When you hear me (you hear us) : voices on youth incarceration

When you hear me (you hear us) Voices on youth incarceration

Book - 2021

"When You Hear Me (You Hear Us) is an anthology of poetry and personal stories centering the voices of those directly impacted by the incarceration of young people in the United States. Compiled by Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop, this rich collection includes firsthand accounts from both the young people charged and incarcerated in the adult criminal legal system and from the community at large: the mothers, the loved ones, the correctional staff, public defenders, prosecutors, and others harmed and left with unhealed trauma. These critical voices, uniquely combined, illustrate the ecosystem that surrounds youth who are incarcerated--and expose the ripple effects that touch us all. This book challenges us to hear these voi...ces calling out for accountability, transformative justice, and healing. Together, they demonstrate the collective impact of the prison system, and our collective responsibility to create a society where every one of us can thrive."--Amazon website.

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Location Call Number   Status
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Subjects
Prisoners' writings, American.
African American prisoners.
Imprisonment > Poetry.
Prisoners > Poetry.
Prisons > Poetry.
Prisoners' families > Poetry.
African Americans > Poetry.
Imprisonment > United States > Literary collections.
Prisoners > United States > Literary collections.
Prisoners' families > United States > Literary collections.
Published
Washington, DC : Shout Mouse Press 2021.
Language
English
Corporate Author
Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop
Corporate Author
Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop (-)
Other Authors
Shaka Senghor (writer of foreword)
Physical Description
xv, 269 pages ; illustrations ; 26 cm
ISBN
9781950807345
  • Dear America (Justice)
  • The war that replays in my mind (Growing up)
  • Trapped (Imprisonment)
  • The land of broken souls (Solitary confinement)
  • When the sky blinks (Love)
  • I know pain (Emotions)
  • Takin' losses (Grief)
  • I forgive me (Transformation)
  • For the time lost (Family)
  • Life after incarceration (Reentry)
  • Writing my way out (Resistance).
Review by Kirkus Book Review

A collection of prose and poetry featuring the voices of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated youth and adults. "I find myself growing up / in a judicial system / and not at home with my parents, / growing every day in prison / makes me feel less than human," Carlos shares. Alisha writes, "I know how to count because I'm nine now / I'm counting four therapists, two psychiatrists, thirty days, eight needles, and one wish." They are among the writers in this compilation who tell their heartbreaking stories, envisioning a brighter future for themselves and demanding changes to a broken, unjust criminal legal system. These compelling poems, essays, and interviews are the result of 20 years of outreach to over 1,500 incarcerated and formerly incarcerated youths and adults by the Washington, D.C.--based Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop, an organization founded to "fulfill the vision of Glen McGinnis, a young man who discovered his love for reading while on death row in Texas for a crime committed when he was 17 years old." (McGinnis was later executed.) The graphic depictions of abuse, neglect, solitary confinement, suicidal ideation, and violence are unsettling and vividly convey the writers' experiences. The perspectives of family members, a former prosecutor, a public defender, and a judge are also included, rounding out readers' understanding of these issues. Photographs of many contributors enhance the text. A powerful, devastating, essential read for anyone who believes in true justice for all. (Anthology. 13-adult) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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