Seattle Cultural Trio Trip

I went on another cultural trip with the Trio Program last week. A bunch of Trio students took a bus up to Seattle. The trip was smack dab in the middle of finals week and, to tell you the truth, I probably should not have gone. I felt like I really needed a break from the stress. I took my laptop and books with me, so I could study on the bus ride, but I really didn't get a whole lot done.

It was a good opportunity to get out of my shell and interact with other students. A couple of the same people were on the bus that were on the riverboat cruise, so that made it easier. I made a connection with a guy who is involved in the Viticulture program, who makes wine at the school. I'm hoping that the next time they make a batch that they will let those of us in the DTC program, who are pursuing carreers in graphic design,  make the labels. I also connected with an attractive girl who does modeling and is really into Steam Punk. She gave me her card and said she would be glad to do a shoot with me. This will go really well in my portfolio. If I hadn't forced myself out of my comfort zone a little bit, I never would have made connections like this.

Once again, I highly recommend joining some sort of school group, even if it's not the Trio Program. I believe it is paramount to our success that we branch out and make new friends and connections.

When we got to Seattle, the first thing we did was go on the Seattle Underground Tour.

It was interesting, the way the tour guide presented it. I had been on the tour before, but I remembered it as being really boring. This guy was both entertaining and informative. I got some cool pictures too.

After the underground tour, we went on a "Duck Boat" tour.

The duck boat was an amphibious vehicle. We had a very entertaining tour guide. As we drove around the Seattle area, we learned all kinds of interesting facts about the history and culture of Seattle. The duck boat also gave us a tour of lake Washington.

While cruising around the lake, we got to learn about the history of Lake Washington.

After the duck boat tour, we went and had an awesome dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. Great food and interesting conversation. I felt like I had perhaps made some new friends, which is never an easy thing for me to do. At the very least, I made some good contacts to help build my portfolio and I was able to quit stressing out so bad over finals and just relax and enjoy a beautiful day.

Culture blog catch up "The Riverboat Cruise"

I've got some catching up to do. I've been so busy with finals that I haven't felt that I had the time to get anything down in this blog. Part of the problem is that I am a perfectionist. I feel like everything that I do has to be polished, rather than just getting down my thoughts and experiences, like I suppose you are supposed to do when writing a blog. So... I am going to try and remedy that. I am going to try and write about my life and my experiences, for good or ill, without making a big production about it.

I have recently been on a couple of school trips, sponsored by the Trio Program. The Trio Program is something that I would highly recommend anyone coming from prison and transferring to, or starting out at a college campus. Coming from prison, you would automatically qualify, due to your history of low income. The Trio Program helps you with mentoring, tutoring, early registration, and many other services. There job is to keep you in school and assist you in any way they can.

These trips were sponsored by the school in order to enrich our cultural awareness. I suppose that some of that occurred, here and there... but, most of all, we just had fun. The first trip I went on was a riverboat cruise. It was one of those old school paddle boats.

The captain spoke about the history of the Columbia and snake river as we paddled down it. Honestly, the thing that I got the most out of, was learning to communicate with other students. Getting to know other people, from other walks of life, can be a big challenge to someone who has spent their whole life on the streets, or locked up. Feeling comfortable and confident enough to approach and make friends with "normal people" is a skill that takes some work and getting used to. I strongly believe that it is an integral part of learning to become a citizen and productive member of society. I would encourage anyone coming from a similar background as mine to involve yourself in school groups. Even if you feel uncomfortable at first, force yourself into social situations that will improve your people skills and allow you to make new friends. I believe that you have to learn to hang out with the kinds of people that you want to become like. For me, this means stepping way out of my comfort zone. All in all, it was a great trip. Great food, cool scenery, a little increase in cultural awareness, and a good honing of the social skills. In my next blog, I will tell you about the Seattle trip we took. for now, it's back to studying for finals.

Volume 3

Addiction

So...  here I am, sitting in a hot tub in my motel room at the Bavarian Ritz, in Leavenworth, listening to "Welcome to the Cruel World", by Ben Harper, at five in the morning, happy as a clam. I promised to write about addiction, so here goes...  I don't like talking about it; who does? And yet, it is another of the vital elements of my story... my struggle... and my triumphs. I sincerely hope that some of you will read this and be able to identify, in some way, or another. This is a struggle many of us face. Not the root of the problem, but perhaps the most identifiable element of my lifelong cycle of incarceration and hopelessness.

