Short Stories

The following is a collection of our latest and most meaningful writing projects.

01

The Guy in the Glass

by: Quinten

A piece about realizing that you can redeem yourself - forgiveness even after destroying your life as you knew it, without even knowing you were doing so, before you made your list of mistakes. Self-forgiveness and compassion in the first step.

_______

I had a mirror on my wall. Big, bright, clear as you'd expect. I'd look into it every day, and the guy in the glass would shoot back that familiar smile I'd grown accustomed to. I recognized him, knew him well, even, from years of conversations. Or at least that's what I told myself.

02

FEAR

Creative Writing Class #1 : FEAR _______

Fear can be consuming - a darkness you fall deeper into until it becomes what defines you.

Fear is a stone growing infinitely larger within the center of your soul.

by: Quinten

03

Escape

by: Quinten

Sometimes I feel the efforts of being trapped where I am. The signs have become familiar: a growing tightness in my chest; a pallid, blanketing fog creeping into my mind; a nagging, cloying urge to run - not to anything, but away...

04

One of Bubs Many Stories

All through my youth I seen my folks dope deal,

my dad use to sell 'm, roll 'm, spit seal 'm,

what did I kno, I was just ah kid,

drove in the dope car and lived in a dope crib,

kids had the toys, mom on ah benz,

every dog has his day and pops day came to an end.

05

Rocket, man

by: Quinten

My dog Rocket, my baby died on 10/26/23 very suddenly, so this is my tribute to her.

I thought it would be harder, I really did. Just ruminating on the thought that one day my life would be rid of something so big, the truest form of love I'd known since I was a kid.

06

Just Let Me Go

by: Quinten

This piece is my attempt to put into words the power my vice had over me, and the realization that the goal I've had of being able to overcome it is actually attainable.

________

Omnipotent. That's the best word I can come up with for the vice that has controlled my life. It is oppressive, controlling, destructive, insatiable, unceasing, but above all, it is omnipotent.

07

God's Teardrop

On a warm winter afternoon, along a trail high in the Sierra Madre Mountain range, in the Mexican State of Oaxaco, a gift from the almighty was left for a flavored soul to find.

It was on an immense defensive wall of natural cut stone, which rose quite majestically beneath the canopy of billowy white clouds hanging low against an azure December sky ...

08
Neutrality

by: Quinten

This piece is about how I view the concept of "struggling" while in prison.

I've been in prison now for 883 days. That sounds like an eternity to some but like nothing to many more. I still have family who apologize when they ask me how I'm doing.

09

The Story of Kodi & Little

It's 8 a.m. in the morning in Hollis Queens, and Mrs. Martha is already screaming at the top of her lungz: "Little, get your ass up and make me some damn coffee!"

10

A Glimmer of Hope

You're sitting on a peeling blue bench in a courtyard located between two elementary school buildings. First, second, and third grade artwork (hand-drawn and sloopily colored in pictures of the kids' activities from last summer) decorate the windows. A welcome cool breeze whips through the thick humid air ...