Longing fora Mo M ent Storytellers Lab
Rikers Island 2019
Intro:
In October 2019, Town Hall teaching artists Chesney Snow and HannaH Allen crafted and conducted a two week Storytelling intensive with a youth programs’ housing unit at Rikers Island RNDC facility. Through this workshop participants explored different forms of storytelling-- poetry, personal narrative, and devised theater.
This booklet is both an overview of the master works explored, the techniques developed and new works created.
Hunted and Trapped
Community Poem: This activity was an exploration of collective poetry writing. Each person started by writing two lines of a poem which we then passed on to the next person who added on. We continued this until each poem had been worked on by each participant. Every poem has been touched by the individuals in our group, a reminder of how each individual must bring themselves to create a thriving community.
The U.S. has over 2.4 million behind bars, an increase of over 500% in the past thirty years
Master Work:
If We Must Die
Claude
McKay 1889-1948
If we must die—let it not be like hogs Hunted and penned in an inglorious spot, While round us bark the mad and hungry dogs, Making their mock at our accursed lot. If we must die—oh, let us nobly die, So that our precious blood may not be shed In vain; then even the monsters we defy Shall be constrained to honor us though dead! Oh, Kinsmen! We must meet the common foe; Though far outnumbered, let us show us brave, And for their thousand blows deal one deathblow! What though before us lies the open grave?
Like men we’ll face the murderous, cowardly pack, Pressed to the wall, dying, but fighting back!
Student Work, responses to the theme “Feeling Hunted and Trapped”
Hunted
I feel how with many, love for the world may be.
Pues no voy a saber lo que va a pasar con Amigos si una persona intenta mortarme Por nigún motivo. Something is how Jason follows me How in the movie, in the moment when you’re about to get caught There’s always a moment of escape.
Maybe I’m going to the grave
Nightmare
Si una persona viene a mortarme, voy a sentir mal
Porque no estaré con mi familia si
Me mata. Tal vez si esa persona me caza y me saca el corazón y hace algo
Tiene que tener una razón esa persona para Venir y hacerme algo sin tener que ver con nada.
Emptiness surrounds me
Like a nightmare
Un sueño mal sin tener que ver, en
El sueño mal que me pasó algo mal
Y me desperté de repente sin nada mal
Que pasó
Corriendo en círculos
Running in circles in my mind
Returning again and again
To the same spot
Over and over and over locked
In a cycle
My breath stops
A twig snaps
I’m heightened and my heart pounds in my chest
When does my alarm turn off?
When can I leave this place for going like to eat
because
When I open my eyes I can feel the
World racing after me
I freeze and disappear
Me & the World
I feel like I am trapped behind
A screaming wall; where little by little
My voice goes hoarse.
An echo then silence.
Silence is scary
Yo quiero el amor
Yo quiero el amor en este Mundo sin violencia porque
Con la violencia
A poder hacer nada si intentas
Hacer algo mal al otro
And when I feel alone
I feel trapped inside myself
A curtain drawn between me and the world
Participant Testimony:
“One thing you don’t know about me is: I am not a criminal”
Town Hall Artist Spotlight:
Participants were introduced to Town Hall’s rich history of musical artists, none of the participants had ever heard of these artists. During writing and creative activities the teaching artists presented who each artist was and played their music during the sessions.
Leontyne Price
Leontyne Price was born on February 10, 1927, in Laurel, Mississippi. Renowned for her early stage and television work, Price made her opera stage debut at the San Francisco Opera in 1957, and her debut at New York City’s Metropolitan Opera House in 1961. One of the first African-American singers to earn international acclaim in the field, Price became known for her roles in Il Trovatore, Antony and Cleopatra and Aida, before retiring from the opera in 1985.
Nina Simone
Nina Simone was one of the most extraordinary artists of the twentieth century, an icon of American music. She was the consummate musical storyteller, a griot as she would come to learn, who used her remarkable talent to create a legacy of liberation, empowerment, passion, and love through a magnificent body of works. She earned the moniker ‘High Priestess of Soul’ for she could weave a spell so seductive and hypnotic that the listener lost track of time and space as they became absorbed in the moment. She was who the world would come to know as Nina Simone.
