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Category Archives: Uncategorized
THE CONUNDRUMS QUOTATIONS PROJECT – CQ-002
Literature often imagines dramatic moments of moral collapse. Life is usually quieter. Sometimes we become strangers to ourselves one compromise at a time. Sometimes exhaustion, grief, fear, or survival slowly erase the person we intended to become. (And the worst … Continue reading
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THE CONUNDRUMS QUOTATIONS PROJECT – CQ-001
The author reflects on his past collection of quotations and intends to elaborate on selections from his short story collection, “Conundrums: Stories of Law & Justice.” They explore themes of institutional personality, the paradox of visibility and invisibility in prisons, and the impact of lost privacy on human dignity. Continue reading
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Leadership Mini-Series: Joseph, Ethics, and Leading with Conviction – Transforming Lives
From Prison to Purpose: Leading with Conviction Joseph in Prison in Egypt and his remarkable story of return mirror that of modern “leaders with conviction”—formerly incarcerated leaders who transform their lived experience into advocacy and change. In the last 20 … Continue reading
The Anatomy of Advocacy, Part 4: Lessons Learned from a Winning Campaign
Five actionable lessons from the campaign that ended lifetime parole for many in New York—and how to apply them to your advocacy. Continue reading
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Tagged advocacy strategy, coalition building, criminal legal reform, grassroots organizing, lessons learned, New York parole, policy change, research-based advocacy, stakeholder engagement
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My Friend Kathy Boudin
News of Kathy Boudin’s demise quickly spread, as quickly as news spreads through the prison grapevine, and I had hoped that it was greatly exaggerated! When I Googled “death of Kathy Boudin,” many articles popped up on my screen, far … Continue reading
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Tagged Chesa Boudin, Kathy Boudin, PEN America Center, PEN Prison Writing Program, Thomas Jefferson
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Spirit-Busting Patriarchy
Have you ever read the translation of an author’s work and had a strong desire to read it in the original? One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel García Márquez, for me, was that book. During a three-year period I … Continue reading
Derrick Albert Bell Jr. — The Godfather of Critical Race Theory
Derrick Albert Bell Jr. should be as well-known as Thurgood Marshall. He was a lawyer, civil rights activist, and professor. In 1971, he became the first tenured Black professor of Law at Harvard Law School. From his reputation alone, Professor … Continue reading
Maya Angelou, A Muse for All Ages
On this Day of Love, also known as Valentine’s Day, I want to uplift an author and one of her books, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. I love Maya and this book! Maya Angelou was challenged by none … Continue reading
The Work of Reconstruction Continues. . .
Black Reconstruction in America 1860-1880, by W.E.B. DuBois, is a must read. One Amazon reviewer wrote, “This book is a great clue to the puzzle of how we got where we are today.” Indeed, this period would inform the next … Continue reading
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Tagged Black Reconstruciton, Civil War, Confederate Monuments, W.E.B. DuBois
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William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters 