by redclay | Apr 24, 2023 | Visual Arts
April 18, 2023: We’re just happy to be back at the Arlington County Detention Facility after three years of virtual – or no – classes! We knew Sharmila and her gentle art would be the perfect way to segue in with the general population. She wrote that she “…tasked [them] to create an entity that had special powers that was much needed in our world today…I am always amazed at what people create for this particular project. It’s so thoughtful…We had some very interesting conversations.
Quiz: Match the description with the superpower:
- Healing fly, a butterfly who senses any suffering and ailments with her special antennas anywhere in the world and can heal the person of any ailments they may have.
- Mother Earth, our ultimate super hero. With her powers of endurance and creation the woman needs to be honored as she is the source of all that exists.
- Blossom, who makes flowers and people blossom and bloom with her special powers.
- Guppy, who loves to give group hugs. She likes peace, harmony and love to spread with her special hugs.
- Food Man, who feeds the hungry and the homeless. His never ending faucet will provide you with any liquids be it juices or sodas. His side kick furnace can whip up any dish from any country for any amount of people.
- Rainbot, who has shower powers. She can do her special robotic rain dance and make it rain wherever and whenever needed, and can bless you with prosthetic limbs if you don’t have them (the creator’s friend lost a limb because of diabetes, hence Rainbot).
by redclay | Mar 27, 2023 | Improvisation
March 27, 2023: The Arlington County Detention Facility (ACDF) is another place we haven’t been too in the last few years (yep, COVID again) and we just couldn’t wait to begin with them this year. We kicked off our series with about 15 men in the Community Readiness Unit (CRU) – a competitive program for those about to be released. We have worked with the CRU before and they are always so excited and eager for our classes!
After a 5-week creative writing program, we began improvisation in March. Improv is always a hit in detention centers, and there’s no one better than our Keely Kirk to lead the way. In fact, this month she’s teaching improvisation at Friends of Guest House, the Arlington County Detention Center, and virtually at the Northwestern Regional Adult Detention Center in Winchester, Virginia.
How’s it going? Fabulously! Here’s a mashup of Keely’s after-class emails at the ACDF:
“All of the gentlemen participated. They had a great time and many of them said they can’t wait to see me next week. I had another thousand percent class – no other way to put it. They love their improv and what I’m bringing them. They’re so attentive and so into it and so engaged and everyone’s participating, even the quiet ones. They leave the class in a much different mood….Each week I review what we’ve been learning and they’re not only telling me what we’ve been learning, they’re also putting it into use so it’s really great!
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so we’re posting a few photos from the men’s CRU class in Arlington and the women’s class in Winchester:
by redclay | Sep 16, 2022 | Detention Center Writing Contests, Poetry
Correct
by Christ Joshua M. Fletcher
Poetry, Arlington County Detention Facility/Heard/OAR writing contest, August 2022
Correct does it need to be corrected
Correctly has no matter being correction
When a newborn entered its life healthy it’s correct.
As its life have see’s other live’s doing or has done wrong & not applied to it is corrected.
Being aware of the unwealthy & still live correctly does not have time nor space
being within correction.
As thee matter which means subject, object, or person taking up space needs to be corrected.
Correctly when & or as not applied an person of correction will address you correct.
Well no-thing’s nothing will appear & as nobody even no one shall arrive to have you corrected.
Even each entire Dept. sheriff correction officer will be corrected.
Head of chain of command leads correctly
by male man made laws correct, confirm, complete, correction, corrected,
CORRECTLY!?…
by redclay | Sep 16, 2022 | Detention Center Writing Contests, Poetry
by Thomas Carlos Felder, Jr.
Poetry, Arlington County Detention Facility/Heard/OAR writing contest, August 2022
They see balance and they want to challenge or damage.
Thy heart <3 wants thy mind can’t percieve,
Bring in this state of pandemic a lot
of people run off envy and greed.
Our children look up to us
To balance their lives,
but from sitting in a 4×6 cell,
They can’t see how much we cry.
A true balance of life metaphoricly speaking
sometimes our heart <3 will die within.
We all miss our kin
Sometimes we have to tell our children,
beautiful lies to keep them happy inside.
Once is all it takes to upsetting thier normal lives,
That’s why it’s a must to have balance of life! 😊
by redclay | Sep 16, 2022 | Detention Center Writing Contests, Poetry
by Hassen Hassen
Poetry, Arlington County Detention Facility/Heard/OAR writing contest, August 2022
How can we protect our goals;
When we are not being keepers of each other souls?
Obsessed with our past;
too blind to see our present.
Too caught up in current trash;
To understand our future’s present.
In a tureen; lost in a sea of oblivion;
looking for away out; out this morass material.
Reaching for a hand; to pull us up.
Event a rope or a ladder might make us jump.
Shedding tears of joy; and smiles of sorrow;
painfully hoping and happily despiring.
With pain so deep, like the marrow’s in our bones;
And comradery so fake, like a cartoon’s souls.
We both hungry for just a little refuge;
But, all we feed each other is plates of subterfuge.
Brainwashed to inure less;
When we are supposed to be our best.
How do we protect our goals;
When we are not keepers of each other souls?
So, place me deep, where you look within;
abyssed in your soul when you need a friend.
Place it dearly next to your heart,
But never negated when we are apart.
And even thought we have different mothers;
That doesn’t mean we can’t be prison brothers.
Recent Comments