Last year I made a friend here at Taft Camp. His name is Justin Paperny and he served a year with me. Justin was a stockbroker who received a modest sentence for violating securities laws. More important than the white collar crimes that brought Justin to prison was the productive ways that he used his [...]
I heard from Carol, not my wife, but a friend and writing mentor of mine who lives in Washington, DC. Carol has been editing my newest manuscript, Earning Freedom, and the suggestions she is making will help me strengthen the work. I value her outside perspective. The reason Carol’s comments matter so much to me [...]
It’s 4:15 on Friday morning as I sit in this room writing. I’ve been working for three hours and I’m eager for another four hours to pass because by then Carole should be here for our weekly visit. Our visits mean the world to me–they rejuvenate me for the week to come. Today is our [...]
This morning’s meeting with the TOAD outreach program brought confrontation. Our group meets every Wednesday morning to practice presentations, skits, and to discuss improvements we can make. The group of prisoners who participate have a role as leaders, I think, as through our presentations to at-risk adolescents, we contribute to the making of a better [...]
Don, my roommate at Taft Camp, participated in a community service program today. He has been incarcerated for four years and he is scheduled to serve about six more years for convictions related to selling drugs. He’s not quite 30, married with young children. The smile on Don’s face showed his happiness when he returned from the [...]
This morning, as I was running around the track, I began thinking about my goals for 2010. We still have nearly two complete months to pass in 2009, but I’m in a state of limbo right now as I wait for word from St. Martin’s Press on whether the publisher will bring Earning Freedom to market. [...]
This past August I bought a new pair of running shoes. Nike manufactured the shoes, and although they don’t have air-bubble pockets of the high-end models, the shoes are the most comfortable that I’ve run in during my entire length of imprisonment. I’ve logged about 700 miles on these shoes since I received them, and [...]
