by Brother Vernon Smith Sometimes people come into your life and you know right away, that they were meant to be there to serve some sort of purpose and teach you a lesson. They help you figure out who you are, or who you want to become. You never know just who these people may be, but when you lock eyes with them, you know in that moment, that they will affect your life in some profound way. Sometimes things happen to you and at that time, they may seem horrible, painful and unfair, but in reflection you realize that
Continue ReadingYear: 2019
Volume 24.13/14
Please contact Lisa Lavaysse if you would like to purchase the full PDF or a printed copy of this issue.
Continue ReadingEd Note 24.13/14
Welcome back editorial note readers to our latest double issue, 24.13/14, of writing and art from the inside and beyond. There is plenty of good writing in this one of a kind issue and we certainly hope you will not pass up the writings that we are featuring this week in our editorial note. As many of you know, we have a long standing partnership with the Urban High School of San Francisco, that has become an important piece to our success. It’s hard to believe we have been working with Urban students since 1997! We thank our dear friends
Continue ReadingFrom Big Bro To Baby Bro
by Joseph “Big Bro” Weathington Dear Edward Jr. (Pesto), Hey baby bro, it’s been a while since you passed away. A lot has changed since your death, but missing you is the one thing that hasn’t. I love you bro, and I miss you just as much. I’m writing you because I want to apologize. I’m sorry that I failed you. I wasn’t the big brother to you that I should have been. I didn’t guide you in the right direction. I led you left, when I should have been the big brother that showed you something different, given you
Continue ReadingNightmare
by DD From what I know, loneliness can manifest feelings of anger, sadness, but most importantly, a feeling of emptiness, and at a certain point, it feels as if you’re going through life numb every day. And the real world doesn’t seem so real or feel so real any more. Reality starts to fade away, and life feels like a dream, more like a nightmare that’s inescapable. Before you know it, you’re living in a world where you can’t tell the difference between the real world and a fake, imaginary world. The worst thing is reaching a point when you
Continue ReadingThe Beat Within Poetry Reading – In Community and Celebration
WHEN: Thursday, May 2nd, 2019 WHERE: The Oakland Main Public Library, 125 14th St, Oakland CA 94612 TIME: 5:00 pm – 7:30 pm Click here to RSVP today! Join us on Thursday, May 2nd for a celebration of voices from The Beat Within, a national publication of writing and artwork by incarcerated youth. In partnership with the Teen Zone of Oakland Main Public Library and the Akonadi Foundation, we’ll be highlighting the stories from our weekly writing workshops inside the Alameda County Juvenile Justice Center, and beyond. Former Beat writers will share their strength and power with us through their stories,
Continue ReadingVolume 24.11/12
Please contact Lisa Lavaysse if you would like to purchase the full PDF or a printed copy of this issue.
Continue ReadingEd Note 24.11/12
Greetings friends! Welcome to double issue, 24.11/12, of The Beat Within. As always, you wonderful readers will be getting a one-of-a-kind snapshot of amazing writing and art from various institutions from around the great state of California and beyond! We truly appreciate all the hard work that goes into making this publication a success, starting with you facilitators and volunteers who support the amazing writers in our writing and conversation workshops, to those who find the time independently to reach out to us with their art, stories, poems and reflections. A big thanks to all of you. It’s been a
Continue ReadingAnger Can Be Your Friend
by John Vasquez Many people believe anger is a bad thing, but it can actually be your friend. Anger is a natural human emotion just like fear, happiness or sadness. Everyone gets angry from time to time. Why? Because we’re human. Unfortunately, people often think anger is bad because they mistakenly believe that anger and aggression are the same things, but they’re not. Anger is a feeling. Aggression is a behavior. Aggression is just one way to express anger. Hitting, assaulting or cussing someone out is an act of aggression. Anger is the feeling behind it. Anger is a powerful
Continue ReadingMe and My Life
by Mindyours When I was twelve-years-old my dad got shot. All I ever wanted was revenge. I got so caught up in going to shoot the sucka that shot my pops. After all that stuff happened I started to really get in the streets. I started robbing people to get my money right. I started to fight any and everybody. What really hit was when my mother left my brother and me for another man. I felt so alone and I had to raise my little brother. I was so young so I started robbing more people to make more
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