Free Minds on the Front Page!
Check out the article from the front page of The Washington Post “How a book club is helping to keep ex-offenders from going back to jail” by…
Read More → about this topicFree Minds and Free Hearts at the Department of Education
By Jess Lawson, Free Minds Intern “It means that somebody cares, even if they don’t know you,” said Gary, a Free Minds member and Poet…
Read More → about this topicAuthor Shaka Senghor Talks Writing, Transformation
“It’s hard to look at y’all in those orange jumpsuits,” the imposing muscle-bound man told young members of Free Minds as they filed into the…
Read More → about this topicAuthor George Pelecanos Visits the Free Minds Book Club
Even famous authors have to deal with rejection. That’s what veteran DC crime novelist, George Pelecanos told Free Minds Book Club members who gathered in…
Read More → about this topicThe Power of Public Speaking
By Sherman Justice “Free Minds has taught me that being the griot of your own personal story is one of the greatest attributes that you…
Read More → about this topicMy Introduction to Free Minds
By JoAnne Allen A book is a small thing to share with somebody. Yet a book can lead to big changes in the life of…
Read More → about this topicPoet Ambassadors Bringing Confidence, Inspiration
By Free Minds Intern Maddie Mitchell As an intern who has heard extensive positive feedback about Free Minds’ various initiatives but has never actually seen…
Read More → about this topicFree Minds Poets in Tacenda Literary Magazine
On Thursday, March 27th, several Free Minds members were recognized at the annual BleakHouse Publishing Awards Ceremony. BleakHouse Publishing is an independent, non-profit press dedicated…
Read More → about this topicLooking Through a Window from Prison
Free Minds had the privilege of participating in a collaborative photography project called Windows from Prison, directed by photographer Mark Strandquist. In April, several of…
Read More → about this topic“A Wonderfully Moving Experience”
In April, the Free Minds Outreach Team took the On the Same Page program to the University of DC David A. Clarke School of Law.
Read More → about this topicCelebrating our Free Minds Apprentices
Two Free Minds Reentry Support members (former Book Club members who are now home from prison), Anthony and Delonte, have just completed the Free Minds…
Read More → about this topic“Show Me a Better Way”
On March 31, Free Minds and the PEN/Faulkner Foundation hosted the second annual poetry reading and community dialogue at the Hill Center at the Old…
Read More → about this topicHill Harper Visits Book Club
In November, author, activist, and actor (CSI and Covert Affairs) Hill Harper visited the juvenile unit at the DC Jail to talk with Book Club…
Read More → about this topic“On the Same Page Reaches Many Audiences”
Free Minds’ “On the Same Page” outreach program visited both Cesar Chavez Public Policy High School and Center City Public Charter School in Spring 2013.…
Read More → about this topicFree Minds Branches Out!
In April, Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop assumed programming duties for The Beat Within writing workshop at New Beginnings Youth Development Center, DC’s…
Read More → about this topicGuest Authors Visit the Book Club
In 2012, Free Minds was honored to host several guest authors at the DC Jail! Many of the 16- and 17-year-old members of the Book…
Read More → about this topicVolunteer 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,…
Read More → about this topicPoetry as a Tool for Violence Prevention & Healing: Free Minds’ New Community Project “On the Same Page”
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…
Read More → about this topicFree Minds Poems Win Prestigious Awards
In a Free Minds first, we are proud to announce that five Book Club members have been named winners of The Alliance for Young Artists…
Read More → about this topicLiterary Journal Released!
Free Minds is thrilled to announce the release of “They Call Me 299-359: Writings by the Incarcerated Youth of Free Minds Book Club &Writing Workshop,”…
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