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When I took the stage, I felt like someone else totally different.

I did stand-up comedy. My mother said these people aren’t funny, and we are funnier than them, so we should do it.

Tuesday nights were the shows at the comedy club, so I would be nervous all week and weekend until it was time to step on stage. When I took the stage, I felt like someone else totally different. It was dark in the audience, so it felt like I was there alone; all I could see was the bright lights and hear the laughter. The adrenaline was amazing. As nervous as I was each week up until Tuesday, I was told by the audience, my friends, and my family I did a good job. Watching my mother perform and crack the audience up was also major fun, and it was priceless.

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These stories arrive by mail.

Every month, a physical envelope arrives at your door, postmarked from San Quentin Village, California. Inside, you will find original artwork, writing, and recipes from real contributors, along with a personal letter from me, Diane Kahn, founder of Humans of San Quentin, about the people who made them. You read it. You keep it.

Every piece comes from someone serving a sentence. Every piece reminds you they are so much more than that.

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