late-year update

trying to jump start a more regular practice of writing about my work in two jails and now a prison as well. been awhile... whew!

what's new is that I've begun a new round of classes with women in a correctional facility. New place, new environment, new specs...

This prison is the "nicest" of the three facilities. Almost could pass for a college campus on the inside, though of course you have to go through some detectors and security and beeps and opening and shutting of fences with coiled razor wire on the top. And the women inside don't get to leave when they want. And some don't get to leave at all, ever, unless something changes in their sentencing. I have at least one lifer in my new class-- a white woman, maybe in her thirties. Good writer. Definite interest in the class.

The class? Quick summary and update: 6-week class in reading, writing, and illustrations based on six new graphic novels we've chosen-- all with female protagonists. The new titles include: El Deafo, I Kill Giants, Anya's Ghost, Little Robot, Exquisite Corpse, and Page by Paige.

I'm using these books as a lens and point of departure to talk about standard literary concepts like character development, narrative perspective and theme. A major thing I choose to highlight is empowerment, or "coming into one's power" as I put it. A good thing for middle and high schoolers to think about as they're maturing and thinking about their place and roles in the world. Also something for incarcerated men and women to chew on-- members of perhaps the most dis-empowered demographic in our country. If they're in jail and waiting to do their time and get out, it's a good time to think about what challenges and obstacles they've faced over the years, and which habits and patterns and behaviors they may want to take on.

If you're doing life, of course, there may or may not be a different approach to this theme of empowerment, or other themes we tackle in the class.

One thing I've noticed and believe in now as a small truth of some sort: the act of creating-- whether drawing or writing down a poem or story (in our class)-- can itself be an empowering act. It can also bring a liberation of sorts, as articulated by one woman working diligently on a drawing, in silence for five minutes, when she suddenly straightened up, looked around, and exclaimed: "Dang-- I done forgot I was in jail! Aint that something."

So, there's some power in there for all of us... If you're feeling disempowered in some way-- not in control of things or whatever-- take 20minutes today, and every day, to create. To write, draw, dance, play music, write music, poetry, stories. See how it feels, eh?