Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace

T. Denise Manning and students at the Orange County Juvenile Detention Center

Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace Art for Peace

Art

Peace

Art Peace

a publication of

Brushing Art & Literary JournalThe official Art & Literary Journal of Rollins College

Cover Art:Sentient by Victoria Sanchez

Art for Peace

Art for Peace by Nastassia Alayeto

What is...

Art for PeaceFOR THE PAST four years, Friday night at the 33rd St. Jail has been “poetry night.” On a typical evening, the inmates, half of whom await trial for homi-cide, sit behind the tables they used as desks in dark blue jumpsuits and matching brown sandals. In their hands are pencils that some twirl between their fingers and oth-ers lodge behind their ears as they listen to the lesson of that week’s class. The instructor, Denise Manning, cuts a striking figure in the room. Petite and confident, the U.S. Army Mortuary Affairs Sergeant and crime scene investigator for Lake County, Florida, wears boot-cut jeans and a white dress shirt opened around the collar, revealing the deep red of her inner blouse. “Write about what hurts most. What makes you cry?” She asks. “Who would cry for the little boy in-side?”

One of the inmates, a seventeen year old awaiting trial for armed robbery and murder, writes:

“I cry for the families and all the kin that I’ve ceased/I cry for forgiveness and for God to fix all my/flaws [...] I cry and I cry cuz love is the only thing I ever/wanted.”

This is a sample of the work that comes out of Sergeant Manning’s poetry class, part of the Orange County Jail’s Youthful Offender’s Program. The student inmates range in age from 14-17 and have committed crimes serious enough to be separated from other juve-nile offenders. Eighty-five percent will be convicted of their crimes and transferred to serve out their sentences in adult prisons where programs like this do not exist1.

1 Smith, Dinitia. “For Violent and Lost

Because of their ages, the inmates are by law required to obtain their G.E.D., but at 33rd St., Manning’s poetry class is offered as an elective to the required curriculum. The students, predominantly African-American and La-tino males, come from violent pasts of poverty, drugs, gang involvement and dangerous neighborhoods. Most, if not all, have never had any experience with the arts be-fore the Sergeant, who goes by “Ms. Manning” in class. “Art For Peace” is a collaborative project be-tween the Brushing Art & Literary Journal of Rollins College and the Youthful Offenders Program. In the fol-lowing pages, you will find a collection of selected po-ems written by these inmates over the four years of the class’ existence. To respect the victims and their fami-lies, the names of the poets have been withheld. Although “Art For Peace” was initially devised to probe the question, “What is the power of art?” in doing so, more questions than answers arose: What if someone told you that art could save your life, would you believe it? What if that same person told you it had saved hers? Denise Manning volun-teers not only as a poetry teach-er, but as a life coach for her students. Her mother and uncle were adopted by the Manning family after her maternal grand-mother, a female pimp, could no longer support them. Raised in the Stockton/Oakland area of California during the worst of the crime epidemic, Ms. Manning’s life was forever altered after the murder of her boyfriend, Jovan Strassner, due to gang violence. He was sixteen years old. It had been Jovan who first in-terested Manning in poetry and his death would cement her resolve to inspire others to overcome their circum-stances. Today, Ms. Manning holds a BA in criminal justice and three advanced certificates in the field of fo-rensics from Wayne State and Florida State Universities. A ten-year Army Veteran, she will, as of January 2009,

Boys, Crime Stories Offer Hope.” New York Times Online. October 16th, 2006. <http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/16/books/16pris.html?scp=1&sq=Youthful%20Offenders%20Program&st=cse>

be serving in Iraq. Upon her return, the twenty-nine year old plans on attending law school to pursue a career in public interest law. She holds numerous awards in public service. The Sergeant summarizes the importance of the arts, particularly poetry, for her students to WMFE re-porter, Rebecca Morgan:

They’re not going to ‘tell’ you anything, so being able to perform that [poem] and put something on paper where they don’t have to directly tell you what’s going on, [where] they can just give it to you in an art form, they’ll come out, they’ll show it, you’ll see the prob-lems. You’ll be able to help them. So, poetry for me

can tell my story without really telling you my story.2

In essence, what instructors like Ms. Manning, including the for-mer director and founder of the program, John Richter, intend to accomplish with this class is re-habilitation for youth offenders, many of whom will begin long, protracted sentences shortly thereafter. With violent crime, particularly homicide, at record levels in Orange County and other parts of the country, we at Brushing hope that this journal can shed light on what can and must be done not only in prisons, but outside to show young peo-ple another way. If even now, even after their wings have been clipped can these serious offend-ers find the means of expressing their anger, even repentance, how can we ignore their stories—and their warnings?

