While leading a Project A.R.T. class at Rockdale RYDC, I met a boy called “Lee.” He was very reserved and quiet, keeping to himself as the other guys in my program engaged with each other easily. He seemed very alone, so I decided to sit with him to share markers and continue drawing. I asked about his project; he kept replying with one word answers and gestures. As I checked in with the other boys’ progress, I kept returning to Lee, trying to make conversation, but still no

Teaching can be scary. You stand in front of a room, everyone looking at you, waiting for you to speak. They expect you to be knowledgeable, to not say “umm” too many times, and to make their time worthwhile. Further adding to the difficulty, teachers often spend more time actually preparing for the lesson than they do teaching the lesson, thus consuming a massive amount of personal time. You spend hours and hours prepping for a lesson, hoping and praying that your students w

Ana Ivey, our creative writing instructor at Coastal State Prison, shares a beautiful message for us.***The Enemy’s Lies or God’s Truths “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 1 Corinthians 5:15 ***He held the pages of his story and said, “I am a total screw up.” ​ I was teaching my creative writing class at Coastal State Prison. We were discussing the concept of “false beliefs” in literature. False belief

Small Joys Behind Big Gates “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:11 ESV I used to think that joy had to be found in the big moments of life. I expected to only find joy in achieving my long-term goals, checking a box on my bucket list, or even hitting a major life milestone such as graduating college or signing a lease on my first apartment. Recently, the Lord has been reveal

Prisons do not exist in a vacuum. Forty-five percent of Americans have had a family member spend time in jail or prison. Ninety-five...

There’s an old-time country artist I really like called Stonewall Jackson. I heard this song called “Waterloo” and was instantly hooked....

When HeartBound hosts our Returning Hearts Celebrations, I like to work the check-in table for families. Why? For many of the children,...

We all have to begin somewhere. We had just wrapped our Returning Hearts Celebration at Burruss Correctional Training Center. The day was...

In January, I asked each of the horticulture students at Burruss Correctional Training Center to write down their hopes and dreams. One...

I am consistently amazed and humbled while teaching inside prison. I am a college-educated, mid-20-something who’s never known want or...

I like to listen to music when I write. Funny enough though, when I was younger and listening to music, I rarely heard the lyrics – what...

I count many incarcerated people among my friends. I see these friends every week; we exchange thoughts on life, incarceration, religion,...

The book had been sitting on my shelf for too long. The time had come. I had to finish this thing. I almost dreaded the task. The font...

I met a friend for dinner recently who asked me about my work. We discussed the different programs HeartBound sponsors, why we do what we...

Paul Simon sings, “You’ve got to learn how to fall before you learn how to fly.” Well, there I was, learning how to fall, although at...

“Wiggle your toes,” I said. Ahmeze laughed nervously. “Come on, try it,” I implored. He took a deep breath, then proceeded. The...

They were like giddy school girls, giggling with glee every time they opened a new box to discover the treasures inside. Every few...

Teaching can be scary. You stand in front of a room, everyone looking at you, waiting for you to speak. They expect you to be...

Prisons do not exist in a vacuum. Forty-five percent of Americans have had a family member spend time in jail or prison. Ninety-five...

There’s an old-time country artist I really like called Stonewall Jackson. I heard this song called “Waterloo” and was instantly hooked....