By Brian D. Knippers I don’t remember the exact day this all started, but we were locked down in early March. One morning we woke to a notice posted in our dormitory that stated we were all to be locked down until further notice. …

by Brian Knippers I went through intake at Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center on August 24, 2011. I’ll never forget that day. Pete Bardzik and I received transfer orders to be removed from custody at MCI-Norfolk. We were being transferred to Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center. Pete and I were woken up around 6am…

by Brian Knippers Memories are dreams of past lives. In prison, memories become a reality and a curse. You relive the past while you sleep. You daydream snippets of who you were before your life became a rote expression of formulaic punishment. Some memories are beautiful…other memories destroy you. I…

Prison’s the best thing that ever happened to me. I know that sounds twisted, but it’s true. When you’re hurting people, there are moments you pray to a greater force to stop you. Kind of a, “GOD PLEASE HELP ME STOP HURTING PEOPLE,” thing. I remember spending the day with…

Dancing in the Wake of Young Minds (Part 1) By Brian Knippers (a poet currently incarcerated at ncci-gardner in gardner, massachusetts) This is the first part of a four part poem about the life, and struggles of Lucia Joyce. I came to know Lucia through a book titled, “Portraits of Paris.” Her pictures in this book still haunt me…

by Brian Knippers (an incarcerated poet currently residing at ncci-gardner) a vacant smile stares outward lost in her, “private world” she becomes accustomed to… a cadence of life without words she begins dancing to her internal monologue how we yearn to hear your voice once silent you impressed upon us so greatly inner creations without an outlet for praise we…

by Brian Knippers (a poet/writer currently incarcerated at ncci-gardner) overly committed at twenty eight all her envy all their hate bottled up dumped upon her marvel at their gilded gates james completes finnegan’s wake and in that moment lucia’s fate was sealed forgotten disassemble time, she’s twenty nine flip her quarter…

by Brian Knippers (an incarcerated poet currently residing at ncci-gardner in gardner, ma) your graceful form floats on rising clouds tapestries smile burnt embers beside you you rise on darkest night’s sky savagely stomping throwing your hands upwards warding off pagan gods who envy movement you are breath and life’s span as you dance within reach…

by Brian Knippers (a poet currently incarcerated at ncci-gardner in gardner, massachusetts) This is the first part of a four part poem about the life, and struggles of Lucia Joyce. I came to know Lucia through a book titled, “Portraits of Paris.” Her pictures in this book still haunt me…