Tribute to Prisoner Express

Conversation with
Gary Fine

The Summer 2022 issue of Rattle features a Tribute to Prisoner Express, a non-profit program based in Ithaca, New York, which sends books into prisons, allowing prisoners to communicate with each other creatively through a newsletter. Last year, Elizabeth S. Wolf donated her Rattle Chapbook Prize-winning collect, Did You Know?, to the program, and encouraged participants to write chapbooks of their own. The resulting poems were so powerful we had to share. The issue includes an introduction by Elizabeth, and a conversation with the program’s director, Gary Fine, where we discuss the profound role expressive writing can play in rehabilitation.

The open section features the usual wide range of poetry from 24 poets.

 

	Prisoner Express
	Elizabeth S. Wolf	Introduction
	Robert Andrew Bartlett Sr.	Pamela’s Query
	Shaun Duane Blake	The Walk
		Escape
	Jorge Luis Corella	Nana
	Matthew Feeney	Phone Sox
	Cesar Hernandez	from Nobody Cares
	Cory Lambing	Behind the Wall
	Scott Madoulet	Burnt
	Frank Olms	Miss Miranda
		Is That a Bug in My Drink?
	Keith Pertusio	Pratikriyasana
	Rolf Rathmann	Through New Year’s Eve
	Doon Saetern	Gaps in Résumé
	James Stevahn	A Time to Heal
	Andre D. Underwood	Kalifornia
	..
	Open Poetry
	Nicelle Davis	Honey Pot
	William Virgil Davis	Overheard
	Kristina Erny	Bad Friday
	Mark Fitzpatrick	Under the Bo Tree
	David Galloway	Thought, on Viewing Zinaida Serebriakova’s …
	Lola Haskins	The Very Fortunate Girl
	Emily Ruth Hazel	Out There
	Alexis V. Jackson	What We Carry off the Sea …
	Shawn Jones	Soprano from the Junior Choir at the Protest
	Laura Judge	Speculation at 50
	Lynne Knight	The Warm Bed
	Milica Mijatovič	Pedestrian Bridge over the Train Tracks …
	Abby E. Murray	A Note from Your Friendly Poetry Instructor
	Valerie Nies	He Asks About My Kinks
	Eri Okoye	My Mother’s Son
	Kathryn Paulson	Coal Smoke
	Erin Redfern	Crosswalk
	Mather Schneider	Uncle Neto
	George J. Searles	The First Annual AHS Wipeout 5K Run
	Maia Siegel	Elites
	Elizabeth Spenst	Poem for Myself
	Susan Vespoli	Orange
	Wendy Videlock	On the Practice of Opine
	Arhm Choi Wild	One Good Memory
	..
	Conversation
	Gary Fine
	..
	Cover Art
	Neena Sethia