First, we have updates on the Vaughn 17 and hunger strikes and noise demonstrations from immigrant detention centers around the country. After the news, we share a conversation with Phillip Roberts and Debra Des Vignes. Des Vignes is the founder of the Indiana Prison Writers Workshop, and Roberts participated in the project for almost a year.
Roberts reads some of the poems he has written while on the inside, as well as some he’s penned since being released. He explains the ways that the writer’s workshop impacted his time in prison. Roberts tells us the story of his release, and what it was like for him to be reunited to his young daughter- and how writing helped him prepare for that experience.