Arvan Washington - PEN America

I am a freelance writer who was serving his seventh prison term when my last piece was penned. Since then, I have been utilizing the freedom I discovered through writing to remain free from custody.

I am the recipient of two Honorable Mentions in the PEN Prison Writing Contest.

Articles by Arvan Washington

Prison and Justice Writing

Monday June 29

Pieces of a Dream

Pieces of a Dream Smacking gum, smiling, and wearing a tight mini-mini that barely covers the imagination, she looks like she belongs in a junior high somewhere— and even that might be a stretch. It’s two a.m. And the stroll is popping. Pimps are dinosaured; The Crack Age decimated their ranks in the Eighties and

Prison and Justice Writing

Thursday May 10

An Indeterminate SHU

An Indeterminate SHU Chilled gusts slice through razor wire creeping around the window’s edge like ants teeming over breadcrumbs. Rats intrepidly stalk the tier sniffing remnants of tonight’s repast. I pay them no heed. I seek solace in my Qu’ran but cacophonous shouts ripped from disquieting sleep intrude my mood. I pace a six by