Author Kenji Jasper with a young Free Minds member.
"[Free Minds] taught me a lot about concentration, staying focused, and thinking positive. Before I joined Free Minds my mind wasn't free, I always thought I was made for the streets and nothing else, until they got me to write my first poems, read books, and things of that nature. They helped me open my eyes to bigger dreams and long term goals, they also helped me get into programs that prepare me for the working world and the future. Thank you Free Minds for everything."
— DeAnte, Age 21
Newsroom
Hear Us Out: Read local press coverage of the event from the Informer
Reader
Spotlight: Ted and Gerald 'J-Man' Best, of Free Minds Book Club &
Writing Workshop
Washington Post Book World, May 5, 2009
Free
Minds Uses Books and Writing to Show Incarcerated Youth A Better Way
Examiner.com, Mar 25, 2009
In Prison at the 'End of the Earth' - D.C. Youths are Jailed Across the U.S., Making Family Connections Difficult
The Washington Post, December 27,2008
Reading
Gives Inmates Hope for the Future
ABC 7 News, Friday Jan 25, 2008
There are about 26 teenagers being held in the D.C. Jail Friday night,
charged with adult crimes. Most of society might have given up on their
chances of finishing school or getting a good job, but one organization,
the Free Minds Book Club, is helping those juvenile inmates turn the page
on their lives.
Words
of Hope: Book Club Offers Jailed Youth a Second Chance
Street Sense, July 1, 2007 - July 15, 2007
His
Body Imprisoned, His Mind Set Free
The Washington Post, Sunday Jun 10, 2007
Prisoners
Find Release through Free Minds Book Club and Writing Workshop
East of the River, Dec 2007
An
Outlet for Anger, and Fear
The Washington Post, Aug 7, 2004
Free Minds held its first annual poetry reading back in July 2004 at Washington, DC’s Love Café, where a standing-room only crowd applauded the work of Free Minds’ young poets, performed by youth volunteers from City at Peace. Read and hear more about the event in the Washington Post article, August 7, 2004.
If you would like to join Free Minds’ media list to receive press releases and news advisories, please email your contact information to: mail@freemindsbookclub.org.