Our Love In Chaos
It’s always chaos
A joyful, abundant, crazy loving chaos but it’s Chaos nonetheless
You can streamline 14 voices, something I do sometimes when I’m mad Because of something I did. All I did was love you. You hate me; but we have a child Why can’t we get along I love you but you don’t understand You think I just want
Sex in the moonlight as if Destiny could kiss ths skin with Tears of joy.
I’m just longing for a moment, A breath
An embrace.
When I die in your spell
I love my mom because she helps me all the time
When I’m in trouble You scream, Yell hit me...
But I love, I love it to death.
Your love is poison
But I’d rather Die in your spell than be Alive, Alive like a child’s laughter, Or lovers dancing in The rain Or dancing in the snow
Or in the sun
Or at the beach
The truth is Wherever lovers dance
There is a moment of beauty there is a moment to be
Even if for just a moment.
Student Work
Ghosts of the Lonely
Seeing your eyes smile is haunting
My dreams
Fill with you.
Sometimes they are good
Though sometimes they are bad.
Great love
Great heartbreak
Imagined reality through my dreams.
Sometimes I think I lose my life because I do something
You don’t want me to do I apologize for cheating I apologize for beating
Everything:
The girls, the drugs the money Means nothing without you. I love you, you’re the one. Please come back and never leave Don’t you know, without you I’m nothing.
One in eight black men in their twenties are locked up on any given day….
Stop and Remember
When we are together time stops and my heart goes Your eyes, your nose, hair and mouth Beautiful, like the sunset kissing The ocean’s horizon.
Remembering every
Time you cooked me those homemade specialties Everytime you listened to me talk And talk
And talk on the phone About the old times
How the happy moments in life because you can’t forget what passes before
A Moment with a Loved One
“A 2015 study found that those living in neighborhoods with high incarceration rates are more likely to meet the criteria for a major depressive disorder or a generalized anxiety disorder than individuals living in neighborhoods with lower incarceration rates.”
www.bu.edu/sph/2016/06/26/families-and-theeffects-of-mass-incarceration/
Food for Love
Love is so confusing
When you meet the right girl
Love her like nobody will
Or you will lose her like you got her.
Love--If you don’t take care of it, it gets old
Like flowers--
You’ve gotta feed flowers water
And sunlight
And surround them with joy
And let them be
Your Self
Love
Yourself or nobody will
Because nobody will love you in this world but you.
That’s a fact, love yourself
And forgive yourself
Speak to yourself with kindness
Dance with yourself
Take yourself to dinner
Learn to enjoy your own company
Take yourself for a nice romantic walk
Clear your head
Think about the things you need you need to get done in life.
Exercise yourself, your body, your mind
You, you deserve that Peace, tranquility
And Love… we deserve
That joy, together.
Home
The moment my dad hugged me
The first time felt, like home
Home that is a place I wanna go
Stay out of trouble and move slow
Cause moving too quick can get you jammed up
Those streets don’t show no love, they don’t love you back
Turning to Sand
She was my other half and then it broke
Down to pieces.
The air we breathe, is what we are
The ground we feel keeps us here
The sand escapes through my toes
The wind kisses my neck
And then I open my eyes
I realize it was a Dream.
A memory.
Maybe it
Was or is
Like a daydream.
Because no matter how hard I try it pops up,
Digs through the deepest
Deepest part or stays left behind like a dead dream.
75% of people in state prison for drug conviction are people of color although blacks and whites see and use drugs at roughly the same rate. In NYS, 94% of those imprisoned for a drug offense are people of color.
this moment
Sitting at dinner
Talking and laughing
Wanting to pause this moment
To luxuriate in your presence
2.7 Million children in the US have at least one parent in prison
To keep this moment going Is difficult because of the tears.
