“Each time I visit, I leave thoroughly impressed by these young men. The Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop has opened up the minds and hearts of a lot of these guys. Here, writing is used as a tool for them to express and heal themselves and that is extremely beneficial to their future.”
—-Etan Thomas, Washington Wizards player and author of More Than An Athlete
What We Do
Free Minds uses books and creative writing to empower young inmates to transform their lives. By mentoring and connecting them to supportive services throughout their entire incarceration into reentry, Free Minds inspires these youths to see their potential and achieve new educational and career goals.
Free Minds serves 16 and 17 year old males who have been charged and incarcerated as adults at the DC Jail. Over the past 8 years, Free Minds has served more than 350 youths through the Book Club, Continuing Support, and Reentry Support phases of our program.
Our Programs
Book Club & Writing Workshop
Free Minds recognizes that books and creative writing have the incredible power to teach, build community, inspire individuals and change lives. The Book Club & Writing Workshop meets every week at the DC Jail where approximately 14 juvenile inmates come together to discuss a work of contemporary literature —an exciting experience for youths who have often had little meaningful exposure to books. The Book Club operates democratically with books chosen by majority vote. Members have chosen books like Down These Mean Streets, Piri Thomas’ raw account of growing up in Harlem, which allow them to feel a personal connection with a book and its author, often for the first time. Click here for a full list of books our members have read.
Throughout the year Free Minds members host visits by published authors, to help strengthen the bonds they are developing with literature. Past visitors have included Kenji Jasper (Dark, Dakota Grand, Seeking Salamanca Mitchell,The House on Childress Street and Snow), James McBride (The Color Of Water and Miracle at St. Anna), Etan Thomas (More Than An Athlete) Dave Slater (contributing writer to DC Noir) and Ellen McCarthy (staff writer for The Washington Post).
Each week, members also express themselves through a creative writing exercise allowing them to reflect upon the choices they have made, the consequences of their actions, and their dreams for the future. By reading their work aloud, members develop and practice the virtues of leadership, honesty, trust, and tolerance—a rare opportunity in an often-harsh environment.
Free Minds also meets individually with each new Book Club member to assist him in setting educational and vocational goals and developing an action plan to achieve them.
Each Book Club member receives a new dictionary and journal to encourage daily reading and writing. Each young man is also given the opportunity to be paired with a volunteer writing coach from the community. Free Minds staff and the larger community provide feedback for the young poets through our writing blog. Visit the Free Minds poetry blog.
Continuing Support
The love for reading and writing that develops among so many members must continue to be cultivated. Each month, through the Continuing Support Program, Free Minds sends one new book, discussion questions, creative writing and book review assignments to members who have turned 18 and been transferred to federal prison. Through regular written correspondence, Free Minds strengthens relationships first built at the DC Jail and continues to monitor and assist members’ progress toward achieving their goals. Those members who request it are also matched with volunteer pen pals from the local DC community who correspond regularly with them to support and encourage their personal growth.
Annual Poetry Reading
Every year, Free Minds brings these talented young men to the big stage so that the D.C. community and family members can recognize the hard work and creativity of Free Minds members. Released members in our Reentry Support phase read their own poems as well as the writings of Free Minds members who are still incarcerated. They gain incredible self-confidence and pride from this event. Everyone is welcome to attend and support the youth.
Poetry Book
We publish a collection of poems every year which we distribute to anyone who is interested. Donations are encouraged.
Reentry Support
While some Free Minds members receive lengthy sentences and are eventually transferred to federal prison, many others are released within the same year they are arrested. Juveniles who are charged as adults serve an average of four years before they are released into the community. Building upon progress made in the Book Club and Continuing Support Programs, Free Minds connects its recently released members to the resources and programs in the community that will help them achieve their educational and career goals. Free Minds has developed a wide network of reentry resources to better serve our members, including: public charter schools; GED programs; community colleges; SAT and college preparation programs; and adult basic education, vocational and job training programs. In 2009, Free Minds also started providing one-week paid internships in our office for recently-released members to receive invaluable job readiness and life skills.
