David Coogan > Quotes

“When they were incarcerated, I saw them through their writing, and myself through the teaching. Writing showed me how they had gotten trapped in patterns that revealed their character developing over time. Writing led to greater awareness of—and compassion for—the person who had struggled earlier in life but who now chose to struggle differently. When they got out, I realized, dimly, that they were done writing. I was done teaching. Nothing lay between us but reality unfolding. - from After Jail, Before Freedom”
― David Coogan, After Jail, Before Freedom