Ask the Author: Ace Boggess
Answered Questions (6)
Ace Boggess
That's an easy one. My 2nd poetry book THE PRISONERS was written entirely in prison, with most of the poems published in journals while I was inside and the acceptance letter for the book arriving on the day I made it out. It gives me a warm glow to know that the book actually was used for a while in a writing class at the prison where I wrote it (especially since the prison didn't really have a writing class while I was there).
As for CORRECTIONS IN INK, I intend to read that soon. It looks marvelous. Have to be careful on sending inmates books, though. Each state has its own rules. In WV, inmates can have six books at a time, and they have to come directly from Amazon. Some places allow them to come from other sources like the publisher or a third-party group such as Appalachian Prison Project out of Morgantown. Also, it's 50/50 whether an inmate can have hardback books, so in some states you might have to wait a year until the paperback edition is available. In any case, it's best to ask the inmate what the rules are in that state and more specifically that facility.
Thanks for the question. Brought me good thoughts this morning.
As for CORRECTIONS IN INK, I intend to read that soon. It looks marvelous. Have to be careful on sending inmates books, though. Each state has its own rules. In WV, inmates can have six books at a time, and they have to come directly from Amazon. Some places allow them to come from other sources like the publisher or a third-party group such as Appalachian Prison Project out of Morgantown. Also, it's 50/50 whether an inmate can have hardback books, so in some states you might have to wait a year until the paperback edition is available. In any case, it's best to ask the inmate what the rules are in that state and more specifically that facility.
Thanks for the question. Brought me good thoughts this morning.
Ace Boggess
My first time in jail, while I was out at a hearing, someone stole a bag of chips. What diabolical villain (among so many diabolical villains) could've done such a thing?
Ace Boggess
The convict in the next bunk grinned as storm winds outside blustered, knocking out power to the town of Bralonton and the prison within. I could only imagine his expression when the backup jenny failed.
Ace Boggess
Lev Grossman's The Magicians. In a world powered by Gen-X angst, I think I could be a god. Alternately, Huxley's Brave New World. I'd take the soma, do my job, and just be approximately happy. It's a toss-up, really. The struggle between desires for numb happiness and channeled emotional explosiveness is at the heart of most Great art.
Ace Boggess
Whatever I can get my hands on, as long as it's not James Patterson or a western. Right now I'm reading The Animators. Beyond that, I'll wait to see what comes into my life.
Ace Boggess
Siddhartha and Kamala in Hesse's novel, Siddhartha. Each time he encounters her, she teaches him something new--yearning, passion, fatherhood, grief--that he must learn and then transcend.
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Jun 21, 2022 07:25PM