Sometimes of joy.
Sometimes of pain.
But the objective is to gain
To look at the bright side of life.
Just because I was trying to live right
Move smarter and do right
And keep your family real tight.
“In the context of institutions that are meant to be socially supportive, like schools and churches, a parent’s incarceration is often kept hidden for fear of social stigmatization. Children of incarcerated parents therefore have fewer opportunities to benefit from resources that are important for social integration.”
www.epi.org/publication/mass-incarceration-andchildrens-outcomes/
“Once home, the burden of incarceration and criminal justice involvement continues for families. Federal and state laws create obstacles to securing employment, housing, financial assistance such as food stamps and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, voting, and family reunification (Meyers, this issue).”
--- The Sentencing Project
Freedom Key
It’s sunny and you’re leaning back
It’s a rare moment to see you in the sun
To see you relaxed
Like a summer day and a cool drink of water
Felt like a blessing,
the Beginning
When I first met my son, Tried to repair it but it was irreparable
Then I had to look back at the beginning
And that’s when I hurt the most
And when I laugh the most
Because the beginning was fun
Joyful, carefree, exhilarating
Rushing through a shower of laughter
And smiles and remembering
The best times of my life
Being with
My family surrounded with people
Who love me and who I love that’s....
That’s where home really is, no matter where you at.
Eating homemade food after being incarcerated was the best feeling
Besides being free.
Free was the key
Freedom is all I need.
Participant Testimony:
“The first time I got jumped I was in 6th grade… that kid came up behind me, the next thing I knew I was on the ground. They stomped me. Messed up my leg. Since then I had to fight. I got bullied. I got bullied a lot.”
Prime Time
No time poem that don’t rhyme straight writing at prime
At prime when niggas Was selling dimes
Act up then I’m doing time
Cause best believe I’m shooting for mine
If you don’t somebody gonna beat you to it
If you think so?
Then show me
Dear Mama
Oral Interpretation:
We explored oral interpretation of literature through the works of Tupac Shakur and Chesney Snow. The participants explored Tupac’s themes within his songwriting and storytelling form while examining the presentational elements of Chesney Snow’s public speaking skills.
Master Work:
Dear Mama
I love you, I love you
You are appreciated
When I was young me and my mama had beef
Seventeen years old kicked out on the streets
Though back at the time, I never thought I’d see her face
Ain’t a woman alive that could take my mama’s place
Suspended from school, and scared to go home, I was a fool
With the big boys, breaking all the rules
I shed tears with my baby sister
Over the years we was poorer than the other little kids
And even though we had different daddy’s, the same drama
When things went wrong we’d blame mama
I reminisce on the stress I caused, it was hell
Hugging on my mama from a jail cell
And who’d think in elementary?
Hey! I see the penitentiary, one day
And running from the police, that’s right
Mama catch me, put a whooping to my backside
And even as a crack fiend, mama
You always was a black queen, mama
I finally understand
For a woman it ain’t easy trying to raise a man
(I know it ain’t easy)
You always was committed
A poor single mother on welfare, tell me how ya did it
There’s no way I can pay you back
But the plan is to show you that I understand
You are appreciated
Tupac Shakur and his mother Afeni Shakur. Afeni Shakur was imprisoned while pregnant with the iconic Hip Hop artist.
CHORUS
Dear mama
Don’t you know I love you?
