Storytelling and Identity - Fall 2023

we are made of stories

Prep Note 9/12/23

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On September 11, 2023

In kristine, prep note

While reading the latter part of “Writing Our Way Out,” I was happy to find out that these men were mostly able to reclaim their lives after incarceration. I liked that many of them found some sort of outlet or motivational factor to keep them going, such as religion or knowing that their family needed them. I was also happy to read that writing their stories helped them reconcile with their pasts. Some of them believed that their way of thinking back then was twisted, which they didn’t realize until they had physically written down their stories on paper. However, I was sad when I found out that some of the men were re-arrested. It’s important to know that progress isn’t linear. It ebbs and flows and that’s just how life is sometimes. I was extremely saddened to find out that Andre was killed due to his involvement in a robbery after he had just worked so hard to get acquitted on three trials. Most of all, I learned to view prisoners as humans with stories while I was reading this book. Sometimes, I found myself in disbelief that these stories I was reading were real. I think it will start to feel more real when we are visited by David Coogan and some of the ex-offenders in class. I think it will be a surreal experience meeting them in person, but I am still very excited to hear what they have to say.

I have decided to focus on Naji’s story in particular because some of the events that happened in his life were so profound that they just stuck with me. When he was young, his mother died unexpectedly and he never knew his father. He ended up living with his grandparents, who inflicted physical abuse on him and his brother. His grandmother was emphasized as the main abuser. This caused him to seek love and acceptance throughout his life, which might have led him to do irresponsible things. He started to use drugs and steal to sustain his drug habits, all to distract from his abusive home life. While he was incarcerated, he began to educate himself. All his life, he had learned to hate white people due to racist experiences growing up. When he was introduced to the Nation of Islam, he started seeing the world through new eyes upon discovering that the first man on earth was Black. He even changed his name from James Canady to Naji Faruk Mujahid because it was more fitting to who he was becoming. After he was released, he discovered that his grandmother had Alzheimer’s and that she didn’t remember any of the abuse she subjected to him. He took care of her regardless and became more responsible with his life. Although he didn’t focus as much as he intended on his religion, learning about the Muslim faith was a large factor in rebuilding his life. Writing through Dr. Coogan’s project was also a major contributor because it helped him analyze his life through a new lens.

prep note 9/7

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On September 9, 2023

In Chang

This book was a product when David Coogan started a writing workshop at a jail to raise awareness in the city about prisoner reentry. Before reading, I thought the book was about prisoners’ remorse for their crimes or their life in prison, but after reading, I realized that the actual content is more profound than I expected. The authors of this book were seeking answers, solutions and means to crab the cycle of dysfunction not only in their lives, but also in society.  The book gave me an opportunity to think about how different environments influenced and shaped people.

 

I was impressed by one of the chapter that Andre wrote. When his dad started feeding him heroin, his mother known that but didn’t say nothing.  David Coogan talked about a memory when he was at the similar age. He rolled a piece of paper into a pretended cigarette, then his mother ask if he thought smoking was cool. The intervention was the difference. David Coogan’s mother was right there to show his the right way. An important reason why these prisoners commit crimes might be the lack of positive guidance when they grew up.

 

“We would write hopefully, and with the intent of steering the ongoing process of becoming who we are, not only for ourselves, but for the greater good.” I once saw a talk on television about a dilemma that journalists often faced. If a journalist reports the real experience of a person, it can raise public awareness of the dark side of society. However, the risk to the person involved is high, because the people who have hurt him may see this report and retaliate against him. I’m wondering, will there be potential risk for them when prisoners wrote their experience to the public?

Response to Daily Class Notes 9/7/23

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On September 7, 2023

In Daily Class Notes

Response to class notes from 9/7

 

We focused mainly on the book “Writing Our Way Out” by David Coogan and the incarcerated men he worked with. We discussed how impactful the book was, not only as a piece of literature, but as an example of how storytelling can both educational and empowering, which I believe is an important focus of this class.

We talked about how important the structure of the book was to its meaning, discussing how splitting up the different men’s narratives not only made it easier to compare the different stories, but also showed how each writer was developing and becoming more open over time.

I think the idea we briefly touched on about nobody being completely objective is a really interesting one. I think it’s important to understand that it’s impossible to completely remove the biases and preconceptions we’ve developed as a part of our culture and upbringing. This is neither a negative or positive thing, in fact, I think that by analyzing someone’s existing preconceptions, one can learn a lot about who they are and what their life is like.

I also enjoyed the metaphor of the telephone game that Professor Dolson brought up when we were talking about the accuracy of the quotes in the book. When we played the game, the original message got distorted so it ended up being a little different from when Ana first came up with her sentence. This is similar to how the quotes in the book might not be exactly accurate to what the writers said. The sentences might have been distorted and altered in David Coogan’s mind, not by other people, but by time.

I think Nick G. made a really good point when we were discussing the importance of including the dates of the project in the introduction of the book. Nick said that the inclusion of the dates helped ground the book in realism and it made the stories inside feel more authentic and impactful.

