In yesterday’s mail I received a package from Peggy, an English professor who has become a mentor to me. She teaches writing courses in a university, and although we’ve never met, I’m grateful for the many hours she invests to help me develop my writing craft. The suggestions she makes, I can tell, are helping [...]
This morning I resumed my work on chapter six at 1:24 am. Sometimes the urge to write more wakes me, and I sit up in my rack. Why sleep more? I’m rested and motivated, so I hop down, gather my dictionary, pens, and envelopes stuffed with my previous writing, and walk to the room where [...]
I’m grateful to the people who take time to write me after they read my work. I have a stack of envelopes from people who’ve read my book, Inside: Life Behind Bars, some of my other books, or articles that my wife publishes for me on our Web site. I’ve not been able to keep [...]
I’m grateful to have received a loving letter from my mother in today’s mail. These 22 years that I’ve served have been difficult on her, and I’m sensitive to her pain, to her feeling of separation from me, her only son. I’ve spent my entire sentence in various federal prisons, all of which were more [...]
This morning, at 1:44 am, I carried my writing gear to the quiet room and sat to outline chapter six of my new manuscript, Earning Freedom. When I write “Chapter Six,” I know that I mislead readers, as that doesn’t sound as if I’ve written much. but I began page 238 this morning, and by [...]
A sad reality of prison life is that the rules limit us to 300 telephone minutes per month. With my writing, my preparations for release, and Internet projects, I feel obligated to reserve all of my phone minutes for Carole, who coordinates my interactions with society. A consequence of this choice is that I feel [...]
When I go outside to the track each morning, nearby mountains still block the sun. I take off my shirt because even before six, the temperature approaches 80 degrees. I take my first steps of the long run, and I feel some comfort as I hear the crunch of gravel and dirt beneath my sneakers. [...]
Friday, 24 July 2009 I’m so grateful for my Friday visits with Carole. If I were a better writer I’d be able to help readers understand why my time with her is so valuable. The joy begins in earnest for me on Wednesdays. As I’m running around the track in the morning, I’m relieved to [...]
During my sick call appointment this morning, the nurse wrapped a band around my arm to check my blood pressure. She told me the reading was 128 over 72. My pulse, she said, was 54 beats per minute, which she said was low. She asked whether I exercise regularly, then said my vitals were fine [...]
I ran 10 miles in the morning, bringing my running tally to 1,964 miles over the past 222 days. Then I attended a TOAD meeting for our youth outreach program, and I’ve spent the rest of the day writing. When I wake tomorrow morning, I’ll feel good about being only one day away from kissing [...]