Simply stated, alcohol and drugs have laid waste to my life, in every form imaginable.   I won't go into the story right now; I just don't have the time. We'll have to save that for another day. Instead, I will summarize. I began self medicating at, what was at the time, a very young age. I had suffered from severe depression and anxiety, since I was a child. Alcohol and drugs made me feel comfortable in my own skin. I remember thinking "this must be what normal people feel like".  The self medicating soon turned into partying with my friends. The partying soon turned into full blown addiction. I had a lot of good times, but more often than not, as time progressed, my love affair with alcohol and drugs left me either regretting, or just plain wondering, what happened. My addiction progressed and by my 20's, I was shooting heroin, coke, and meth and drinking like a fish. "What's my drug of choice? Well, what have you got?", as my hero of the day, Lane Staley, singer for Alice in Chains  said. Sadly, he ended up dying of an overdose, like a good many of my past heroes.  I tried so hard, so many times, to quit. I even went to rehab a couple times. I had some periods of success, but they never lasted too long. I always thought I could do it "my way". You know... maybe just drink beer, or only take pills, or only shoot up on the weekends...

 Once again, this is an extremely condensed version, but when you have a $500 a day habit, you have to figure out some way of maintaining it. I started robbing banks. I thought I was cool, an outlaw... a rebel without a cause. Of course, it didn't last. Eventually, I ended up in prison. Back when I first started doing time, in the mid 90's, things were a lot different than they are doing time today. They fed you well, the fellas all stuck together; we lived by a code. I'm not going to say that it was all fun and games, not a day went by where I didn't witness, or involve myself in, some form of serious  violence, or another... but, we did have some good times. I never intended on going back, but obviously I didn't suffer enough, because I did end up going back... repeatedly.

I always started out well. Often, I had the help and support of my friends and family, to help me get on my feet. Once again though, I thought I could do it "my way". I thought I could just drink beer, or maybe drugs were ok, as long as I didn't shoot anything up. I had to find some way to numb the pain, to give me confidence and overcome my overwhelming feelings of inadequacy and hopelessness at the seemingly insurmountable challenges involved in building a "normal life".  Of course, my way never worked, for long. I always ended up strung out and back on the street, running and gunning.

Four prison sentences later, I had lost the respect and support of virtually all my friends and family. They just didn't understand why I kept making the choices I did.  I can't blame them; I didn't much care for myself, either.  I was a real dirt-bag. I had hurt a lot of people and caused a lot of destruction, by putting my addiction before anything else in my life. By refusing to take responsibility for my own actions, I had allowed my addiction to dominate me and decide the course of my life.

No more! I have had enough. I'm tired of spending my days suffering on the streets, chasing an enormous drug habit that could never fill the void, spending my days locked up, being told what to do and when to do it, eating shitty food, constantly being a source of disappointment and detriment to my friends and family. I knew that I could no longer do things my way, if I truly wanted to learn how to live the life I was meant to live. If putting my addiction first was the cause of so much pain, destruction, hopelessness, and suffering, I now know that I must put my recovery first, if I want to ensure that I never go down that path again.

So... here I sit, on the deck of the motel in beautiful Leavenworth, enjoying a gorgeous sunrise, as I finish writing this blog. All my school projects are up to date. I expect I will achieve straight A's, this semester. I am starting a new job, redesigning the website for WSU Tri-Cities. I am regaining the trust of my friends and family. I am making new friends, who live the kind of lives that I want to live. I am working towards regaining custody of my son. I can do whatever I want, whenever I want, without cops or an addiction dictating my actions. None of this would be possible, without my choice to live clean and sober.

If any of you can relate to this, at all... If you think that your life is out of control, due to your alcohol or drug use, I strongly suggest that you don't try to do it yourself. If your best thinking repeatedly gets you locked up and miserable, perhaps it's time for a change. Einstein said "The thinking that got us where we are is not the thinking that will get us where we want to be". I had to learn a whole new way of thinking. Involving myself in a 12 step program has helped me evolve in so many ways. Whether you find guidance and direction from church, or a 12 step program of your choice, I strongly recommend that you not be afraid to reach out and ask for help. We can't do this alone. The good news is that we don't have to.

The view from the back deck

"The Road to Recovery"

Fun

It can't all be work and no play, right? I've been working really hard, to put my life on the right track and to make sure I get the most of the opportunities I have been given. I have made my education a top priority in my life. I have been a bit obsessive about keeping my GPA spotless and doing every project I am given to the absolute best of my ability. Only recently have I decided I have the time to get outside of myself a little bit and do some service work. Luckily, I love what I am studying and I am able to turn the projects I am given into enjoyable activities. I have been able to schedule my fun to coordinate with school projects. I go skating, rock climbing, hiking, etc. and I take pictures and shoot video that I use for my assignments. Still, sometimes you have to do things just for the pure enjoyment of them. There are times to be selfless and there are times to be selfish.

I remember sitting in my cell, a few months back, daydreaming about what I wanted to do when I got out. Tool has been my favorite band, for the last 20 years. