Review: Free Write Jail Arts & Literacy Program

I thought about calling it a "Music" review instead of "Band", but a lot of it is spoken word. This program is about more than music.

The Free Write Jail Arts and Literacy Progam leads formal creative writing and poetry workshops inside the jail school. I became aware of it by seeing a reference to Louder Than a Bomb 2014. Louder Than a Bomb is a Chicago youth poetry festival, though it looks like other areas have adopted it:

http://youngchicagoauthors.org/blog/?page_id=1315

Free Write has some submissions for LTAB for multiple years, but that is not all they have. As I said, there is spoken word, some that is more poetic, some that is almost rap, and there are pieces that are set to music.

It is worth thinking about all of the forces that go into making this happen. There are people working on youth poetry outside of the jails, and there are people working with jailed youth. There is some natural overlap, but there are multiple things going on, and I have only listened to a small segment. Listening has been profoundly moving.

They are not all smooth. Some are. I tend to think Flocaine could go professional. "Street Law Commandments" by Ethan & Fredo, is excellent. I like that it has more of an old school vibe, but it is so clever and so practical and so cheeky, actually. A lot of people should listen to it.

Others may not have as much commercial potential, but are still incredibly valuable. Maybe they are stumbling over the story of a parent's death, or more confidently talking about becoming a parent, or maybe they are exploring concepts like allegory, but they are being given a voice. They are being given a chance to state who they are, and what they feel, and the history that led them there. This is so important.

It's hard to hear some of the vulnerability and know that this is the jail school. They are at a disadvantage, and I can only imagine the obstacles that they will still face. I know that finding a voice is important though, and so I have to hope that this is something that will help for them, not just so they get a chance to speak, but so they get a chance to be heard.

I need to hear them. People who make policies need to hear them. People who find it easy to forget how much of the population has been locked away need to hear them. The sound is out there.

https://soundcloud.com/free-write-jail-arts

http://www.freewritejailarts.org/