by Queen Jai, Sonoma As I say goodbye to my past, I say hello to my future. I let the trauma go while I let the love follow me to a place called home. I don’t know where it will be, but I know by then I will be free. While I am free, my education is following right behind me. My past life was rough, but all I know is I can’t get enough love. I get more and more by the time it hits midnight. I love sleep, but just so you know, don’t make a peep or
Continue ReadingMy Mom, My Future, My Education, And My Block
by JN, Sacramento There are many things that matter to me. There are many things that make me, me. One person that matters to me is my mother. She is the person that matters to me the most in this world. Although I look dead on my mom, I have many of her traits. From outgoing to hardworking and humble. Another thing that matters the most to me is my future. I work a lot on my future every day the most I can while I’m incarcerated. My future matters a lot to me because it will define who I
Continue ReadingCheating At Chess
by Frederick Mason, United States Penitentiary Tucson in Tucson, Arizona (The Flaws of the Administrative Remedy In Prisons) In prisons, there are venues for inmates who have been abused or treated unfairly or inhumanely. When things like this happen, an inmate has a right to sue, if he can get his case to court. The problem is that because of PLRA (Prison Litigation Reform Act), it is much more difficult for an inmate, even if he is right, to get his case to court. In essence, PLRA requires inmates to first exhaust the Administrative Remedy Procedure…or a grievance procedure. In
Continue ReadingBeing There For Someone
by Jon D Goldberg, San Quentin State Prison, CA A good deed is when you can be there for someone when they are at their lowest low. Sometimes that could just mean an ear to listen, while they unload all their emotions and feelings. Just recently a friend that needed to talk came to my cell. He just needed someone to listen to him. I sat and took in all he had to say. He had just been found suitable for parole a couple months before and was anxious about support that was promised to him. I first sought to
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Volume 28.01/02
Please contact Lisa Lavaysse if you would like to purchase the full PDF or a printed copy of this issue.
Continue ReadingEd Note 28.01/02
Happy 2023 to all you wonderful readers, writers, artists, followers, friends, associates, colleagues, and the curious. Welcome to the first issue of the new year! As is our tradition at The Beat Within, we will showcase all the covers from our past year of 2022. We truly had plenty of amazing artists sharing their talents with The Beat Within community, and we anticipate more of the same going into this new year. If you see a cover you might have missed, please do not hesitate to reach out to us and request the issue you need. As always, OT is
Continue ReadingReasons To Be Thankful
by D, Sacramento This topic made me think a little about the people in my life, who I may not openly appreciate. I am thankful for a lot of things and a lot of people, but only me and God know when it comes to it. The person who I am most thankful for is my granny. She stepped into my life as a motherly figure since I didn’t have one. Of course, it wasn’t the same because instead of being too focused on specifically one child, she had to focus on her seven children who are adults and her
Continue ReadingBike Riding
by Jessi, San Mateo I usually ride my bike almost every morning at three AM to the bust stop by the gas station. I go to the gym and then ride my bike back home by nine to get ready for school. I used to have a black and red cruiser with a cushioned seat. I didn’t mind the heaviness of the bike because it was easier on my backside whereas the old bike I use now has a seat hard as rocks. I remember asking my mother how to ride a bike when I was younger. I had seen
Continue ReadingGift of Words to Succeed
by Psmacks, San Francisco I wouldn’t say it’s a gift of words but I would say this is some information to help you succeed in this lifetime. You don’t have to play the game you see everybody else playing. Now, reread that sentence, don’t let that go over your head. What I mean by that is this new generation base their life off of what everybody else is doing in the moment. Yeah, you might be that guy everybody praises but really think about it. After a while, people will forget about you once somebody else do the same thing
Continue ReadingPutting My Plan’s Into Action
by Robert Guerra, Salinas Valley State Prison, Soledad, CA Hello Beat Within readers! I hope this finds you all well and in good health! I was just sitting here thinking to myself on all the positive things I want to do in life! One thing I would like to do is write a book on self-help so I can help others do better in life. Yeah, we all have done some type of wrong in life, but have you ever thought about how you’re going to pay society back for the wrong you have done or maybe paying it forward?
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