Author Kenji Jasper with a young Free Minds member.
"There are so many who treat juvenile offenders as if they're
already gone, devoured by their mistakes with no chance for redemption.
But when I visited the program, I saw young men who were not only visible
but hungry for all that the world of literature had to offer them. Free
Minds is doing work that is crucial not only to the futures of its participants,
but more importantly, for the future of the current generation of youth
and the many that will follow."
— Kenji Jasper, Author of Dark, Dakota Grand, Seeking
Salamanca Mitchell, and The House on Childress Street
Newsroom
Hear Us Out: Read local press coverage of the event
Hear Us Out: Hear excerpts of the poetry reading from Coffeehouse TV
Reader
Spotlight: Ted and Gerald 'J-Man' Best, of Free Minds Book Club &
Writing Workshop
Washington Post Book World, May 5, 2009
Free
Minds Uses Books and Writing to Show Incarcerated Youth A Better Way
Examiner.com, Mar 25, 2009
Reading
Gives Inmates Hope for the Future
ABC 7 News, Friday Jan 25, 2008
There are about 26 teenagers being held in the D.C. Jail Friday night,
charged with adult crimes. Most of society might have given up on their
chances of finishing school or getting a good job, but one organization,
the Free Minds Book Club, is helping those juvenile inmates turn the page
on their lives.
Words
of Hope: Book Club Offers Jailed Youth a Second Chance
Street Sense, July 1, 2007 - July 15, 2007
His
Body Imprisoned, His Mind Set Free
The Washington Post, Sunday Jun 10, 2007
Prisoners
Find Release through Free Minds Book Club and Writing Workshop
East of the River, Dec 2007
An
Outlet for Anger, and Fear
The Washington Post, Aug 7, 2004
Free Minds held its first annual poetry reading back in July 2004 at Washington, DC’s Love Café, where a standing-room only crowd applauded the work of Free Minds’ young poets, performed by youth volunteers from City at Peace. Read and hear more about the event in the Washington Post article, August 7, 2004.
If you would like to join Free Minds’ media list to receive press releases and news advisories, please email your contact information to: mail@freemindsbookclub.org.