In “Unspoken Words,” the poet writes, “Take these unspoken words and let it be a lesson on life.” We hope that this small publication can be the carrier of this message and so many more. The power of art can be found in these pages. It’ll be up to you to decide what to use it for. Let it be for peace.

Fay Pappas

2 Morgan, Rebecca. “In Depth: Central Florida Crime Crisis—Youthful Offender Pro-gram.” Audio released on WMFE.org, 11/30/2007.

T. Denise Manning

I am the child of the streetsI desire to get richI fear to end up alone in lifeI am a thug with a mindYou can describe me as a Real GI want to be known for all my Raps/PoemsI am true to the GameI believe in DreamsI will be RememberedI love learningI hate people that are FakeI am what I am

I AM

What would you do if I could change around the past?Is there anything you would do different, anything you would take back?Would you of still beyond your colors, or would you of went back to schoolWould you of lived by the law, or the outlaw’s rules?

Would you of changed

your life around, chose a different path?

Taken the road

How far can a caged bird soarA bid that’s flown it’s whole life

Joyfully gliding freely through the worldFearless of fallin’

Until captured and forced clipped wingsGazing out at the horizon as birds sing and fly on

Attempting to fly but with no prevailPatient for the day its wings are restored to full

Waiting and planning its departureBehind closed doors

Behind

less traveled, instead of pedaling crack?Would you of listened to your parents instead of shun them away?Would you of still listened to the devil, or what the Lord say?What if I could change everything around like that song Visa Versaand instead of your parents loving ya, they did everything to hurt cha?Would you of tried to do good, or would of still commited crimes?Would you still listen if I was a Preacher instead of me spitting rhymes?If I could change this world around and make things for the betterThe first thing I would do is destroy all the shotgun to BerettasIf I had one wish to change something I would get rid of all these drugsDismiss all these poisons that be fillin’ up our lungsBut the truth is I know I can’t change thisWorld, at least not right awayBut I could show this world, that their so calledBad guy’s life has made a genuine Change!

Closed Doors

IF...

Forgive me Father, for I have sinned, and come so short of Your gloryForgive me for my unrighteous ways, I’ve had such an unholy story

Forgive me Father, for pickin’ the gun, instead of pickin’ up the BibleAnd forgive me for makin’ money and women to things as my ID

Forgive me mom cuz I messed up, and now your Baby Boy’s off to penForgive me, I’m so sorry that you might never see me again

Forgive me mom, don’t cry, I promise I’ll try to make itBut Forgive me, if something happens and I die when I’m up the road

Just know I always loved you, always will and always didJust please forgive me mom annd don’t hold against me all the things I ever did

Forgive me sis, for being the Brother that was never thereForgive me for not showing love & at times acting as if I didn’t care

Forgive me for not spending time with you, now the time we’ll never haveI wish that I could go back & change around my past

But I’m so sorry to all my sisters, for Benny the Brother they truly never knewI just pray that you’ll forgive me, cuz really I do Love you

Forgive me dad, for not being the son that you had dreams ofBut forgive me more, for the times I pushed you away, when

You still tried to show me love

Forgive me!

My wings ain’t clipped they rippedAnd torn sometimes I pray to God thatI wouldn’t be born locked up behindThis cell is hard and vast notKnowing if my life will last dependingOn others is hard to without a lifeWithout you Lord it wouldn’t be trueHow would I get by without my G.O.D.How could I survive if he wasn’t thereFor me he gave me an angel fromUp above Miss Denise Manning sheShowed me love taught me ‘boutTrust, love and respect and how toKeep it real and never forget to becomeThe woman you need to be have respectFor yourself and live your life free.

