By Julia Mascioli | Communications & Evaluation Specialist
When we sent our last report, the young readers of Free Minds were just receiving their copies of the Books Across the Miles (BAM!) book club selection, Prison Noir, an anthology of stories by incarcerated or formerly incarcerated authors. Now the responses are in:
“It was nice to read and a lot of the stories, I have some just like them that I would like to use to help keep the kids off the streets when I come back home.” – DeAngelo
“Thanks for Prison Noir. I loved it!” – Muquan
Several Free Minds members told us that it wasn’t their favorite BAM! book because it felt too real, and they didn’t want to read about prison.
“On the book Prison Noir, I did not enjoy this book because it really showed some of the ugly faces of incarceration,” Marquis wrote. He went on, “I felt the story “Shuffle” because I’ve seen firsthand how jail can mentally mess you up. I understood “Tune-Up” because when you do things in here that you love, while you’re doing them, you feel like you’re not locked up.”
The next BAM! selection is If You Can See It, You Can Be It: 12 Street-Smart Recipes for Success by Chef Jeff Henderson, whose previous book, Cooked, has been a long-time favorite of our readers. That’s going out next month, and we’ll let you know how they like it!
In the meantime, Free Minds members are reading up a storm:
“Thanks for the books. I’m on lockdown 23 hours a day so all I do is read. If it’s not too much trouble, can I get a few more books? I’m looking forward to the new Connect [newsletter] too. I love it and can’t wait to read it.” – Wayne
“I’ve started the book The Maze Runner and it’s very interesting. I can’t wait to see how it ends. I want to thank you for all the books I have received from you guys. It really means a lot to see how the staff at Free Minds cares about its members.” – Aaron
“You all do not know how much you are helping us out. You all helped me at first when I did not even want help. Thank you for saving a soul that could have been lost. The books you send me show me another world and make me look forward to living a good life when I come home. You changed my way of thinking.” - DeAngelo
Our Free Minds poets are showing off their new writing skills. Volunteers at our Write Night events continue to inspire with their wonderful feedback. Five Free Minds members were published in Tacenda Literary Magazine from American University’s BleakHouse Publishing. Keep an eye out for our own literary journal, The Untold Story of the Real Me: Young Voices from Prison, which we’ll be publishing in May.
Thank you once again for making our work possible.
“You know I’ve been meaning to thank all you guys at Free Minds for allowing me to be a part of the Book Club. I once read that if everybody in China jumped at the same time they could shake the world off its axis. It would be an overstatement to say the same about you guys, but I’m sure people would feel movement. You know, it was through you guys I learned writing was a way to calm my inner self. What I appreciate most though is how you guys have always been there encouraging me to keep writing…One of the greatest ideas you guys had was the public reading our poems (Write Night). I like the comments people leave. It gives me that extra push to keep writing!” - Doug
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