NEW YORK STATE LITERARY CENTER'S Incarcerated Education Program
2012 - 2013

The seventh year of the New York State Literary Center's Incarcerated Education Program at Monroe County Jail began with a Reading List compiled by Dale Davis looking at the narrative of our life and times 2012 - 2013 https://www.nyslc.org/readinglistseventhyear.htm.

At Monroe County Jail:

At Monroe Correctional Facility:

 
Narrative of Our Life and Times https://www.nyslc.org/lifeandtimes.htm is interactive. It was designed and developed by Dale Davis with Juliana Muniz with incarcerated youth as a means for the incarcerated youth to reach out and share their thoughts and observations on their neighborhoods and their community. A local history component included working with the Rochester City Historian's Office and the Albert R. Stone Negative Collection at the Rochester Museum and Science Center. The New York State Literary Center thanks The City of Rochester; Rochester Public Library, Local History Division; and the Albert R. Stone Negative Collection, Rochester Museum and Science Center for permission to use the photographs. 

We sincerely and earnestly hope that out writing may do something toward throwing light on the scars poverty and violence leave on Rochester's children and hasten the day that all children in Rochester are valued and not thrown away'

Incarcerated youths' hope for Narrative of Our Life and Times https://www.nyslc.org/lifeandtimes.htm.

Writing is at the center of NYSLC's work with incarcerated youth and Narrative of Our Life and Times.
 

Where do I belong?
Life is confusing, and I've been trying forever to find out where I belong.
I have learned that to know where I belong
I have to know who I am.
I have to look inside my heart
and find myself.
This is hard
because I have taken so many roles in my life,
I don't know which one is really me
or if any of them are.
I have more than one side,
and I get mixed up in them
so I don't know who I really am
or where I belong.

Dominique

Can you picture me?
Can you picture a teenager full of pain?
Can you picture a teenager as a criminal?
Can you picture me as a criminal?
Are you trying to terminate my rights?
I mean no harm.
Do I offend you?
Can you picture me
as someone like you trying to make a living?
I have always been diverted or misdirected or corrected.
Just answer the question,
can you,
can you picture me as a father who has kids who are not harassed
and shoved into cages.
Can you, can you, can you
picture me as a college professor?

By Matt

Poverty is everywhere,
like 
I was,
we were
together
and didn't even know.

Living with poverty makes you do the unthinkable, anything to get out of poverty. This is how we get to jail. I was a different man. Poverty changes you like in the flash of an eye. Society throws you away. 

Poverty makes people turn into animals. It changes us from good students to felons. We wake up to no breakfast and go to sleep with nothing to eat. This makes us hit the streets.

We become darkness at night
looking
for a piece
of whatever we can get.

Poverty gets to you. Being broke every day. What will you do to survive? Will you steal, maybe, maybe not. There are so many kids like me. This is what we do. Poverty hits us hard. It goes for the kill, and it kills. 

I hate being broke. What can I do, turn to the streets like everyone else or go to school?
I was born into poverty and violence. As a kid the streets welcomed me with open arms. The streets sucked me in like a vacuum cleaner, then they spit me out. The streets turned me into a criminal, showed me everything I needed to know.

Poverty
is the death
of it can happen.

I tried. I tried. I tried.
I failed.

Where do I go from here? I want to go everywhere. I don't want to go to jail or to prison. Where do I go from here? I want to go to college. 

Why are the streets of Rochester a corridor to prison? They are dangerous, scary. We never know what will happen. It seems like Rochester's duty is fill up jails and prisons. 

Where do I go from here?

J.H.G.

"A Soldier's Story," by Charles Fuller, directed by David Shakes was performed by incarcerated youth at Monroe Correctional Facility https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Soldier%27s_Play. The play originally was staged by the Negro Ensemble Company at the Theatre Four. It opened on November 10, 1981 and ran for 468 performances and won, in addition to the Pulitzer, the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Off-Broadway Play, the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best American Play, and the Obie Award for Distinguished Ensemble Performance. The original cast included Adolph Caesar as Sergeant Waters, Denzel Washington as Private Peterson, Larry B. Riley as Private C.J. Memphis, Samuel L. Jackson as Private Louis Henson, and Peter Friedman as Captain Charles Taylor, Charles Brown as Captain Davenport. Rochester's (School of The Arts) Taye Diggs acted in a 2005 revival in New York.  

My favorite thing about this program was I got the chance to be seen by others and to succeed. I got the chance in front of the inmates that I see every day. 

The most surprising thing I learned was how easy it is to get up in front of an audience and perform. 

The most important thing I learned was things pay off with a little bit of hard work and dedication.

This program is important for us as we are part of something positive. This play opened doors and minds to learn new things. We have to start somewhere, and we did.

B. D.

My favorite things about this program were I got to find some hidden talents, and push myself to do something new. 

The most surprising thing I learned was I was able to fit in in a very short period of time and get along with my peers.

The most important thing I learned was that it's nice trying something new. It can bring forth new beginnings and future opportunities.

I believe this would help us on the outside by giving us something to do to keep us out of trouble. Theater challenges people to explore their hidden talents and to explore and experience new opportunities.

D. E.

The play, "A Soldier's Story," is great. Performing in it helped me in a lot of ways. I learned how to work with others. I learned how to express what I had on the inside through acting. I learned to use my voice, and I smiled. I really never smile at all. Working with David Shakes is cool. He is a nice person who takes the time to really work with us. He is a great professional at what he does. He makes acting come to life. 

I play a lawyer in the play, and to tell the truth I wouldn't mind becoming one now. Captain 
Richard Davenport was a smart man. I would like to be successful like him, or like David Shakes. 

At first I didn't want to do the play. Then I thought what the heck let me try. As soon as I started I didn't want to stop. I don't think I knew this play was what I needed in my life experience for the future. I would like to do another play some day but on the outside.

D. F.