Take these unspoken words and let it be a lesson on life.I’ve been hurt so bad through days and nightsI didn’t even want to feel this way,Could a man really make me his slave?I was 6 years old he blamed it on mePut a gun to my head and made me plead.

My blessing was gone I was so ashamed.I screamed out loud and cursed in vain.I told my mama and she thought I lied.It broke me down so bad it made me cryPain is reflected while my heart is tornWhile the burn is within me like a flower’s thorn

Unspoken Words

clipped Wings

A Mi Me Pertenece Tambien by Victoria Sanchez

Sometimes I cry because I feel so AloneAnd I cry because I miss my mom at homeSometimes I cry even though I say that I don’tI cry and I cry because I’ve run outta hopeI cry cuz I’m scared I’ll never get another chanceand I cry cuz I feel to the world I’m just a tiny ant

Sometimes I cry and I cry, but does anyone careI cry and I cry even when there’s no more tears thereI fight not to cry but the tears always comeI fight to forget all the wrong that I’ve doneI cry cuz I let off the bullets of that gunSometimes I cry to myself cuz now I’ve left a fatherless son

I cry for the families and all kin that I’ve ceasedI cry for forgiveness and for God to fix all my flawsI cry to myself, for me and my tears are for no one else to feelThese tears come from evil things, so these tears I a revileI cry because I’m empty inside, a huge hole in my soulI cry for all the years that I’ve felt so aloneSometimes I cry because I feel Pain that no one else hasI cry because things for me have always gone badSometimes I cry loud I was abandoned and had no where to turn toI cry and I cry cuz love is the only thing I ever wanted

Sometimes I Cry

A Mi Me Pertenece Tambien by Victoria Sanchez

There was once a lady named Miss Denise and a Class she used to teach on poetry and expertiseHer intellect and her physique would stand outShe was uniqueThe type of girl you would like to meetIn her class I was enlightenedIt was her method of teaching that had me excitedIn her class we were unitedAntoine Fisher was almost her storyWhen I asked her a question she wouldn't ignore meIt was the way she talked and her gloryI couldn't thank her enoughShe taught me that there's other ways to be toughShe's smart and outstandingHer presence is demandingI learned that only you define who you areThe thing divine in me is my heartWhen I met her I knew from the startThat she was a work of artTo me she's a legend in her own timeWhat’s your secret your demeanor and composer How do you keep itThere's always something to learn and you gonna teach itI learn that no secret You came out on top you know you're good even though you're from the hoodMiss Denise you enlightened me A teacher with a heart who woulda thought it could be

Enlightened

Who’d Ever ThinkPut on this planet Earth

Don’t know for what it’s worth,It seem da hearse has been waitin’ n

on me since my birth.I was the worse young hard headed little kid

the things I did was forgivedbut I shouldn’t have lived.

If Kissing is the language of LoveI want to talk to you all day.

In Memory of Jovan Marcell

Strassner

I don’t know how to explain it, But my wings are clippedI got my freedom taken away from me, onlyFor six months, the only thing taken away fromMe was my freedom, everthing else theyCan have it. I don’t want it, I cry and cry For something better, but only to have to lookUp at the same damn things. I can’t be in hereForever, I’ll be going home soon only to the sameThing and same no good people. It aint gonna beEasy out there, it’s just gonna be me myself & ITo do good, everyone else is gonna try to breakMe down. Getting me back into the same shitI was doing before I got locked up. I’m changedAnd I wanna do right but I’ll be going homeTo the same people, still doing the same thingsIf you know what I’m going through you’ll catch The drift I wanna help them but I gotta help meFirst, I just wish they cared as much as I do.It hurts me to know that they don’t care aboutMe all they care about is the shit they’re doingMessing up there self.

Clipped Wings

clipped Wings

Can you see it in my eyes?It’s there…Can you see it in my face?It’s all over it…

I’ve never been without it…It has now become a part of me…

If you get close…you could smell it on my breath…Damn it! Can you see it? Answer me!Please tell me what it looks like…

Is it bringing down my appearance?Can you see it?At times it feels like hell…It takes control of my thoughts and reminds me of WHO I truly am…Damn it! Tell me the truth!What does it look like?