Dear mama
Place no one above you
(Dear mama) Oh mama, I appreciate you
Although my shadow’s gone
I will never leave you
Tupac Shakur
Now ain’t nobody tell us it was fair
No love from my daddy cause the coward wasn’t there
He passed away and I didn’t cry, cause my anger
Wouldn’t let me feel for a stranger
They say I’m wrong and I’m heartless, but all along
I was looking for a father he was gone
I hung around with the Thugs, and even though they sold drugs
They showed a young brother love
I moved out and started really hanging
I needed money of my own so I started slanging
I ain’t guilty cause, even though I sell rocks
It feels good putting money in your mailbox
I love paying rent when the rent’s due
I hope ya got the diamond necklace that I sent to you
‘Cause when I was low you was there for me
And never left me alone because you cared for me
And I could see you coming home after work late
You’re in the kitchen trying to fix us a hot plate
Ya just working with the scraps you was given
And mama made miracles every Thanksgiving
But now the road got rough, you’re alone
You’re trying to raise two bad kids on your own
And there’s no way I can pay you back
But my plan is to show you that I understand
You are appreciated
CHORUS
Pour out some liquor and I reminisce, cause through the drama
I can always depend on my mama
And when it seems that I’m hopeless
You say the words that can get me back in focus
When I was sick as a little kid
To keep me happy there’s no limit to the things you did
And all my childhood memories
Are full of all the sweet things you did for me
And even though I act crazy
I gotta thank the Lord that you made me
There are no words that can express how I feel
You never kept a secret, always stayed real
And I appreciate, how you raised me
And all the extra love that you gave me
I wish I could take the pain away
If you can make it through the night there’s a brighter day
Everything will be alright if ya hold on
It’s a struggle everyday, gotta roll on
And there’s no way I can pay you back
But my plan is to show you that I understand
You are appreciated
CHORUS
I love you, I need you, Oh mama
I love you, Appreciate you, I need you
Oh mama
I appreciate you I love you
I need you
Oh mama
I love you
Appreciate you
I need you
Oh mama
From 1997 to 2007 the number of women in prison has increased by 832%
America’s drug addiction & W.A.R.
If you want war
Just know I’m ready
Learn with the sprite
Perc got me deadly
Load up the chop
Shit kinda heavy
Airing it out
Keepin it steady
Hold wait.
Down on my last
We had to get to the bag
Starting chasing dis cash
My life was moving too fast
Mama Kept It Real
Memories of the struggle, to make sure you and your mom have a next meal to eat and to understand that you will be blessed one day.
Sheeps & Wolves
Love is so confusing
It’s the beauty in the making
In the doing
You got brothers and that’s lying
Dressed as sheep and wolves
Love at first sight
And first touch
Love at first kiss
I hold you down
You hold me down
Till you get pissed
Love feels much better
When it’s first in the making
What is love?
the wickedness in love
Trying to fight a war you can’t win
That’s why love is wicked
Fuck it, it’s mean
“The things that stuck out to me is the fact that this song talks about the love that a mother has for her kids. And her son seeing her struggle knowing that even though he has money and status he cannot come close or begin to pay her back for the things that she did and sacrificed for him.”
Other Storytelling Forms
Devised Theater:
Devised theater is when a group of creatives collaborate to make a piece together. We devised short pieces using the music, poetry and themes we’ve explored throughout the residency.
Personal Storytelling:
Learning how to be comfortable sharing personal stories is an important skill when it comes to communicating and connecting in the world around us. By listening to a personal narrative shared out loud and engaging in self-reflection exercises we explored how verbal storytelling is a valuable tool for giving people a glimpse into our own experiences.
Contacts and Resources
Planning for Reentry:
At the time of reentry, or even as you plan for your reentry, you may find the following sequence of actions helpful as you prepare yourself to be reacquainted with the world outside of Rikers Island, depending on your specific, individual circumstances:
• Obtain some form of identification
• If you are a NYC resident and age 10 or older, you may apply for a free identification card at an IDNYC Enrollment Center or an IDNYC Pop-Up Enrollment Center Visit https://www1.nyc.gov/site/idnyc/about/about.page for more information.
• Secure housing
• If you are housing insecure upon your reentry, you may apply for affordable housing at the New York City Housing Authority (https://www1.nyc.gov/site/nycha/index.page). If you have a release date, you may actually begin to plan for your reentry and a reunion with your family and friends with NYCHA’s Family Reentry Program.
• Secure access to health services
• If you are in need of health services, Community Healthcare Network (http://www.chnnyc.org/) offers sliding scale fees for those without health insurance, and will not turn anyone away for lack of funds.
