From Street Hustler to Prison Writer: How Writing Gave Me Purpose and Saved My Life

Before I started writing, I had no purpose or real belief in myself. I was roaming through life as the typical street cat who believed that selling drugs was the end all, be all of getting money.

Growing up, I wasn’t good in sports, I couldn’t rap, and my desire to further my academics was to drop out in the eighth grade. I couldn’t imagine reaching my American dream without selling drugs. In turn, I never made it past my block. An arrest was only a setback until I got back to the block and retried my hand at selling drugs.

Fast money and the lifestyle that comes with it is addictive. I started chasing money at 14 years old. By 15, I was knee-deep in the game and addicted to it. I was unconcerned with myself and my future.

When you chase fast money, your life gets shorter. At age 22, I received a 130-year sentence for a double homicide. Allegedly, one of the victims robbed me at gunpoint for my drug money.

Becoming a Prison Writer: A Spark of Hope and a Pen in Hand

Even though I had never tried writing, I always knew I could write. I would read a book and say to myself, “I could do that.” But I didn’t have the confidence to do it. I’m an eighth grade dropout. I had no clue what to write about or who would read what I had to say.

About eight years into my sentence, I began contemplating changing my lifestyle. If I put down drugs, what would I do for money? I had no skills, and New Jersey State Prison wasn’t teaching me anything. Even though I was serving a sentence that ended with my death, I was optimistic about my freedom. Once free, working a nine-to-five was something I saw as temporary. I wanted my own American dream!

Writing My Way to Freedom

Then a friend challenged me: “Write something good, and I can get you published.” Being a published writer sounded sweet. I wrote a poem titled “Hello,” but a poem wasn’t what he was looking for. Yet the praise I received from him and others gave me the confidence I needed to keep going.

Being a prison writer has given me a purpose, a vision, and has broadened my horizon in a way I never believed imaginable. I no longer see the world through the eyes of a drug dealer, but through the eyes of a journalist, a creative writer, and a poet.

Through journalism, I enjoy shining a light on the injustices that occur in the criminal justice system. Writing fiction allows me to enter into the worlds of the characters I create, and I’m relieved of my incarcerated reality. My poetry flows freely through my pen releasing, all of the pain and love I feel.

Being a prison writer has saved my life. It has allowed me to be free, and finally I’m able to be my unique self.

Interested in reading more? Check out Writing in Prison: How I Got Out of My Funk

The post From Street Hustler to Prison Writer: How Writing Gave Me Purpose and Saved My Life first appeared on Prison Writers.