Rikers Island is a harsh place to be.

The people whose creative works--drawings, collage, poetry, short stories, etc.--you will view on this web site are or have been incarcerated there.

The purpose of this website is to introduce you to some of these people at their best, to show you that incarcerated people are not necessarily the "monsters," "wild savages," "superpredators," "punks," "crazies," "nut jobs," (yes, we have heard this more than once) everyone has read about in the newspapers and heard from politicians. Such terms are likely used to distance themselves from their own fear that under the same circumstances they could be us. While there are certainly guilty people behind these bars, there are also many innocent ones. Each one, however, is more than their actions.

Norman Mailer said:

"There is a paradox at the core of penology and from it derives the thousand ills and afflictions of the prison system. It is that not only the worst ... are sent to prison, but the best – that is, the proudest, the bravest, the most daring, the most enterprising, and the most undefeated of the poor. There starts the horror."

We thank the contributors for sharing their thoughts, their hopes, their fears, their vulnerabilities. They give us much to think about.
We hope that you enjoy these pages. Please send us your comments. You may also contact us if you are, or know someone who is, a creative person behind bars and would like to be included in these pages.