"'To be able to say what you mean, to put in words what you perceive as truth, to impose form on the formless - this is a way to reconstruct a life, to restore one's sense of meaning, of responsibility to oneself and to others,' PWP chair Katherine Perutz wrote. 'But the others - at least some others - must be listening.'" Introduction, Doing Time: 25 Years of Prison Writing-a PEN American Center Prize Anthology, page xvii

"By doing all this, lifers have effectively challenged younger prisoners to become the kind of men who command rather than demand respect. We help the younger men pursue their education, resist negative peer pressure, and gain self-awareness and understanding." Time and Its Terms, Doing Time: 25 Years of Prison Writing-a PEN American Center Prize Anthology, page 40

"Suddenly, through language, through writing, my grief and my joy could be shared with anyone...