• Secure access to affordable food
• If you are food insecure upon your reentry, NYC Food Policy—Emergency Food Assistance (http://foodhelp.nyc/en/) can provide you with a referral to food pantries in NYC.
•
Provides Family Services and Supports Throughout Justice System Involvement
• Parenting and relationship education for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated parents
• Family-Focused Discharge and Reentry Planning
• Therapeutic, inclusive, and supportive services and activities for children, youth and families affected by incarceration
• Child support and financial literacy workshops, and access to benefits and work opportunities to improve family financial health
• Youth Development and Youth Leadership programs for children of incarcerated parentsPrison and jail visiting support services
• Services and Supports Within the Walls and Beyond the Bars
• Cognitive Behavioral Treatment and other evidence-based interventions proven to heal trauma, reduce recidivism, and increase re-integration in correctional and community settings
• Educational, restorative, and health programs in prisons and jails continuing into the community, addressing specific issues and populations
• Training in soft skills and hard skills designed to prepare justice-involved individuals to succeed in the job market
• Job placement and job retention support
• Job creation for justice-involved individuals through Social Enterprises
• Fresh Start Catering (originally a culinary arts training program founded by Barbara Margolis more than 30 years ago) now providing a wide array of culinary education, apprenticeships, and employment through institutional and event catering (www.freshstartcatering.org)
• Janitorial maintenance services, providing professional custodial services to governmental facilities and businesses throughout New York City
For more information, call the office nearest your borough of residence and someone will direct you to the services you are interested in:
Manhattan
2090 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd
New York, NY 10027
Phone: 212-324-5577
Bronx
809 Westchester Ave.
Bronx, NY 10455
Phone: (718)-707-2600
Brooklyn
175 Remsen Street, Suite 800
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Phone: (718)-637-6560
Newburgh
388 Ann Street
Newburgh, NY 12550
Phone: (845)-345-9845
Prison Reentry Institute at John Jay College
| http://johnjaypri.org/
PRI is engaged in education and career programs for currently and formerly incarcerated individuals. Programs include:
• College Initiative: Provides support (assistance with applications, academic counseling, etc.) for anyone with past justice involvement interested in pursuing college (must have a HS diploma or equivalency already). Contact Codi Haigney at chaigney@jjay.cuny.edu or complete this expression of interest form: http://johnjaypri.org/college-initiative/getting-started/
• Tech 101: A six-week, twice per week course on the basic tech skills needed for employment/higher education. Contact Cynthia Treanor at ctreanor@jjay.cuny.edu or complete the expression of interest form here: http://johnjaypri.org/tech-101/
• Navigator Certificate: A 16-week program designed to prepare individuals with prior justice involvement for careers in the human services sector. The course combines college-level course work with career skills development. Graduates also earn 6 credits toward a degree at John Jay College. If interested contact PRI Career Pathways team at pricareerpathways@jjay.cuny.edu.
To learn more, please call the number below:
Prisoner Reentry Institute
555 West 58th Street, Suite 603, New York, New York 10019
Phone: (212)-393-6434
Fedcap Rehabilitation | https://www.fedcap.org/
Fedcap Rehabilitation Services provides an array of services to youth and adults helping thousands each year graduate from high school, obtain vocational certification or a college degree, become work ready, obtain meaningful employment and achieve long term economic well-being. Services include: vocational and skills training, career counseling, job placement and post-employment support. They offer state-certified training in 10 career tracks including culinary arts, security and public safety, and home healthcare. They also provide extensive “soft” skills training in, for example, resume development, interviewing and workplace behavior.
To learn more, please call either of the phone numbers listed below:
Vocational Rehabilitation
210 East 43rd Street, New York, NY 10017
Phone: 212.727.4327
rehabilitation@fedcap.org
NYC Books Through Bars
Career Design School
210 East 43rd Street, New York, NY 10017
Phone: 212.727.4200
info@fedcap.org
| https://booksthroughbarsnyc.org/
NYC Books Through Bars is an organization that sends free, donated books to incarcerated people across the nation with priority to NY.
