Day One

There I stood in that cavernous hallway, handcuffed to someone I didn’t know and probably never wanted to know. About twenty of us just standing there, scared half to… More

Romantic Realism

That dinner party is etched in my memory for many reasons: the discussion during soup of the American embargo on Cuba; the recital during entrées by Bill Styron,… More

Shame

Mama always took me with her to pick up her paycheck at the café on Wednesday afternoons. Sitting on a stool at the counter, sipping a chocolate shake, I… More

Pictures Don’t Lie

So, I’m looking at this car, right. It’s a mess. Yeah, it’s not going anywhere. It looks like a spaghetti strainer. Holes everywhere. Big holes.I’m thinking, “What’s up with… More

A Three-Strikes Sojourn

“Dey, wake up. You have court today.”Oh man. Here we go. Judgment and sentencing. I was about to feel the entire weight of the drug war era justice system… More

Why I Care

Doing outreach work in the Bayview-Hunters Point area of San Francisco can be fun, also dangerous, as the district has seen countless shootings of youth. I was working as… More

A Place in the Procession

Long long ago I dreamed this: an old soul, mud-colored, thin, ropy-haired, hunkers at a campfire. A line of naked youth has formed on the lip of a cliff.… More

The Whitfeld Files

Author's Note This is a work of nonfiction. The descriptions of events are based on personal experiences of the author, court transcripts, affidavits, law enforcement documents, reports, and audiotaped interviews,… More

Buddhism in Prison

The Martha Stewart verdict is screaming from the headlines as I begin to write these lines. Martha used to be something of an idol to me. Before landing in… More

Letter to a Daughter

Dear Lori,Thank you for your latest. Do you remember about ten years ago when I was in the hospital with a kidney stone? I think I have them again. As… More