Greetings friends! Welcome to our latest double issue, 27.17/18, of writing and art from inside the system and beyond. There is plenty of solid content to read and find inspiration from, but before we get there, let’s make sure we hear from the one and only OT, as he leads us off with this latest editorial note. Well, if you checked out the previous issue, I was letting off some steam and letting y’all know that I was going through some thangs. The reason why I did that, was to show y’all that we’re all human. Many of you ask
Continue ReadingFools
by Rony, San Jose, CA “It’s easier to fool people then to convince them that they’ve been fooled.” -Samuel Clemens I get the sense that this quote is more like people not accepting the truth and or are too stubborn to the facts. This is a characteristic I do not tolerate. When I tell someone who I think they really are they tend to get defensive. When you can see through and see them for what they really are they get insecure. People don’t like to succumb to the fact they are hiding behind a mask fooling themselves thinking they
Continue ReadingA Funny Moment
by Elian, Marin A week before I got arrested I was at my house at around 11 pm. Three of my friends texted me to ask if they could come over. I said yes, so about thirty minutes later, they knocked on my door. They brought me Takis and soda and were being hella loud. One of my homies was playing on my PC, and the rest of us were live on Instagram. Every time my homie died in the game, he screamed loudly, and the rest of us were loud too. After, we made some food, and we were
Continue ReadingThree Words That Describe Me
by Halo, San Francisco There are many words to describe me and people consider me to be an interesting person so one word that describes me is funny. A lot of people, well basically everybody, I mean their first impression of me are almost always funny because how easy I can make people laugh, how efficient my jokes and comebacks are, and how quick I think of things. Another word that describes me is smart. Everybody who really knows me knows I’m smart as hell and I believe knowledge is key so I like to get as much knowledge as
Continue ReadingMom Caught Me Multiple Times
by T, Sacramento One time when I was thirteen or fourteen, my mom caught me smoking in the house with my sister. She was mad. She was yelling for about an hour about how I want to be so grown and how I don’t listen to a thing she says. Then she started talking about how I don’t go to school and I’m failing. The whole situation turned into me not going to school and how I think I’m grown. She forgot that she caught me smoking and was mad that I “wanted to be grown.” Another time I caught a
Continue ReadingWords From The Wise
by Chaser, San Quentin State Prison, CA “It’s easier to fool people than to convince them that they’ve been fooled.” -Samuel Clemens aka Mark Twain It’s easier to fool people then to convince them they have been fooled. This sounds like me as a teenager, specifically when it came to addiction. I was a drug addict and nobody could tell me anything. The biggest problem was I didn’t think I was a drug addict. I regulated my use (sometimes) and I knew older homeboys who were way worse. From the age of 12 I was drinking. At 13 I started smoking
Continue ReadingThat Sound
by Donald Thompson, San Quentin State Prison, CA The sound that I wish I could forget is the sound of my sister’s voice when I called to talk to my mom. On January 26th, 1997, Super Bowl Sunday. I called my mom from the county jail where I had been since 1995, to tell her I missed her and loved her. However, my sister answered the phone. She was unusually quiet, and so I asked, “What’s wrong?” I heard her sniffling and she began crying. “Tell me what’s wrong!” She was finally able to bring herself to say, “Momma
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Volume 27.15/16
Please contact Lisa Lavaysse if you would like to purchase the full PDF or a printed copy of this issue.
Continue ReadingEd Note 27.15/16
Greetings friends! As our old friend and colleague, Cliff used to say, another week, another Beat…. It is hard to believe we are at it again with another beautiful, insightful, stimulating, powerful, and truly amazing one of a kind publication for you readers. Our latest double issue, 27.15/16, packs plenty of writings that we are sure you will truly find uplifting and hopefully inspiring pieces. Maybe you will pick up a pencil, grab a piece of paper and become a part of The Beat Within community. If you are new to The Beat, thanks for trusting us, there is a
Continue ReadingWhere You Feel Safe
by FT, Billings, Montana I am from Butte MT. Sometimes you can taste copper from the mines.You can smell a lot of thingsdepending on what part of town you are in. Downtown smells like fast food.Uptown smells like flowers from the gardens. Sometimes I feel scared. Because you see kids on the streetsand doing drugs on the streets. People fighting each other for no reason at all. But why does all of that make it home to me? Because it’s not where you arethat makes it homeit’s where you feel safe. Where I feel safe is with my family and friends. The ones who care about me. The ones who didn’t hurt me. The
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