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poetry

19 posts in ‘poetry’

poetry

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.”

Tony Koji Wallin-Sato

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poetry

Hard Time in Prison

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

Carvis Johnson

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poetry

Two poems

“Shower Call Down Below” & “29 L-Building”

Victor Wilder

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poetry

Hi Rise

I’m eligible to smoke til I fall clapping my / Hands and feet all the same time / Laffing at all this shit.

Bryant Kirk

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poetry

Poetry from Mississippi State Penitentiary

Work from poets incarcerated in Parchman’s Unit 29

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poetry

Three poems

“Crying Johnny,” “Officer Judy Gives Instructions to the Lock Down Inmates,” & “Holiday Special Meal”

Leon Johnson

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In Their Words

Poems on Policing

Poetry has the power to help us grow past the stale and rote ways of thinking about safety that tend to characterize policy discussions.

Monica Bell

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poetry

The Names They Call Us

“I applaud, your / Frankenstein’s monster, forevermore.”

Wayne Grant

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poetry

Prisoner of Poetry

“What does it mean to be an / incarcerated poet?”

Alexander Gallet

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Essay

Hip Hop Is My Life

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.

Alim Braxton

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poetry

“Incarcerated Slavery” & “2 crack a smile”

“The cotton field / is replaced by walls of steel . . . ”

Brandon Callender

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first person

Ink from Honey

Poetry can help incarcerated authors to reclaim the story of their life.

Amos Don

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poetry

“Don Haitian Monument” & “The Hunters”

“Paralyzed in shock / by slave raid tactics, / my trembling hands on the wall . . .”

Amos Don

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voices

Poetry from Attica

From Celes Tisdale's creative writing workshop with Attica Uprising survivors.

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Reflections

Goodnight Jail

Based on 'Goodnight Moon', the 1947 bedtime classic by Margaret Wise Brown.

El Jones

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Essay

The Poverty of Access

Librarians have a responsibility to everyone in their communities — including those who are incarcerated.

Jenny Rogers

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In Their Words

Finishing Sentences

Writing about prison from prison is a form of freedom-fighting. It is not without risks — and many rewards.

Caits Meissner

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Life Inside

‘We Are Men’

On the 50th anniversary of a flashpoint of the American penal system, the cries of Attica still resonate today.

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Reflections

When You Hear Me, You Hear Us

Work from four poets who were incarcerated as children.

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