More from "Toward You"

" . . . The interesting thing is that most felons actually prefer novels to short stories or even poems . . . the prisoners themselves tell us that the novels' longer narrative arcs give them a sense of continuity, as well as a chance, in a way, for them to escape their present unhappy circumstances, if only temporarily. As for their own writing, which we encourage through weekly workshops, they much prefer poetry. I don't know if it's a certain criminal lack of attention span -- somebody ought to do a study someday -- or just poetry's innate potential for violence and its implied permission to use inflammatory language, but they certainly do churn it out for whatever reason."