Free Minds Branches Out!

April 28, 2013

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…

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Guest Authors Visit the Book Club

February 1, 2013

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…

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Volunteer Write Night Continues to Thrive

January 20, 2013

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,…

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Poetry as a Tool for Violence Prevention & Healing: Free Minds’ New Community Project “On the Same Page”

May 14, 2012

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…

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Free Minds Poems Win Prestigious Awards

April 14, 2012

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…

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Literary Journal Released!

November 20, 2011

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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Free Minds Inspires with Screening of the Interrupters

November 10, 2011

Free Minds was honored to partner with the Benevolent Media Festival and American University’s Center for Social Media to host a screening of the powerful…

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Free Minds Hosts First “Write Night”

October 10, 2011

Article contributed by Free Minds Volunteer Jaclyn Zubrzycki As part of a new effort begun this summer, Free Minds is now hosting volunteer Write Nights,…

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Free Minds Launches Virtual Book Club

September 16, 2011

We are excited to announce Books Across the Miles (BAM!), a new initiative funded with a generous grant from the National Society Daughters of the…

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Unlikely Brothers Author Michael Mattocks calls Book Club “One of my most powerful experiences”

August 16, 2011

Unlikely Brothers tells the story of two very different men, their lives, and the revelations brought by a twenty-five year friendship. Mattocks’ story is one that…

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Runaway Bestsellers

July 16, 2011

Free Minds’ Love of Books Extends Even to the Finish Line

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Author George Pelecanos Visits Book Club

May 16, 2011

On a recent Thursday afternoon, the Free Minds Book Club was thrilled to host a visit from best-selling crime writer, George Pelecanos. The young book…

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Free Minds Poets Present at Conference: “Understanding and Responding to Violence”

November 16, 2010

On November 9, 2010, nearly 400 District court judges, prosecutors, court personnel, and community leaders gathered at the Washington Convention Center to examine issues of…

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Former Sudanese Child Soldier visits Free Minds

October 16, 2010

Read about it at The Washington Post! On October 4th, international hip-hop star Emmanuel Jal visited Free Minds members in the DC Jail as our…

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Best-selling Author Jonathan Franzen Visits Book Club at DC Jail

October 16, 2010

Award-winning author Jonathan Franzen visited the DC Jail last month for a special Book Club session with the Free Minds members as part of the PEN/Faulkner Foundation’s…

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Etan Thomas Leads Series of Writing Workshops

June 16, 2009

“They brought a tall man to my cell!” one Free Minds member told his mother on the phone, so excited he momentarily forgot the name…

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The Community Hears Free Minds Poets! Hear Us Out! 2009

May 16, 2009

Nearly 500 people came to downtown Washington, DC to hear the words of incarcerated youth at the 6th Annual Free Minds Poetry Reading. The 6th…

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Free Minds Raises New Friends

April 16, 2009

Supporters old and new gathered at the elegant Marvin Bar and Bistro in Northwest DC on March 25th, to learn more about the work of…

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Local Author Visits Free Minds Book Club

March 16, 2009

On Friday, February 27, 2009, guest author DaWayne Williams came to speak to the incarcerated youth of the Free Minds Book Club. The author of…

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