After years in California prison, voting is a personal triumph over my silent past
October 25, 2024 | Bonaru Richardson | Cal Matters
Creative & Expository Writing
As creative writers and critical thinkers, our students and alumni pursue a wide range of literary forms outside the classroom.
Academic Writing
Inside the classroom, students have a variety of intellectual interests that are reflected in term papers, final projects, and other course assignments.
Published Works
Our students and alumni's work is regularly published in a variety of national news outlets.
A day in the life of a formerly incarcerated organizer
July 25, 2024 | Philippe “Kells” Kelly |
Guest Commentary: Decarceration Can Be Compassionate
July 25, 2024 | Kelton P O’Connor |
Learning the Value of My Vote
April 16, 2024 | Andrew Hardy |
Listening to Taylor Swift in Prison
September 15, 2023 | Joe Garcia |
The Radical Shift in Drug Treatment Happening Inside California Prisons
January 31, 2023 | Juan Moreno Haines |
At San Quentin Prison, Law Students See Restorative Justice In Action
January 31, 2023 | Juan Moreno Haines |
First-ever International Prison Radio Conference shows potential of ‘story power’ to effect change
October 20, 2022 | Rahsaan "New York" Thomas, Co-Host and Co-Producer ("Ear Hustle" Podcast) |
San Quentin Is Still Punishing People for Being Sick
October 6, 2022 | Katie Rose Quandt and Juan Moreno Haines | typeinvestigations, The American Prospect, San Quentin News: Katie Rose Quandt and Juan Moreno Haines printed September 19, 2022
The Backstory: Juan Moreno Haines
October 2, 2022 | Paco Alvarez | typeinvestigations
A Conversation With Joe Garcia About His Recent Page One Feature Story
September 13, 2022 | Joe Garcia | Prison Journalism Project/Vol. 3 Issue 9: Telling Stories from Inside the Walls
My Wild and Winding Path to a College Degree Behind Bars
September 7, 2022 | Rahsaan Thomas | The Marshall Project
Op-Ed–In prison, the work of journalism is challenging but essential
July 12, 2022 | JUAN MORENO HAINES | Los Angeles Times
Tying Water Access to Labor in Overcrowded Prisons is Wrong
July 8, 2022 | Steve Brooks | Cal Matters
I got COVID in San Quentin and watched as hundreds more were infected and 29 died. Here’s our story.
October 9, 2021 | Juan Moreno Haines | San Francisco Chronicle
A prison reckoning with remorse
August 15, 2021 | Rahsaan Thomas | Boston Globe
How I Convinced My Incarcerated Peers to Make Language a Priority
April 19, 2021 | Rahsaan Thomas | The Marshall Project
Following Deadly COVID-19 Outbreak, Incarcerated People at San Quentin Grapple with Vaccinations
April 9, 2021 | Juan Moreno Haines and Kevin Deroi Sawyer | El Tecolote
Student Steve Brooks Honored by Society of Professional Journalists
February 8, 2021 | Mount Tamalpais College | Society of Professional Journalists
Even in a Pandemic, San Quentin Must Restore Rehabilitation Programs
December 14, 2020 | Marcus Blevins | San Francisco Chronicle
Student Juan Moreno Haines on COVID-19 Inside San Quentin
August 14, 2020 | Juan Moreno Haines | The Appeal
Inside San Quentin Prison, You Sit and Wait Until COVID-19 Comes for You
July 23, 2020 | Joe Garcia | Washington Post
Right Side of History
July 3, 2020 | Steve Brooks | Prison Journalism Project
‘I Spent 11 Years In Prison—And Produced a Rap Album at San Quentin’
June 25, 2020 | David Jassy | Newsweek
America is Isolated. I’ve Been There Before. Lessons I’ve Learned from San Quentin
April 10, 2020 | Kenyatta Leal | USA Today
Dispatches from San Quentin—Is San Quentin State Prison the Future of Prison Reform?
October 20, 2019 | James King | WitnessLA
I Host a Popular Podcast. I’m Also in Prison.
September 26, 2019 | Rahsaan Thomas | The Marshall Project
I Did 18 Years in Prison for Murder. Now I’m On a Mission to End Gun Violence.
June 28, 2019 | James Houston | San Francisco Chronicle
The Judge and Jury Agreed I Didn’t Kill Anyone. So Why Did I Just Serve 16 Years For Murder?
June 22, 2019 | Adnan Khan | New York Times
Spring Lake
May 28, 2019 | Carl Raybon | Voice of Witness
My Crossroads Moment
March 12, 2019 | Troy Dunmore | Voice of Witness
Dispatch From San Quentin—Young, Earnest and Criminalized
March 4, 2019 | James King | WitnessLA
Dad Deserved Better
February 6, 2019 | Joe Garcia | Voice of Witness
Oral History at San Quentin Prison
February 2, 2019 | Cliff Mayotte | Voice of Witness
I Ran a Marathon in Prison
January 15, 2019 | Steve Brooks | Voices of Witness
On Art and Voting—Thinking About Tuesday’s Elections from Inside San Quentin
November 7, 2018 | James King | Witness LA
One Prison Taught Me Racism. Another Taught Me Acceptance
October 1, 2018 | Jesse Vasquez | The Washington Post
Redemption is Not Just for Me
February 12, 2018 | Emile DeWeaver | San Francisco Chronicle
I Thought Being Gay Was a Sin Until I Saw My Friend Suffer in Prison
August 17, 2017 | James King | The Marshall Project
Allow Parole for Lifers—Reformed Violent Criminals—Under Proposition 57
April 24, 2017 | Emile DeWeaver | The Mercury News
When a Wedding Narrowed the ‘Emotional Distance’ of Prison
February 9, 2017 | James King | The Marshall Project
What Does It Mean to Be a Real Man?
October 12, 2016 | Mesro El Coles | Juvenile Justice Information Exchange
Creating a Healthy Society
April 29, 2016 | Sam Vaughn | Mount Tamalpais College
Apple, Ex-cons, and Second Chances
April 17, 2015 | Aly Tamboura | San Francisco Chronicle
Earning a Degree in Jail—Karl Marx, Aristotle and Strip Searches
April 10, 2015 | Timothy Nash | HuffPost
Open Line masthead artwork by alumnus, Philip Menendez