We also talked out how important it was that both David Coogan and the reader are unaware of the men’s convictions until later in their stories. This is a good way to circumvent the potential biases we might have about the men based on their crimes.

For our upcoming writing assignment, I think the metaphor of the compost heap is a really helpful one. The idea that we’re taking quotes from the book and using them as “kitchen scraps” to then dive into the smaller details of  the text is a really strong visual.

Overall, I think this was a very productive class period. The ideas we formed and the conversations we had about “Writing Our Way Out” were very thoughtful and I really enjoyed thinking about the ways in which the book affected us.

9/07/2023 – Class Notes

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On September 7, 2023

In Daily Class Notes, Julia

Today we started by discussing our Prep Notes posted prior to class on the first nine chapters of Writing Our Way Out.

Touching on the point of identity in the course, why is this novel a good example of how we sense other people’s identities? (I drew this as the theme for the class.)

What is the story of how this book got made? David Coogan, a Dr. at VCU recruits prisoners to write their stories, turning them into a memoir, ultimately helping the offenders develop for their future selves, and drawing insights to the lives of convicts. Coogan’s goal was to put their memoirs together, but did it rather unconventionally. Something we may be able to ask Coogan is what was his thinking when structuring the book. Some things we brainstormed in class is that David could be the connector between the men, and by telling the stories back to back, the reader can identify the parallels between each of the men’s stories. David was able to ask them questions that they’ve never had to answer, like “when did you make this conscious decision to lead this lifestyle?” Kaylee pointed out that by breaking the memoirs up piece by piece, the reader is able to understand the relationship between Coogan and the men, and how their relationship develops throughout the course. It also gives a perspective of how the writers grow into their emotions throughout their lifetime (Will Sheets).

No such thing as pure objectivity, like there used to be in journalism and now in science.

Creative nonfiction: paradox within itself; has aspects of truth and accuracy

  • Phrases in quotes in the memoir (like Stan’s on page 44) demonstrates that maybe it was actually said rather than paraphrased (or maybe it was what Coogan remembered). As readers, we can’t be totally sure.

break for telephone game

  • Even though some quotes are paraphrased, it holds meaning because it made its way into the book by Coogan.
  • Brings back to the question: Is this story true?

Next, we took a look at the dates from when these stories were accumulated. It started in 2006 and ended in 2011, following the men’s lives in their journey back to freedom. Coogan typed their handwritten drafts and also gave them their “cleaned up” versions of their first stories. Coogan incorporates these teachable moments, but notices he has to sacrifice them at the “sentence level,” which allows him to focus on the story overall, not punctuation, grammar, spelling, etc. Professor Dolson has us look at the end of the introduction that highlights the fact that many employers will still not hire ex-convicts.

Takeaways from stories:

  • The early ages that these traumatic incidents had on the men.
  • The effect that memories have on these instances, little kids aren’t just “turnips in car seats.

Break to share stories about the “moment we decided to be “____”. It’s not simple to decide who you want to be, or what you want to do. For some people there was a distinct moment where they realized what it was, for some it was a gradual decision over a long period of time, and some just didn’t know how to explain it.

How does language, and the evolution of language, help to make meaning and allow other people to understand it? Clogan studies rhetoric and communication studies, but focuses on this population because he wanted to raise awareness for the reentry of ex-offenders. “The workshop offered the prisoners a chance to reclaim their life in writing” (1). Reclaiming the life that was taken from them, reclaiming the fact that they are humans and still deserve respect, despite what they have gone through.

Listening to each prisoner’s story before finding out their convictions allows us to empathize more and accept each person for who they are and not focus on their crimes. Ana points out that finding out their convictions after hearing all of their stories and still being able to accept them is a very powerful deed.

Professor Dolson talks about how this book will connect with our project in the spring, and how we will grapple with getting to know convicts of our age, and whether or not we will want to know the reasons for being incarcerated or not. We will begin writing a critical analysis essay by pulling quotes from the book (compost heap), so it is important that we identify quotes/people whose stories we want to use and analyze. Reread pages 2-3 in order to draw conclusions from the text and find a theme for the critical analysis essay. By telling their stories, do the prisoners reclaim their agency, or even regain respect from society?

Follow up: what is coming up for you right now (either in the book or in life in general)?

Mine personally is that this book is very similar to the T.V. show “Orange is The New Black.” If you’ve never seen the show, it has a very similar plot line to this novel. It begins by focusing on a character and showing a small piece of their life, most of the time before they go to prison. Oftentimes, the reason would be unfair and I have a feeling at the end of this novel I will feel the same way as I did when I finished the show.

Prep Note – 9/07/2023

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On September 7, 2023

In Mitch, prep note

The first few chapters of Writing Our Way Out pleasantly surprised me; I hadn’t seen this idea done anywhere else and I like how it was all put together and executed. The individual writing styles, ideas, thoughts, and ways of life from everyone that contributed to the piece, as well as how Coogan strung them all together with his own writing in between, makes it one of the most interesting pieces I’ve read in quite a while.

