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I took enough time in between to think that in this world, when it’s all said and done it’s just you, which is all I ever really needed.

During incarceration maturity finally dawned on me. It wasn’t consensual but it was necessary. My life has handed me a Vegas mountain of poker chips in advantages almost every step of the way, but loss that stemmed from friendships, relationships, and subconscious mental takeover played a tremendous role in putting me here. I can only come away with one sole belief as to why: karma! Throughout my newfound growth, codependency was by far the hardest thing I’ve had to overcome. I never quite took the saying that you can’t always have what you want seriously until I didn’t have it my way more than once. Being at a breaking point, I sent out multiple emails and waited for a penpal. I took enough time in between to think that in this world, when it’s all said and done it’s just you, which is all I ever really needed. Then I got an email from my homie Sid, my bro’skee; when no one else was there, he came through. Don’t ever give in to hopelessness, keep it everlasting, don’t ever lose touch when believing.

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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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