Reginald

I said, no, he's reading.

Listen to this.

And so I went to the library and I found that Evelyn Woods book and I checked it out and I still remember the tips that was in it.

So I've always been fascinated with reading.

I've always wanted to be a reader.

My mom refused to let anybody tell me that hardback books came out first so that she could keep giving me the old paperback books of like books I hadn't read yet as if they were new.

Yeah.

She would be like, Walter Moses' new book just came out.

Book came out three years ago.

And so what prison did was like, honestly, the judge said to me, I'm under no illusion that sending you to prison will help.

But you can get something out of it if you try to.

And I never forgot what he told me.

And I just had to lean into what I cared about.

And I asked myself, what will you be when you leave prison?

I mean, you're 16 now.

What are you going to train yourself to be while in here?

And I told myself I will be a writer because the only thing that I can name myself as loving in that way outside of my mom was books.

And I needed to love something that I believe might save me.

And so I decided to lean into the love of books.

Yeah, but that, you know, to the credit of the Department of Corrections around this country, I think that they've improved and changed a lot.