At the age of 18, Arnie King was convicted of murder and given a life sentence, which he has been serving for the past 35 years. Through his years in jail, King has co-founded and directed various organizations – including Through Barbed Wire – that help youth, parents, and educators deal with life in prison and build a life that keeps them out of jail. He has also brought together 20-30 fellow prisoners to write poetry about their experiences and share them with the public, not to mention the three college degrees he received while incarcerated.
Mr. King was kind enough to send the following email to PrisonEducation.com.
Warm Greetings!
Through Barbed Wire resumed its monthly 4th Friday Prisoners Poetry Reading/Workshops at Dimock Community Health Center’s Detox program in Roxbury last month. (Please see the attached program.) On August 26 from 6:30 – 8:30 pm, after a break during July, a near-capacity group of 25 clients was in attendance, while three members of Through Barbed Wire provided poems, mentoring, music, and refreshments. If you would like to join us in the months ahead to read prisoners’ poetry, a poem, essay, or brief performance of your own, or would like to contribute presence and be inspired, please let us know in advance so that we can arrange for you to gain entrance to the facility. We look forward to seeing you soon. Otherwise, if you’d rather send copies of poems or writings relevant to the client’s addiction and detox issues, we’d love to work with that as well. Please include a brief bio of the writer and your connection with them. Send electronic copies to us at [email protected] or postal mail at Through Barbed Wire, PO Box 230417, Boston, Massachusetts 02123-0417.
One Love,
The Through Barbed Wire Team
Through Barbed Wire was created by Arnie King to (re)establish and maintain ties to our communities and to offer and provide genuine service to society. Due to the heavy chains around our hands and feet, CORI, and other “stigmas,” such efforts face severe restrictions. These obstacles can be diminished and eventually eliminated, with the virtues of honesty, open-mindedness, and willingness flowing through barbed wire into the community.
Published Oct 18, 2011 by Christopher Zoukis, JD, MBA | Last Updated by Christopher Zoukis, JD, MBA on Feb 16, 2024 at 10:31 am