Poetry of Returning Citizens

In Celebration of National Poetry Month:

Sing Sing Prison Museum is celebrating National Poetry Month with a video program of poetry readings featuring Nascimento Blair, Jose Perez, Mimi Pascual and Ivan Calaff. SSPM museum associate Robert Rose III moderates the program that also showcases historical poetry published in 1849 by incarcerated people at Mt. Pleasant State Prison (renamed Sing Sing Prison in the 1850s).

Watch the Full Video:

Program Highlights:

Featuring:

Carlos Ivan Calaff

Carlos Ivan Calaff is a Research Analyst and Reentry Coordinator at the Center for Justice at Columbia University. In 2018 he was released from Sing Sing Correctional Facility in Ossining, New York. He is currently studying at the School for Professional Studies at Columbia University. He is a proud Puerto Rican father of two boys, a lifelong Bronx Native, an unapologetic Knicks fan, and a musician.

Robert Rose

Robert Rose is a Museum Associate at Sing Sing Prison Museum and a researcher, with a focus on dismantling the prison industrial complex and working towards improving the lives of people currently incarcerated. He has contributed to a multitude of reports with organizations including Worth Rises, the Sing Sing Quaker Worship Group, and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. He has also worked as a research fellow with Columbia University’s Center for Justice and as the Production Manager for TEDx Sing Sing, with the theme of Creating Healthy Communities. He earned a Bachelor of Science in 2007 (Mercy College) and a Master of Professional Studies in 2008 (New York Theological Seminary).

Minerva "Mimi" Pascual

Minerva "Mimi" Pascual is a Museum Associate at Sing Sing Prison Museum and criminal justice activist. Mimi is also the founder of La-Madrina Entertainment, a production company that honors her Latino heritage and is dedicated to sharing relatable stories with the world. She had previously worked as a fashion pioneer at FUBU where she led advertising, marketing, and public relations and has also served as a producer, actor, and writer. Mimi earned her Bachelor's Degree in Arts & Theater from The City University of New York's City College.

José A. Pérez

José A. Pérez, 36, is an Actor/Poet/Youth Advocate from East Harlem. Having spent 20 years incarcerated, the arts have been a major part of his life and transformation. Jose has facilitated theater and poetry workshops including the Harvest Moon Poetry Collective with beat poet Janine Pommy Vega and hosted poets such as Naomi Shihab Nye and Amiri Baraka. For Jose, the arts have been synonymous with freedom, fostering spaces where relationships were forged under the common love for lyrics and unfettered expression.

Nascimento Blair

Nascimento Blair who is a poet at heart, works closely with people who are formerly incarcerated themselves, helping them to get their respective lives back on track. He has degrees from Mercy College & New York Theological Seminary. While incarcerated, he started compiling his works into one book and was able to create his unpublished work, "A Meditation from the Abyss."

Poetry Excerpts:

In 1849, Voices From Prison: A Selection of Poetry Written Within the Cell was published and featured poems from people incarcerated at Mt. Pleasant Prison, later renamed Sing Sing. Below is an excerpt from the book, including a poem entitled "To My Sister, On Her Birthday."

Historic Poem Reading:

For Further Reading

Want more poetry content? For further reading, the Ossining Public Library has kindly curated a guide of poetry recommendations.

The Sing Sing Prison Museum is proud to be a grantee of ArtsWestchester with funding made possible by Westchester County government with the support of County Executive George Latimer.

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