Tag: Video Fridays

#21: Video Fridays in 60 Seconds — New Guest Writer C.H.: “A Love Letter For Loss”

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ARTWORK: “Man and Girl,” By OH Anonymous, is a fine pencil portrait taken from a visitation photo. The man in the photo is serving a life sentence. He is hugging the love of his life.

*This art piece along with others can be viewed in the Gallery selection in the Menu up top.

I’ve written a few times about what it’s like to lose loved ones while incarcerated: In Grieving In Fast Forward, Ryleigh Payne–An Angel Returns Home and in It Is What It Is. I’ve witnessed guys lose bothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers, and even daughters or sons. As if this couldn’t get any worse, I’ve known men who’ve lost the very last person in their life, left alone to drift in the world with no contact on the outside and no one to turn to. I’ve comforted so many of my peers during these moments that my own family’s mortality frequently weighs on my mind.

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#20: Video Fridays in 60 Seconds — Prisoners & Coronavirus: What We’re Doing to Stay Safe

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ARTWORK: “Warrior On The Clouds,” By Ohio Anonymous

*Letters from Christopher will now be sharing a new piece of inmate art or craftwork in each week’s Video Fridays segment. Each piece will be added to an upcoming gallery where they can be viewed as a collection.

Here in Ohio, the coronavirus is being taken very, very seriously. The governor has declared a state of emergency and is moving swifty, limiting mass gatherings, and forcing cancellations of public events. He has mobilized every resource and is drawing upon federal assistance. I think he is one of the few politicians in the country that understand the gravity of the situation.

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#19: Video Fridays in 60 Seconds — Wow! What a Clock!

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Arts and crafts are a big part of prison life, and for many guys this is where they find peace of mind and solace. When you are making a craft item your mind is free to imagine and free from these walls and razor wire fences. This clock is hand made literally from craft sticks, and I have provided pictures of it from beginning to end:

Some guys draw portraits or pictures of wildlife using pencils and pens, while others spend their days creating unique wood crafts. There are so many different types of crafts, and I’ve showcased them throughout these posts. Behind every craft item there is a story. They are stories about real people who have similar hopes and dreams as those out there in the free world. In today’s videos I share with you one of them.

If you missed some of the other arts and crafts I’ve posted, see #12: Video Fridays in 60 Seconds for an amazing butterfly, knitted wares, and an outhouse, #17: Video Fridays for a color drawn cross, Ivory Soap Eagles and Hummingbirds for an amazing animal portrait, custom drawn greeting cards, and a wishing well, and Prison Hustles Make the World Go Round for a video of a hand made Harley Motorcycle. Above all, be sure to see the portrait painting in Ryleigh Payne–An Angel Returns Home from beginning to end, commemorating the beautiful life of 9 year old Ryleigh Payne.

*Remember be prepared for coronavirus. I wish health and happiness to everyone.

—Christopher—

#18: Video Fridays in 60 Seconds — Coronavirus Spreads, D.E. Posts Again

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Distribution of COVID-19 cases worldwide, provided by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control

This Monday in Coronavirus Pandemic Is Here I laid out the current situation we find ourselves in with the coronavirus (COVID-19). On Tuesday, 25 February 2020, U.S. officials finally sounded the alarm about this virus, saying what readers of this blog have known for weeks now: it’s deadly, it’s coming, get prepared. I was surprised when an expert on the world news finally stated publicly that this virus is far deadlier than the flu.

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#17: Video Fridays in 60 Seconds — The Day-Ones: A Guest Essay By Tim

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Today I am posting another guest essay by Tim, a fellow I know who was just a juvenile when he was first incarcerated. I wrote about Tim in the post titled 16 and Forever. In that post you can find his previous essay Rehabilitation and Corrections, where he presents incarceration from the viewpoint of a boy who has grown up in This World. It’s a view that’s both darkness and light, hopeful and cautious.

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