Thursday, May 10, 2007

Writers in Prison by Claire Braz-Valentine

I saw this article and thought that it was very touching...Enjoy.

I was doing a guest writing workshop at Susanville State Prison near the Sierra Nevada foothills in northern California. Most of the men doing time there are sentenced to prison because of drugs. They are housed in huge dormitories in bunk beds. They have no privacy, no place to be alone, no place to think quietly. I had great apprehensions when I walked onto the prison grounds.I had taught writing workshops at many California prisons, but those prisons had cells. In Cells, even if they are shared with another inmate, one can find a least a little writing time. Surely the men here at Susanville were not going to be interested in what I had to offer.

For the rest of the story...

1 comment:

Marks Starlet said...

THATS SO NEAT LICIA!!
I ALMOST CRIED AT MY DESK... ITS WEIRD HOW ART, (be it writing, painting, dancing, drawing,etc.) REALLY CAN BE A MEANS OF THERAPY...