Please contact Lisa Lavaysse if you would like to purchase the full PDF or a printed copy of this issue.
Continue ReadingMonth: October 2016
One Vote…Priceless!
by Eddie “Edito” DeWeaver Witnessing my father experience negative contact with law enforcement helped to form the false belief system of a fourteen- year-old, “that nothing I could do would change the world.” At that time, I had no idea how far I was away from the truth. Now sitting in this prison cell, I can say that I did change the world…for the bad. Fortunately, my story continues to get better, as I began to rst take responsibility for my past, and also, to believe in my power to impact the future…for the good. When it comes to voting,
Continue ReadingSo Tired
by Teezy I’m tired of being here to be honest. Coming here over and over is not cool at all. I wake up every day and ask myself, “How did I get here?” I never thought that I would ever be here. I’m tired of this street life. I’m tired of watching over my shoulder everywhere I go because of the things I’ve done to people in the past. I can’t leave my house without having a gun with me because there’s people that want to take my life because of my poor decisions. Before my other brother got shot in
Continue ReadingVOLUME 21.39/40
Please contact Lisa Lavaysse if you would like to purchase the full PDF or a printed copy of this issue.
Continue ReadingIt’s All About Attitude
by Dortell Williams Some time ago, I got a call to the dentist’s of ce. I wasn’t expecting a call; I had no problems or complaints. But when staff calls, you know you gotta go check it out. So I went in there and there they were: the dentist and two assistants. Nothing unusual about that. The odd thing was that they were all smiling- and looking at me! Now you know that’s weird, at least on this side of the wall. To be polite, I smiled likewise. The shorter nurse with glasses said I looked confused, but maintained her
Continue ReadingAnxiety
by Brittany Anxiety will ruin you and being locked up doesn’t make it any better. The counselors act like they understand what you’re going through. They think locking me up in a small room with no windows will help calm me down. I can’t just breath through my anxieties, it’s not that easy. I’m sitting here shaking, crying, heart pounding and I can’t catch my breath. The staff just tells me it’s going to be okay. Now, it’s not going to be okay. I am sitting in Juvenile Hall after the most traumatic experience of my life. Not knowing what is
Continue ReadingLit Crawl 2016
One of the most anticipated literary nights of the year, San Francisco’s world-famous Lit Crawl attracts close to 10,000 people, and features over 400 authors in just three hours. Lit Crawl brings literature to the streets, featuring smart and silly, worldly and wacky events in venues usual (bars, cafes, galleries, and bookstores) and unusual (police stations, tattoo parlors, barbershops, and erotica boutiques). For 20 years, the Beat Within has been publishing the soul-stirring poetry and essays of kids locked in juvenile hall in and outside the San Francisco Bay Area. Come learn about this extraordinary program, get inspired, and learn how you can help! Please
Continue ReadingWriting Workshop for Teens
Topics will be presented for teens to discuss and write about. The writing can then be submitted for possible publication in The Beat Within – a magazine of youth writing and art from the inside. 3:30-4:45PM every 1st & 3rd Friday FOOD! (if you arrive at 3:30PM) The latest issue of The Beat Within will be available for those who submit to the magazine! When Friday, October 7, 2016 – 3:30pm – 4:45pm Friday, October 21, 2016 – 3:30pm – 4:45pm Friday, November 4, 2016 – 3:30pm – 4:45pm Friday, November 18, 2016 – 3:30pm – 4:45pm Friday, December 2, 2016 – 3:30pm – 4:45pm Where Eastmont Branch 7200 Bancroft, Ste 211 Eastmont Town Center Oakland, CA 94605 Phone: (510) 615-5726 See
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