An Essay in Acrostic: P.O.L.I.C.E.
“They tell us we have the right to take up / space. But they come in armor and shields / that say otherwise.”
19 posts in ‘poetry’
“They tell us we have the right to take up / space. But they come in armor and shields / that say otherwise.”
I had one / wish it will be I wish I can / get out of this cuz this is / a suffering pain time I’m doing
“Shower Call Down Below” & “29 L-Building”
I’m eligible to smoke til I fall clapping my / Hands and feet all the same time / Laffing at all this shit.
Work from poets incarcerated in Parchman’s Unit 29
“Crying Johnny,” “Officer Judy Gives Instructions to the Lock Down Inmates,” & “Holiday Special Meal”
Poetry has the power to help us grow past the stale and rote ways of thinking about safety that tend to characterize policy discussions.
“I applaud, your / Frankenstein’s monster, forevermore.”
“What does it mean to be an / incarcerated poet?”
I spit bars on Death Row to preserve the legacy of our people, what’s been done to us, and how we’ve fought back.
“The cotton field / is replaced by walls of steel . . . ”
Poetry can help incarcerated authors to reclaim the story of their life.
“Paralyzed in shock / by slave raid tactics, / my trembling hands on the wall . . .”
From Celes Tisdale's creative writing workshop with Attica Uprising survivors.
Based on 'Goodnight Moon', the 1947 bedtime classic by Margaret Wise Brown.
Librarians have a responsibility to everyone in their communities — including those who are incarcerated.
Writing about prison from prison is a form of freedom-fighting. It is not without risks — and many rewards.
On the 50th anniversary of a flashpoint of the American penal system, the cries of Attica still resonate today.
Work from four poets who were incarcerated as children.