Category: Editor’s Note

Greetings Beat lovers! It is always an honor to share the love through the pages of this amazingly one of a kind publication of writing and art from the inside and beyond, which we know and cherish as The Beat Within. We hope you all reading this are doing well? We hope you are taking the necessary precautions to staying healthy and safe? You can count on us to do our part. It is hard to believe it has been nearly six months since we were ordered to wear a mask and shelter in place.  The time is truly flying

Greetings to our readers and writers of The Beat Within! We’re back with another double issue (25.31/32) of thoughtful, profound, and resilient writing from our youth (and our elders) across the country, amidst still rising cases of COVID-19 and the necessary re-structuring of a society rooted in social and racial injustice. We can’t tell you enough how urgently your voices are needed, particularly now, more than ever. YOU are the voices of our future, and the histories that each one of you carry are shaping our present, are informing our future.  In today’s editorial note we’re highlighting the reflections of

Hello and welcome to all our readers, writers, and community members far and wide. The Beat goes on under such extenuating circumstances, and during one of the most urgent and unprecedented times our country has seen in recent history. We turn our editorial pages over today to our interns from Urban High School of San Francisco. Over the course of their school semesters, our student interns work to transcribe pieces sent to us from jails, prisons, and other adult institutions. We’re so grateful for their dedication to our mission, and for their consistent efforts to make this publication what it

Welcome back to this latest double issue, 25.27/28, of The Beat Within! We hope that our community of readers, writers, and supporters are staying safe and healthy as COVID-19 cases continue to rise across the country, and as our fight for a more equal and just world persists. As we’ve done before, we’re continuing to highlight the reflections of our student interns from Urban High School of San Francisco. These students have been working hard and diligently during their school semester to transcribe pieces for publication in The Beat Without. Below, Dabney describes how quarantine has prompted her to turn

Greetings, readers and writers of The Beat Within! We continue to embrace and amplify your truths and your stories, even in the most chaotic and challenging of times. For this issue, we welcome back the voices of two of our editorial interns from Urban High School, who have transcribed pieces for The Beat Without over the course of their semester. Their reflections here are especially timely. One of our interns writes about how their work for us has changed their stereotypical view of incarcerated people and meditates on the impact that COVID-19 has had on the incarcerated population. Elizabeth writes

Greetings friends! Welcome to another thoughtful and timely edition of The Beat Within. This double issue, 25.23/24, is full of various writings from our youth to our adults, incarcerated and free. We truly value our Beat community and the insights that they bring to our workshops and to us independently each week. The other day, we were talking to our long-time colleague, Simone, about our concerns, frustrations, and hopes with what is going on in the world. We were so inspired by our deep conversation that we asked her to write this week’s editorial note, to help us respectfully capture

Greetings, friends of The Beat Within! It is such an honor to connect and share with you all through the pages of  The Beat Within. What an issue you have in your hands! It is hard to believe, that we have being leading workshops inside various institutions, school and community based organizations and putting out our one of a kind publication since 1996! Yes, almost 25 years!    Here we are, as summer embraces us, we have double issue, 25.21/22 for your latest read.  As the COVID 19 continues to plague our  communities around the USA, The Beat Within continues

Greetings friends of The Beat Within! Welcome to double issue 25.19/20!  It is hard to believe we are well over two months into our Shelter In Place, social distancing, mask wearing life style in order to navigate the new world we are living in, due to COVID-19.  What more can we say around COVID-19 that has not been expressed in this issue and in recent past issues of The Beat Within? We are also hopeful that your news sources are keeping you up to date and not overwhelming you too much. We do know, too much news is not a

Welcome back to another double issue of The Beat Within! Though our world continues in a state of chaos and uncertainty, The Beat Within remains constant & committed to sharing your voice, your story, and your opinions about what matters most. We’ve been deeply humbled to hear what you have to say about COVID-19, the shelter in place order, isolation, and control – concerns that are impacting all of us, no matter where we are. The advice and encouragement our writers have to offer us readers is so valuable. You bring us the hope, perspective, and enthusiasm that our world

We welcome back our wonderful community of Beat readers and writers! We hope this issue finds you in good health and high spirits during these challenging times we are all facing. The Beat Within staff, volunteers, and community partners continue to work with extra diligence in the midst of this global pandemic to make sure that The Beat ends up in your hands. We are making the most of our social distancing and transition to alternate ways of learning and growing. You inspire us each and every day, and give us the strength to persevere!  For this issue, we’d like