I’m just getting to a place where I can catch up on grading, much less on this blog. For the time being, I want to point you to a project that is happening in Richmond.

Mark Strandquist has spearheaded a few projects at Richmond City Jail that will be exhibited this summer. In one instance he and a few artists met invited inmates to write about what, if they could choose anything, they would choose to look at out of their cell window. Collecting the writings, Strand and a few photographers have gone out and photographed these views, and ferried the photos back to the inmates to hang in their cells. You can read more about that project here. 

Outside the jail, Strandquist has brought together a few book makers on a project he calls The People’s Library:

The Richmond Public Library helped collect discarded books that Strandquist and his collaborators recycle into new paper. Since March, they have been holding bi-weekly paper-making workshops at the Main Branch of the library as well as at other places in the community to produce the pages (Dahlberg & Puffenberger).

Once the group has created 1000 books they will bind them and the blank books will be added to Richmond Public Library’s permanent collection. Library patrons will be able to check out the books and add their personal histories. These collective journals will remain at RPL for future generations to add to or to read. 

You can follow Mark on Tumblr here.

You can read more about Mark’s project at his website. Listen to him comment on the project in the interview below. 

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Dahlberg, Jessica and Caitlin Puffenberger. “People’s Library recycles its own books.” CBS6. 9 Apr., 2013.

VCU and RVA: Things to do tomorrow Night

Contribute a Square to the Year of Freedom Commemorative Quilt

VCU’s Year of Freedom Celebration, marking the 150th anniversary of Emancipation and the Civil War (http://www.yearoffreedom.vcu.edu/), has been sponsoring the creation of a North Star Freedom Quilt.

Students can come make their own quilt squares on Friday April 12 8pm-11:30 pm in the VCU Student Commons, Virginia rooms A-D. 

Supplies will be provided, although students should feel free to bring fabric (old t-shirts, etc) to personalize their squares. No knowledge of sewing or quilting is needed.

Refreshments will be provided. 

co-sponsored by Student Activities and the YoF Committee

Join ROOTS and ASPiRE for a Poetry Reading

Members of ROOTS (Reinventing Ourselves Outside the System), a re-entry program born out of the Richmond City Jail, and a seminar through VCU’s ASPiRE program will be reading poetry written during their shared seminar this year at VCU. Join us:

Friday, April 12th, between 5 and 7pm, in the fireside lounge of the ASPiRE building, 835 W. Grace Street, at the corner of Grace and Laurel. 

A Message from Dave Coogan: For the past few months, I’ve had the great privilege to sit and write poetry with some inspiring people who once sat in jail but now sit with us on campus alongside more inspiring people, fellow seekers, the students of ASPiRE, the whole group of us writing toward a shared understanding of our lives and life.  And now, as our community studies seminar, the writing workshop between VCU students and members of the nonprofit, ROOTS (Reinventing Ourselves Outside the System) comes to a close, we’d like to offer up a little of what we came to know and to feel together; what we could only discover together as writers.  Join ROOTS and ASPiRE for the reading! Here are the details:   Friday, April 12th, between 5 and 7pm, in the fireside lounge of the ASPiRE building, 835 W. Grace Street, at the corner of Grace and Laurel.  The poetry starts at 5, the Texas BBQ at 6.
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A Message from Dave Coogan:

For the past few months, I’ve had the great privilege to sit and write poetry with some inspiring people who once sat in jail but now sit with us on campus alongside more inspiring people, fellow seekers, the students of ASPiRE, the whole group of us writing toward a shared understanding of our lives and life.  And now, as our community studies seminar, the writing workshop between VCU students and members of the nonprofit, ROOTS (Reinventing Ourselves Outside the System) comes to a close, we’d like to offer up a little of what we came to know and to feel together; what we could only discover together as writers. 

Join ROOTS and ASPiRE for the reading! Here are the details:  

Friday, April 12th, between 5 and 7pm, in the fireside lounge of the ASPiRE building, 835 W. Grace Street, at the corner of Grace and Laurel. 

The poetry starts at 5, the Texas BBQ at 6.

I am officially recruiting for my summer class on prison writing!

English 391: Topics in Literature: Political Prisoners, Political Literature 

Summer Session: 5/21/13-7/11/13, MW 1:00-3:40pm

The course engages the most enduring dilemmas facing prisoners globally in 20th century; it will survey people whose lives are interrupted by incarceration as a result of political upheaval. Our course will question how they overcome the isolation and injustice in order to write and publish. We will explore what their writings can teach us about the individual’s relationship to the community once they have been ostracized from that group. Our readings may include selections from the works of Reinaldo Arenas, Leonard Peltier, Nawal El Saadawi, Jean Genet, Evgenia Ginzburg, Wole Soyinka, and Liu Xiaobo.

This course is a part of OPEN MINDS, a partnership between the Richmond City Sheriff’s Office and Virginia Commonwealth University offering dual enrollment classes held at the Richmond City Jail. Students must apply in writing to be considered for this course.

To apply: in 2 -3 paragraphs explain what you hope to learn from this course and what you hope to contribute. Send your application essay to Professor Reed at kreed@vcu.edu by Friday April 26 2013.

All OPEN MINDS students must pass a background check and comply with the rules and expectations outlined by the Richmond City Sheriff’s Office.  

See the program’s website for more details. Direct any questions about the program to Dr. Coogan at dcoogan@vcu.edu.