Hummingbird in Underworld: Teaching in a Men's Prison, A Memoir

By: Deborah Tobola

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Synopsis: At the age of forty-five, Deborah Tobola returns to her birthplace, San Luis Obispo, to work in the very prison her father worked in when he was a student at Cal Poly. But she&’s not wearing a uniform as he did; she&’s there to teach creative writing and manage the prison&’s arts program—a dream job. As she creates a theatre program for prisoners, Tobola finds plenty of drama off the stage as well. Inside the razor wire she finds a world frozen in the &’50s, with no contact with the outside except by telephone; officers who think prisoners don&’t deserve programs; bureaucrats who want to cut arts funding; and inmates who steal, or worse. But she loves engaging prisoners in the arts and helping them discover their voices: men like Opie, the gentleman robber; Razor, the roughneck who subscribes to The New Yorker; charismatic Green Eyes, who really has blue eyes; Doo Wop, a singer known for the desserts he creates from prison fare. Alternating between tales of creating drama in prison and Tobola&’s own story, Hummingbird in Underworld takes readers on an unforgettable literary journey—one that is frank, funny, and fascinating.

Book Quality:: Publisher Quality
ISBN-13:: 9781631525063
Related ISBNs:: 9781631525056
Publisher:: She Writes Press
Date of Addition:: 08/02/24
Copyrighted By:: Deborah Tobola
Adult content:: No
Language:: English
Has Image Descriptions:: No
Categories:: Nonfiction, Art and Architecture, Biographies and Memoirs, Social Studies, Politics and Government
Submitted By:: Bookshare Staff
Usage Restrictions:: This is a copyrighted book.