To make a request for books, you may send them a letter at the following address: c/o Bluestockings Bookstore
172 Allen Street, New York, NY 10002
Performing Arts + Social Justice Organizations:
NY Writers Coalition | https://nywriterscoalition.org/
NY Writers Coalition (NYWC) provides free and low-cost creative writing workshops throughout New York City to people from groups that have been historically deprived of voice in our society. By creating a community of writers and leaders from all economic backgrounds, races, ages, and sexual orientations, they encourage people to gain confidence and a stronger sense of self, find and expand their voices, and discover the value of their own stories. They offer free public workshops in Queens and Brooklyn.
Check out their website, email, or call the number listed to get the most updated workshop schedule:
NY Writers Coalition, Inc.
80 Hanson Place, Suite 604, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Phone: (718) 398-2883 info@nywriterscoalition.org
Artistic Noise | https://www.artisticnoise.org/
Organization offering art workshops, art therapy, and intensive Art, Entrepreneurship, and Curatorial programs to youth (16-21) who have had experience in the justice system.
To learn more, call their office at the number below and express interest in enrolling. The staff will set up a meeting to determine next steps. They also have a relationship with the NYC Probation Department and a probation officer can make referrals to the organization.
Artistic Noise NYC
2185 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd, New York, NY 10027
Phone: (347)-927-2620
The Justice Arts Coalition | https://thejusticeartscoalition.org/about/
The JAC is a collective of teaching artists, arts advocates, incarcerated artists and their loved ones who promote the education and further funding of programs that bridge the arts and justice. It is a community of people who want to share resources and stories related to the intersection of arts and justice, and who can offer opportunities to one another to keep learning and get more involved in the field.
To learn more, please send your inquiries to: info@thejusticeartscoalition.org
Manhattan Theatre Club’s Stargate Theatre
https://www.manhattantheatreclub.com/education/stargate/joinstargate/
A subset of Manhattan Theatre Club, the Stargate Theatre is an education program that invites young people who identify as male and have been involved in the justice system to come together as storytellers and theatre-makers to create a theatre piece that tells stories of their lives, with an aim to challenge the stereotypes associated with young men involved in the justice system.
To learn more about how to get involved, please visit the website listed above.
Possibility Project
| https://the-possibility-project.org/
The Possibility Project offers an opportunity for young people to come together each week over the course of 9 months and engage in programming related to social justice and the performing arts as a way to address their personal life stories and ideas to create social change in their communities.
To get involved, please visit https://the-possibility-project.org/auditions/
Carnegie Hall’s NeON Arts
| https://www.carnegiehall.org/Education/Social-Impact/NeON-Arts
NeON Arts, a subset of the Neighborhood Opportunity Network, offers young people in NYC the opportunity to examine the arts through creative projects, and in the process help them learn to establish better social and career skills.
To learn more, please read this program brochure linked on the website above.
The Hope Program
| http://www.thehopeprogram.org/how-it-works
The Hope Program is an organization that provides New Yorkers with opportunities to build sustainable futures through job training and lifelong career support. There are various opportunities offered through this organization, all of which are listed on the website above.
For more information on how to get involved, please visit: http://www.thehopeprogram.org/sign-up
Peace is a Lifestyle LIFE Camp
| https://www.peaceisalifestyle.com/welcome
Peace is a Lifestyle LIFE Camp is an organization that offers holistic programs and learning opportunities to young people and their families who have been affected by violence, and provides them with tools they may need to stay in school and out of the justice system. Through their programming, they aim to connect and motivate young people to prevent and heal from violence in NYC.
For more information on how to get involved, please visit: https://www.peaceisalifestyle.com/apply
This program is supported by:
The Achelis & Bodman Foundation The Hearst Foundations, Inc. Henry Nias Foundation The Jacob & Valeria Langeloth Foundation and The Shubert Foundation