Prison Journal: Day 7,883
March 10, 2009
Ten years ago, when I was confined inside the fences of Ft. Dix, New Jersey, I had a friend named Joe Black. Joe’s real name is Joe Reddick, but everyone in the prison knew him as Joe Black. He was several years younger than me, and we had grown up in different types of environments. Whereas I had been reared in the relative affluence of a North Seattle suburb, Joe had grown up in the tough community of Harlem, New York.
Joe was well known within the prison system as a star on the basketball court. He was also a gifted storyteller. As I do with many prisoners, I urged Joe to begin writing. Through writing, those of us in prison could work toward developing better communication skills. Those skills would translate into better opportunities for employment upon release.
At the time, I was writing nonfiction. I had finished my first-book, About Prison and my second book, Profiles From Prison. Publishers had brought those prison books to market for academic audiences. Joe did not write for the university. He wrote novels that described the tough life of growing up in the inner city. His stories were part of the urban genre that told of drug dealing, fighting, and murder.
My wife was by then working with me to publish a third book. We were producing that project for people who might be searching for guidance to help them through the criminal justice system. Carole developed skills in working with printers and typesetting; she formed a publishing company that produced and distributed my third book. That project motivated Joe to produce a book of his own, and Carole helped Joe bring Street Team to market.
Producing a book from within the confines of a federal prison helped prison authors. The sustained effort and coordinating required focus, though it helped prisoners feel as if they were living lives of meaning, as if the men were contributing to the world. Writing has helped my adjustment, and today I learned of how much Joe’s writing is helping his life.
After serving more than 13 years, Joe was released from prison in 2008. A reporter for The New York Times is writing a lengthy article about Joe’s journey through prison and about his experiences as a prison author. I know this because the reporter spoke with my wife today about Joe. The reporter was gathering information for his story. This project will expose Joe’s work to millions of people. I feel a sense of pride in the small role I played in helping him become a successful prison author.
With a commitment to continue my own writing, I began my work this morning at 2:30. By 7:30 I had finished writing five blog articles. Then I ran 10 miles, lifting my total to 805 miles over the past 88 days. I followed the run with 300 pushups in the afternoon I finished my first article for change.org. Then I began proofreading another manuscript I worked on as a ghost writer. Today was productive.
Tuesday, 10 March 2009
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Michael G. Santos
Inside: Life Behind Bars in America
About Prison
Profiles From Prison
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