I’ve carried it for years and many say I hide it well…But what my mouth don’t say…my heart is dying to tell…Can you see it?

Can you see it in my eyes?It’s there…Can you see it in my face?It’s all over it…

I’ve never been without it…It’s now become a part of me…

What is it you ask?

Its STRUGGLE with ME as a disguise.

T. Denise Manning

What do you say to a bird with clipped wings?When freeing him is out of your control…You’re forced to sit and watch…To suffer with him, only on the opposite side of the cage…What do you do for a bird with clipped wings?When his cage can only hold one and his feathers are torn and battered…What do I say to the bird with clipped wings when he finally realizes…He can’t fly…

T. Denise Manning

Untitled

clipped Wings

Candace and Communism by Victoria Sanchez

you can creak a bone inmy body but you will never

get my soul. I try so hard to heal a broken heart a heartfilled with gold, I know I'm

not impeccable because I havehurt people before, I may be

impecunious that's why I hussle to, to buy you big rings

and to ride on “24's” whymust I fix a broken heartwhen it's all broken down

Check this!!!!!you didn't make me so how

can you break me, I know howto break you i'll do it withan unbreakable smile :)

To Ms. ManningStay strong and keep your head up

Un breakable

T. Denise Manning holds a BA in criminal justice and three advanced certificates in the field of forensics from Wayne State and Florida State Universities. A ten-year Army Veteran, she will, as of January 2009, be serving in Iraq where she will lead a Mortuary Affairs unit, caring for the fallen. She holds numerous awards in public service includ-ing Sigma Gamma Rho sororites’ “Top Leader Under the Age of 40” in 2007 and Central Florida’s First Greek Sunday award for community service. She was recently named to the Greater Orlando chapter of NCNW (National Council of Negro Women), and belongs to Gamma phi delta business and Iota Phi Lambda Business sororities. Manning is also

an Eastern Star. Upon her return from Iraq, the twenty-nine year plans on attending law school to pursue a career in public interest law. She hopes to become a defense attorney and advocate for youth offenders, explaining, “They need a voice, a chance. They need an ear.” She is also currently completing her first novel, Clipped Wings, a collection of stories based on her experiences with students in the Youthful Offenders Program. Denise Manning can be reached at DENISEMANNING5@hotmail.com.

AcknowledgementsWe at Brushing would like to thank the members of Rollins College and abroad that have helped make the first issue of Art for Peace possible: Spe-cial thanks to the Orange County Youthful Offend-er’s Program; John Richter and Denise Manning; Victoria Sanchez for her artwork; Jessica Drew; Fay Pappas for starting this amazing program, and pushing us all to recognize and continue Ms. Man-ning’s efforts; and in particular, Nastassia Alayeto, the layout designer, editor and physical creator of this journal. Without you, this crazy idea would never have made it into print or pixels. Thank you.

ColophonThe 1st Edition of Art for Peace was designed us-ing Adobe InDesign CS3 and Adobe Photoshop CS3.

DisclaimerBrushing Art & Literary Journal has been estab-lished as an open forum for student expression. Likewise, Art for Peace is an open forum of ex-pression for the students of Ms. T. Denise Manning at the Orange County Juvenile Detention Center.The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the faculty and administration of Rollins College, or of Orange County, but rather are the views and ideas of the individual authors, artists, or literary magazine staff members and edi-tors. The entire contents of Art for Peace are copyright-ed in 2008 by Brushing Art & Literary Journal of Rollins College.

Art for Peace is published by the Brushing Art & Literary Journal staff at Rollins College, 1000 Holt Ave - Box #2763, Winter Park, FL, 32789. For any questions or comments, please email us at brushingeditorinchief@gmail.com.

Faculty AdvisorsJonathan Miller Olin Library DirectorDr. Ryan Musgrave Philosophy DepartmentDr. Alan Nordstrom English DepartmentDawn Roe Art Department

Editor-in-ChiefNastassia Alayeto

External Relations Chairperson:Fay Pappas

Layout/Design EditorNastassia Alayeto

ArtVictoria Sanchez

Lead EditorJessica Drew

Orange County ContactT. Denise Manning

Rollins College PresidentLewis M. Duncan

Staff