1. Creative Writing for
the Prison Population
AFACCT Conference, January 5, 2012, Presented by Wendy Kibler
Montgomery College-Rockville, MD and Barb Link
Session 3.13 (1:50-3:00 p.m.)
wendyk@csmd.edu/baLink@csmd.e
du

2. Using our experience in
teaching literature at the
College of Southern Maryland as
a template, we decided to
teach creative writing at the
county detention center to fulfill
certification requirements for the
Adjunct Certification Level III
Keynote Project.

3. St. Mary‟s County
Detention Center

4. The need was there!
Nothing like this project was
being employed.
It enhanced the GED program.
It gave the residents a healthy
outlet for their feelings and a
means to keep their minds
active.

5. Expectations

6. Instructional approach
 To start each class, we read a poem and
discussed it.
 Wendy: “Boys” by Wendy Kibler
 Barb: “Yet Do I Marvel” by Countee Cullen
 Residents shared their poems
 We usually read for them.
 Group poems
 Index cards
 White board
 Individual poems
 Assigned homework

7. Getting started
I used to but now I I used to but now I
be… am… think… know…

10. Group poems
Index cards
White board

11. Music
by
Joshua, Aaron, Joseph, Tyron, Brian, Darryl, Dennis,
and Errin
Inspirational way of life for a relaxing state of
mind
Chillin‟
passing time
Expressing your feelings to cleanse your soul
Soothing
Exciting
Relating to my problems
Keeping me working hard
Certain types of music put me in the zone
Sounds of different songs in the background
soothes my soul from the top
all the way down
All music relaxes the mind, body, and the
spirit
It‟s good and great
It‟s my God
Love to listen to music

12. untitled
by Markeith, Joshua, Lance, Terry, and Gregory
We do nothing every day
We look at the walls
Listen to what the guards have to say
We do nothing every day
Day after day after day
Escorted when we walk the halls
We do nothing every day
We look at the walls

13. Going deeper… Acrostic Poetry
William Carlos Williams Poem
Method:
Write your name vertically – put one letter on each line:
Line 1: This is just to say
______ _____________________________________________________________________
Line 2: I have _________________ (verb)
______ _____________________________________________________________________ Line 3: the ___________________ (nouns)
______ _____________________________________________________________________ Line 4: that were/was in/on/out
______ _____________________________________________________________________ Line 5: the _________ (noun)
______ _____________________________________________________________________ Line 6: and which
______ _____________________________________________________________________ Line 7: you were probably
______ _____________________________________________________________________ Line 8: saving
______ _____________________________________________________________________ Line 9: for _______________ (name or event, like Christmas, dinner, or a birthday)
Line 10: Forgive me
______ _____________________________________________________________________
Line 11: It/they was/were ________________ (adjective)
______ _____________________________________________________________________
Line 12: so _______________ (adjective)
______ _____________________________________________________________________
Line 13: and so ________________ (adjective)
Sample:
Now, write a line that describes you that starts with that letter.
This is just to say
Sample: I have eaten Forgive me
the plums they were delicious
Busy
that were in so sweet
Always learning the icebox and so cold
Really loves grandchildren and which by William Carlos Williams
you were probably
But hates housework saving
for breakfast

16. Journaling
 Dream notebooks
 Morning pages
 Used as segue into short stories
 Describe settings

18. Our brief foray into fiction…

19. Predictions
 Read “Powder” by Tobias Wolff
 Stopped at intervals
 Residents predicted future events

20. Magnets and Mad Libs
Magnets
Nouns
Verbs
Adjectives
Adverbs
Mad Libs

23. Guest speaker: Wayne Karlin
Brief bio:
• Vietnam War veteran
• CSM professor since
mid-1980s
• Author of several
novels, including
Wandering Souls and
Marble Mountain

24. Wayne‟s presentation
 Wandering Souls, Chapter 1
 “The Man I Killed” by Tim O‟Brien
 The point was to compare reality and
fiction and how you create fiction from
reality.

28. Back to poetry!

29. Form poetry
 Haiku
 Cinquain
 Diamonte

33. Slam Poetry
One of the most vital and energetic movements in poetry
during the 1990s, slam has revitalized interest in poetry in
performance. . . . [W]hile many poets in academia found fault
with the movement, slam was well received among young
poets and poets of diverse backgrounds as a democratizing
force. This generation of spoken word poetry is often highly
politicized, drawing upon racial, economic, and gender
injustices as well as current events for subject manner
(Poets.org, par. 3).

34. Resident Reflections
 How did we do?
 Asked residents to write a paragraph
about the class.

38. A.
by Wendy Kibler
A. is a 21-year-old resident in the
detention center. He agreed to
be interviewed for the purpose
of my writing a poem. The
following pantoum is comprised
of his words.

39. A.
Caught my first charge at 10
Started smokin‟ weed, drinkin‟ and partying
Arrested 20 times as a juvenile
Seen 13 or 14 therapists since I was 11
Started smokin‟ weed, drinkin‟ and partying
I‟ve seen murders, people killed in front of me
Seen 13 or 14 therapists since I was 11
After caring so much, losing so much, you just don‟t care
I‟ve seen murders, people killed in front of me
A lot of my cousins are gang bangers
After caring so much, losing so much, you just don‟t care
I can turn homicidal
A lot of my cousins are gang bangers
I need to get out of here
I can turn homicidal
F*** St. Mary‟s County, f*** Maryland
I need to get out of here
I don‟t know how to help myself
F*** St. Mary‟s County, f*** Maryland
I‟ve had hopes and dreams
I don‟t know how to help myself
Arrested 20 times as a juvenile
I‟ve had hopes and dreams
Caught my first charge at 10

40. Reflections
and
Q&A

41. Now you try it!

42. Works Cited
Beaty, Daniel. “Knock Knock.” Def Poetry. YouTube. Web. 3 Jan. 2012.
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eYH0AFx6yl>.
“A Brief Guide to Slam Poetry.” Poets.org. National Academy of American Poets, 2012. Web. 3 Jan. 2012.
<http://www.poets.org/.php//>.
Bunkham, Gareth. “52 Reasons Why Back to the Future Might Just Be the Greatest Film of All Time.” Rev. of Back to the
Future. WhatCulture! Obsessed with Film Ltd, 2011. Web. 3 Jan. 2012. <http://whatculture.com//52-reasons-
why-back-to-the-future-might-just-be-the-greatest-film-of-all-time.php>.
Corrections Division Recruitment Video. firstsheriff.com. St. Mary‟s County Sheriff‟s Office, n.d. Web. 3 Jan. 2012.
<http://www.firstsheriff.com/.asp>.
CreativeWriting.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Jan. 2012. <http://www.creativewriting.com/activities/>.
Learn English Free Best ESL links resources study learn English courses. FreebieDock.com, n.d. Web. 3 Jan. 2012.
<http://englishlinking.com/free-short-stories-to-practice-reading-and-listening/>.
Life for Rent. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Jan. 2012. <http://idiotsandgenious.blogspot.com/2011//.html>.
Lohnes, Mary J. “Wayne Karlin‟s „Marble Mountain.‟” Mary J. Lohnes. wordpress.com, n.d. Web. 3 Jan. 2012.
<http://maryjlohnes.wordpress.com/interviews/karlins-marble-mountain/>.
madglibs.com. Nathanael Huddleson, n.d. Web. 3 Jan. 2012. <http://www.madglibs.com/lib.php?glibid=181>.
Mali, Taylor. “What Teachers Make.” YouTube. Web. 3 Jan. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/?v=RxsOVK4syxU>.