Spoon Jackson

Spoon Jackson was born August 22, 1957 in Barstow, California.[1] He began serving a life without possibility of parole sentence in 1978.[1] He has served time in more than a half-dozen California state prisons and is currently at California State Prison, Sacramento (New Folsom).[2]

Spoon began writing poetry during his years at San Quentin State Prison. He enrolled in a four-year poetry workshop run by Judith Tannenbaum and discovered himself as a writer. Spoon played Pozzo in the 1988 production of Samuel Beckett's play "Waiting for Godot" directed by Jan Jonson which brought him international attention. Since then, Spoon has written plays, poetry, novels, fairy tales, short stories, essays, and memoir. Along with friends from Sweden, Spoon started the "Peace Gang" in order to spread and share his poetry.

In 2003, Michel Wenzer produced a documentary in Sweden entitled "Three Poems by Spoon Jackson." The film included recordings of Spoon reciting his poems, taped from telephone calls. Michel Wenzer completed a full-length documentary (2011) about prisoners in the Art in Corrections program at New Folsom Prison: At Night I Fly - Tales From New Folsom. The title comes from one of Spoon Jackson's poems, he also features in the film. At Night I fly won the Swedish Guldbagge Film Award for best documentary of the year 2011.

"Words of Realness", a suite for chorus and orchestra by Swedish composer Stefan Säfsten based on Jackson's poems, premiered on October 5, 2008 in Kista, Stockholm.

Honors and awards

Spoon Jackson has won four awards from PEN American Center Prison Writing Program.

Publications

References

  1. 1 2 "Reading, writing, and rehabilitation". Women's Review of Books. November 2010. p. 7.
  2. ↑ Lambert, Georgia (May 17, 2009). "Around Blackhawk: From the soul of a prisoner comes beautiful music". Contra Costa Times.

External links

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