free Minds Supporters Page. |
Brian McEwen, a longtime friend of Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop, came to the office as a guest speaker in order to advise Free Minds members in the Reentry Support phase. McEwen works with Free Minds Outreach Specialist Mark Timberlake to mentor youth in the D.C. community and to bring together people from disparate neighborhoods and backgrounds.
Free Minds Members Learn New Techniques to Deal with Stress
On July 10, Free Minds attended a new kind of book event: “The Heart of Peace: An Evening of Chant and Meditation with Krishna Das and Sharon Salzberg”, at Sixth and I Historic Synagogue. In association with Ms. Salzberg’s Real Happiness book tour, this event was organized in honor of the Dalai Lama’s Kalachakra Empowerment in Washington DC that same week.
Free Minds uses a basic meditation technique as a way of centering at the start of Book Club at DC Jail, and thought that these techniques might be useful for members working to adjust to lives home in the community. After the event, Free Minds member Eric affirmed that “I learned a lot about meditation and chanting,” and was so impressed he recommended that chanting be offered as a routine part of Book Club. He also said he hoped to continue to practice it in his own life. “It's going to be good for me. The chanting made me feel really relaxed.”
Politics & Prose generously donated 10% of the book sales that evening to Free Minds, and Eric enjoyed representing Free Minds at the book table. “All the people I talked to about our organization were so nice," he said.
Free Minds Members Trade Places with their Community Supervision (Parole/Probation) Officers
Free Minds’ latest Reentry Workshop was “Successful Probation”- an innovative event attended by our members and their Community Supervision (Probation) Officers! This was a new endeavor for Free Minds, and some members were skeptical of what they might gain by attending. By the close of the evening, however, everyone was energized by the results. “I was looking forward to this big time. When I got the email, I was like, ‘I’m there,’” said Phouthaluk Ounnaraj, a Community Supervision Officer (CSO) based in NW. “My number one thing is education, and Free Minds always backs that up 100%.”
Free Minds members and CSO’s ate dinner together, and then began a series of perspective broadening exercises.
Will, our Reentry Coach, led a role-play in which the Free Minds members acted the part of CSOs and the CSOs, that of clients recently returned home and struggling to find employment. All agreed it was an eye-opening experience. As Will reflected, “I know some of the guys were surprised by how much the CSOs want them to succeed.”
We concluded by writing poetry together, and sharing the work aloud, strengthening the collaborative partnership between each Free Minds member and his CSO.
I Used to Work at the Jail
by a Community Supervision Officer
When you say I want to see you locked up,
what I want to say is that I used to work there
and I would never want to see you go back there.
When you say I want to see you locked up,
what I want to say is that your family deserves for you to be in the community,
but I can’t make those decisions for you.
When you say I want to see you locked up,
what I want to say is that your past does not have to dictate your future,
but you have to learn the lesson for yourself.
When you say I want to see you locked up,
what I want to say is that I used to work at the jail
and that experience is why I’m your Community Supervision Officer today,
to see the change beyond the jail.
Success
By Steve, a CSO client
Why is success so hard to attain
And changing old habits are hard to refrain
Who do I ask when my reasons don’t work
And I’m getting no help ‘cause my resources are jerks
Well how ‘bout I stop and process some thought
If I’m diligent in exiting I’ll be out of this box
No PO, no judge, no jury, no police
When I really want to help I look no further than me
So now that I know, then I can’t contest
Believe in myself and I will achieve success
Young Poets' Voices Heard at Columbia Heights Community Criminal Justice Forum
Alongside Police Chief Lanier, Principal Assistant US Attorney Cohen, Council Members Graham and Mendelson, and other law enforcement officials and community members. Free Minds members read their work at a neighborhood summit on criminal justice, held at the church of St. Stephen and the Incarnation. Being invited to share their direct experiences in the adult Criminal Justice System was a rare and valuable opportunity. Free Minds is proud to be a voice at the table in these vital discussions.
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Reentry Support member Chris performs poetry for law enforcement officials and community members |
Free Minds members Joshua, Chris, and Wilbert performed poems of their own, as well as pieces penned by Free Minds members still incarcerated. All of the work shared themes of recognition, remorse, and redemption, common threads among the writing of Free Minds members, and offered a renewed vision of a community where all can be safe and valued.