The sheer amount of raw perspectives given over the span of a hundred or so pages is incredible, and I’d think it would be hard for a book composed by multiple people all with different backgrounds focused on storytelling not to be. I know that I already see things in a slightly different way now that I’ve been exposed to this work, mostly because I’ve spent more time thinking about the content than I have exclusively reading the book.

Prep Note 9/7

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On September 7, 2023

In Ana, prep note

I have enjoyed reading the first part of Writing Our Way out. David Coogan does an incredible job of sharing these men’s stories, and coming in and out of the present and the past. It is just astonishing that every single one of these men had dealt with some type of major trauma before going to jail, and it furthers the point that past trauma and committing crimes are linked. Many just do what had been done to them, and obviously these actions are inexcusable, but it furthers the point that the way the jail system is set up in this country is demeaning and unproductive. If legislators and people who ran this country genuinely wanted to improve society the system would be different.

Reading this makes me recognize my privilege. I am blessed to never have dealt with the generational trauma that these men go through, but it also means as people who are privileged, it is our responsibility to advocate and care for those who cannot do it for themselves.

Prep Notes – 9/7/23

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On September 7, 2023

In Nick G, prep note

I surprisingly enjoyed the first half of Writing Our Way Out. To be honest, I definitely am not the biggest fan of reading but I felt like I flew through the pages. At first, I thought the title Writing Our Way Out would entail something along the lines of the inmates retelling the story of their crimes and accepting the reality of their actions and the consequences. I did not expect to go so in-depth into the trauma of each of their childhoods. What struck me was that although the inmates all had some sort of childhood trauma, each one of their traumas differed slightly. Some were about getting hooked on drugs at a young age, some were about parental figures and even one about his journey with homosexuality. Each inmate had a story and it was apparent to see how they were led down the wrong path by their unfortunate home environment. I think the story that stuck with me the most was Naji’s story of how he and his brother were brutally abused by their grandmother. It was sad to see the abuse get increasingly worse and more extreme. Now, both of them are in jail with his brother being convicted of murder. Across all of the stories, it was apparent how much of a factor parental figures played and how not having a loving and supportive family can cause so much pain. After finishing the reading, I really thought about how amazing my parents and family are and how appreciative I am to have grown up in such a supportive and loving environment.

09/07 Prep Note

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On September 7, 2023

In Angelos, prep note

Writing Our Way Out was definitely an insightful introductionary book to storytelling and real-life experiences of prisoners. It captured to a big extent not only the life as a prisoner but the whole story behind each individual, highlighting the origins and uniqueness of each individual, something that is frequently ignored when it comes to less privileged people. The course of the professor was a catalyst for the students not only to share about their backgrounds but to reflect on them, giving meaning and making a connection to their lifestyle.

A common theme among the prisoners was a form of abuse or marginalization even starting in their childhood. Whether they grew up in a limited-income household, without parents, or with abusive parents, they all developed traumas and were exposed to hurtful environments that could not easily escape from. This connotates the impact early life can have on people since the biggest part of our personality and character traits are developed during that time.

Another observation of the book is the tendency of people to assume people’s backgrounds. I am going to be honest, even, I was biased before reading this book, and up to an extent I still am what this book taught me is to listen to people and try to understand them. Punishing and judging people based on their actions may sound like justice and part of meritocracy but this takes a lot of parameters out of the game and is based on a lot of assumptions. We are not born equal and with the same privileges leading to people taking different lifepaths in life. That made me also think of the time we visited an underage prison in the capital while I was in middle school and I was shocked at how people my age could be in prison even though we share more in common than differences. Therefore, the book questions the justice system we currently use and incentivizes people of listening and think before coming to conclusions.

Prep Note 09/07/23

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On September 7, 2023

In prep note, Will L

Before beginning Writing Our Way Out I thought that the stories that the incarcerated persons would be sharing would be more focused on the present or even what they may have done to end up where they were. Instead, I was surprised to read about their childhoods and the other realities that are occurring in these men’s lives. Whilst reading their stories I get a small glimpse into their lives and emotions; I realize that I cannot truly appreciate their experiences, but in reading I get an understanding of their identity. There are many parallels and differences between each of their stories, emotional distress and lack of family support cause many of the issues that led to their incarceration. This book represents how storytelling can be used by anyone and refined with help by someone to allow a person to share their authentic life.

Prep Notes 9/7

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On September 7, 2023

In prep note, Wesley

“Writing Our Way Out” provides readers with a valuable glimpse into the real-life experiences of prisoners. This memoir effectively reveals the different realities faced by those in prison through biographical stories that bring their lives to the forefront. The characters in this book are well-drawn, going beyond their roles as prisoners. As I dive into their stories, I can truly understand their pain, suffering, and, most importantly, different identities they have.

The author’s choice not to reduce prisoners to symbols of guilt. Instead, David Coogan goes beyond – he takes great care to show them as unique individuals, each with their own backgrounds, feelings, and social connections. Coogan’s attention to detail and logical storytelling make these characters feels authentic and reliable.

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