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At 16, I was released from a hospital for depression, suicide attempt and substance abuse. My sister introduced me to art and I quickly fell in love with the POP art movement. I submitted to depression and drugs a year or so later, and wouldnโ€™t rediscover my passion for art until I was sentenced to a 99 year sentence for murder. For several years I nurtured the dream of being a filmmaker. Art is mainly a hustle now. I do portraits for guys in exchange for books, magazines, and commissary. The books and magazines are always about the movie-making and screenwriting craft, and sometimes business. Whatever can give me a better edge toward accomplishing my goals. I plan to have an art company upon my release, which will include: portraits, kidsโ€™ rooms, and murals in order to fund my filmmaking goals. Fortunately for me, my sister is an assistant curator for the Museum of Fine Arts, Huston.

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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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