SEASON 12: Stories from the Inside
This season, we’re doing something a little different. We’re starting a 10-part series inspired by the students host Allison Langer met teaching memoir writing in prison.
In this series, poet, musician, teacher, actor, and artist Xaire Vii will join us (co-hosting) as we share stories written by Allison’s former students and other incarcerated men and women around the world. Their experiences and voices, like those of many incarcerated people, are often marginalized and unheard. We believe sharing their stories will lead to understanding.
We are also joined by Rashmi Airan, a returning citizen and friend, whose story was published in the Washington Post; Chris Wilson, a man who’s path to release and his return to society has been documented in his memoir, The Master Plan; and Dr. Karen Gedney, who was a prison doctor for 30 years.
We don’t mean to sensationalize crime or someone who breaks the law. Airing these stories is in no way meant to take anything away from the victims of violent crime. Instead, we want to share stories, because we believe that stories lead to understanding. And if there’s something we need more of these days, it’s understanding.
Episode 124: The Hate Hate Creates
On this episode, the last in our 10-part series, you will hear a story by Richardson Francois aka Swa, who Allison confesses was one of her favorite students. Hate, Swa argues, is a sickness. Xaire agrees with Swa who says the easiest and hardest way to eradicate hate is to eradicate hate from the self.
Xaire, Andrea, and Allison will also discuss the impact of this series on them. We hope our listeners have taken away at least a part of what we’ve learned. Mainly, that sharing our stories is the best way to understand ourselves and each other and ultimately change the world for the better.
Richardson Francois (Swa) migrated from Haiti when he was 7. At 20, Swa was convicted of robbery with a firearm and sentenced to 40 years in prison. Swa is one of Allison’s former inside students and has a release date of December 2022. Swa’s family became U.S. citizens, but because of his incarceration, Swa was unable to apply. When he is released, Swa will be sent back to Haiti where he knows nobody.
Episode 123: The Words He Left Behind
Image by Nicolas Lobos on Unsplash.
On today’s episode, you will hear a story by someone who is still incarcerated. For security reasons, he calls himself NameLess. You will understand why he has chosen to remain NameLess once you hear his story called Observation.
NameLess is one of Allison’s former inside students. He showed up to every class with eager enthusiasm and a deep desire for another chance. As he struggles to maintain his true self in a place that aims to institutionalize, NameLess has encountered many obstacles and many discoveries. He shares one such obstacle on this episode.
Ep 122: What Does 42 Years in Prison Look Like?
In this episode, you will hear a story written by Robert Fell, who was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his wife. Robert has been in prison for 44 years.
Robert Fell earned a Bachelors of Agricultural Science from Cornell. He’s certified as a specialist vegetable grower in intensive growing methods and has over 5000 hours in facilitating other inmates and DOC staff in intensive farming methods. Robert is serving a life sentence and is currently housed at Tomoka Correctional Institute in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Episode 121: When a Big Mistake Becomes Catastrophic.
Today on the show, we have Dewain Williams. Dewain is still incarcerated and responded to our call for stories. His story reveals something really ugly at the top. We think he reveals this deliberately to show how much he's changed. We want to hear from you. Should he have have left out this detail? You'll know it when you hear it. Please weigh in on our FB page by clicking Writing Class Radio FB.
Dewain Williams was born in Flint, Michigan and raised in Marietta, Georgia. He started writing in 2015 and self published his first eBook in May 2020. Dewain wants to see the world in a better place and he believes through writing it can be done. In 1997, Dewain made a terrible mistake but he knows that mistake doesn't define him.
The hosts refer to an October 23, 2021 article in the Opinion section of the New York Times about aging out of crime and about the ridiculously long sentences Americans are given when they break the law.
Episode 120: My Pen Uncovers the Real Me.
On this episode, Corey Devon Arthur, a journalist inside Fishkill Correctional Facility in New York State, tells his story about wishing he could always be the person he is in writing. Corey submitted his essay through an angel named Sarah Holtz from the Columbia Journalism Review. CJR works with Empowerment Avenue, a collective of writers on the inside.
Corey Devon Arthur was born in Brooklyn in 1977 and has been incarcerated since 1997. He has earned a legal research certification and studied through Rising Hope and Nyack College. Arthur is a former chairman of the Inmate Liaison Committee at Fishkill Correctional Facility. He's a member of Empowerment Avenue, a collective of incarcerated writers. Arthur is also passionate about drawing and is currently working on a trilogy of short stories.
To read more stories by Corey Devon Arthur, visit The Marshall Project. The Marshall Project is a nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization that seeks to create and sustain a sense of national urgency about the U.S. criminal justice system. Through journalism, The Marshall Project seeks to render the criminal justice system more fair, effective, transparent, and humane.
Episode 119: When is it Safe to Ignore the Law?
On this episode, we feature an essay by Rashmi Airan, who reads her story and answers questions on the show. Rashmi answers questions about prison life, her mindset going in, what she learned, and what life has been like since she was released. Rashmi’s essay I Was a Wealthy Suburban Woman. Then I went to Federal Prison for Bank Fraud was originally published in The Washington Post on Feb 20, 2020.
Rashmi Airan is an internationally recognized corporate and motivational speaker, leader and entrepreneur. She energizes any audience to harness the power of vulnerability to create courage. As a leader in her community and beyond, Rashmi empowers others to be leaders and overcome adversity and challenges. She is currently working on a memoir. You can find Rashmi Airan at https://www.rashmiairan.com/.
Ep 118: Standing at the Prison Gate, I Was Icarus Plummeting to Earth.
Today’s show features two stories by Dutch Simmons, who served two years in a federal prison. Dutch reveals the horrors of saying goodbye to his family as he walks into prison. Dutch also takes us through 11 (of 30) days in solitary confinement.
Dutch says he’s been both a hero and a villain: The same week his search and rescue gear went on display at the 9/11 Memorial Museum as a first responder, he was sentenced to a federal correctional institution for a white collar crime.
While incarcerated, Dutch established and taught a creative writing program for his fellow inmates.
Dutch lives deep in the woods of Connecticut, where he remains a dedicated father, former felon, and a Phoenix rising.
For more Dutch Simmons, go to https://vocal.media/authors/dutch-simmons. You can also find Dutch on Twitter @thedutchsimmons.
Josh Moreno, former corrections officer at dade correctional Institution