After the event, many participants congratulated the Free Minds poets, not only on the power of their writing, but on their strength of character. As event organizer Cecilia Jones, president of the Northwest Columbia Heights Community Association (NWCHCA), wrote, “I'd like to thank and congratulate the young poets from Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop for their special contribution--what great courage!”
Free Minds Speaks About Recidivism at DC's Wooly Mammoth's Theatre
Many have heard of Oedipus Rex, the ill-fated hero of Greek mythology, but few have heard of Oedipus el Rey. In its latest production, the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company’s performance of Luis Alfaro’s “Oedipus el Rey” retells the ancient story with a modern twist, following the plight of its title character’s release from prison into the gang-ridden world of the LA barrios. In a post-performance discussion on recidivism, gang involvement, and the modern definition of fate, Free Minds member Wilbert Avila shared center stage.
Wilbert, along with Ms. Penelope Spain of Mentoring Today and Ms. Deborah Shore of Sasha Bruce Youthwork, shared his perspectives on the modern portrayal of Oedipus – a young man who spent most of his life in prison, now trying to make it big in his world – and how it relates to what he sees in his work and in his world everyday.
“Oedipus is like so many of the guys I see on my block,” Wilbert explained. Oedipus,
who has permanent injuries to his feet, cannot run or move quickly. “The young men in
my neighborhood are stuck on that block,” Wilbert continued, “as if their feet were cut
too.”
As the conversation opened up to the audience members, the topic of Oedipus’ “cursed”
fate continued. “Having a history of incarceration in my family, I felt cursed to be a statistic,” one audience member shared, “I had to actively avoid confrontation and make sure I was on
the right path.” Other participants, including the panelists, echoed this sentiment: that
becoming incarcerated at a young age can set off a chain of events, negatively effecting
one’s life and future opportunities for years to come.
As Oedipus el Rey joined a gang upon his reentry, Wilbert addressed the role that a gang
can play in the “fate” of a young person’s life. “With all of the hate and destruction I’ve
seen, I can understand why Oedipus wanted to blind himself,” he reflected. “Now that
I’ve found Free Minds and gotten on the right track, I have to always work to stay on the
right track.”
Closing his statements on the panel, Wilbert recited an original poem that echoed the final anguished scene of the play:
Mis Ojos
Mis ojos have suffered!
Each have seen the death of a brother
They saw anguish in his last breath
Mis ojos shed a tear, they didn't pass the test.
Mis ojos have seen rejection!
Family turning their shoulders no exception
Society considered me a lost cause
My reaction to rejection, find a new family, new love, was that my fault.
Mis ojos have seen hate.
A young soul lost in hell's gates
Hate is looking in the mirror
No mercy for me, no mercy for them, my hearts love and affection cut
to pieces by God's scissors
Mis ojos have seen a new therapeutic god
But he deceived me, his name was alcohol
He eased my mind but only for an instant
Under his influence I couldn't make the right decision
Mis ojos tells you a story
Deep down inside I want to say I'm sorry
But not to show fear, not even to blink
My emotions I bear hug and let them sink
Mis ojos have smears of yellow
Insomnia and suicide all because of sorrow
In chains one behind the other
Walking with silence death we follow
Mis ojos want to go blind
They don't want to see me waisting time
I don't want to see pity
I don't want to see the false preacher preach
Mis ojos I shut
I see my dreams dissolve like dust
I see my future if I didn't get a second chance
Co-Founders Kelli Taylor and Tara Libert sat down with Woolly Radio, of DC's Woolly Mammoth Theater, to talk about recidivism, the trials facing the formerly incarcerated, and how all this relates to their latest play, Oedipus El Rey. Listen to the interview.
Free Minds Performs at US Department of Education Conference on Reducing Dropout Rates
On March 17th, a team of Free Minds Poets was thrilled to give a reading of original works at the High School Graduation Initiative Conference, held by the US Department of Education.
After an introduction from Executive Director Tara Libert, four of our most skilled writers read the poems “Free is a Word,” “My Fault,” “If There Were More,” “College,” “A Snapshot of Me,” and “Moving Ahead With Excellence” (all available on the Poetry Blog). Though all four had been writing poems for years, for all but one it was the first time reading in front of an audience.
On display that day were not only the talents of our members, but their affection and respect for each others, displaying the positive peer support our program aims to develop, as well as their optimism about their futures. After the event conference participants crowded around the young poets, offering encouragement, sharing thanks, even asking them to sign their conference brochures like true celebrities!
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Free Minds Board Member Veronica Riquelme (far left) with Free Minds members and staff at US Department of Education conference |
However, it wasn’t just the poetry and camaraderie that impressed the audience, but what that poetry and support can produce. Aaron Pinter-Petrillo, a Management and Program Analyst for the US Department of Education, described his impression: “hearing this poetry, these voices, is not only the motivation that education department programs need, but the results we ultimately want.”
Free Minds Members Connect With Cesar Chavez Charter School Students
Free Minds Members Warren and Maurice, accompanied by returned citizen and advocate Eddie Ellis, spoke to an audience of students at Cesar Chavez Public Policy High School who are studying the effects of laws that charge youth as adults in the criminal justice system.
To begin, students and Free Minds members played “legal vocabulary bingo,” a favorite game of ours and a useful activity for those new to studying these laws.
Then, sitting in a circle, the Chavez students listened raptly as the Free Minds team talked about their experiences being incarcerated in the adult jail at age 16, and read poems of Free Minds members currently incarcerated. The students responded with many questions, wanting to know everything from “How did it feel?” to “What is your life like now?”
Writing after the presentation, Maurice shared how new it was to discuss stories from that part of his past: “This afternoon was a growing point of my life,” he said. Having overcome the initial fear, Maurice decided that the event “broadened my horizons,” a sentiment decidedly shared by the students in the class. “I wouldn’t have a problem doing it again,” he concluded.
In the days following the discussion, Chavez students went to the Free Minds poetry blog and left their feedback and comments on recent poems by book club members. Their comments ranged from the laudatory: “BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL POEM I would put this on my Facebook,” to the personal: “This really hits home. I personally know what it’s like to feel the regret of breaking the trust of the one you love most,” to the grateful: “I want to thank you for writing a poem to inspire the readers to chase dreams and never let go of them,” all of them illustrating what a connection the writing had inspired for the Chavez students.
Free Minds Joins PEN/Faulkner for Association of Writers & Writing Programs
Sharing the stage with prolific novelist Richard Ford, as well as Local High School Teachers and honor students, Executive Director Tara Libert electrified the AWP audience of writers and teachers with her story of Free Minds Book Club and their partnership with PEN/Faulkner Foundation’s Writers in Schools Program.
“When (co-founder) Kelli Taylor first met Glen McGinnis all those years ago, we didn’t know what this was going to become,” she said, “but we realized that we didn’t want to just report the news anymore. We wanted to work directly with the youth to stop so many from entering the criminal justice system.”
The Association of Writers & Writing Programs is a national literary organization dedicated to fostering respect and devotion to the written word, as well as keeping literacy an essential part of a good education.
“We strongly believe… that by giving these kids books and putting a notebook in their hands, we’re empowering them to change their future, and that’s why we do what we do, and why we believe so strongly in what PEN/Faulkner does.”
PEN/Faulkner is an organization dedicated to connecting young readers in low-income communities to the writers that educate and inspire them. The organization is named for American writer William Faulkner and his donation of his 1949 Nobel Prize money to create an award for young writers. Their partnership with Free Minds has been instrumental in bringing in novelists like George Pelecanos and Jonathan Franzen as special guests for our book club in the DC Jail.
Delonte: I Control My Life
Delonte was just 16 years old in 2004 when he was arrested and charged as an adult for robbery. Before his incarceration, Delonte had stopped attending high school on a regular basis. He was raised by his grandmother since his mother and father were not a part of his life. He liked reading and writing, but his classes just didn’t hold his interest. While he was locked up, he was introduced to Free Minds and relished the opportunity to occupy his time with books and creative writing. “Free Minds were friends when I needed them. They sent me books that I liked to read, and taught me how to express myself through poetry.”
To read more success stories click here.
Free Minds Wins National Book Foundation Innovations in Reading Prize!
May 5, 2010- The National Book Foundation awards its Innovations in Reading Prizes to organizations that are demonstrating passion, creativity, dedication, and leadership in the service of creating and sustaining a lifelong love of reading within their local community or beyond. We are excited by this opportunity to have the enthusiasm and talent of our book club members recognized."
To read more, go to: http://www.nationalbook.org/innovations_in_reading.html
Tara Libert, Co-Founder of Free Minds, Assumes Executive Director Position; Kelli Taylor Steps Down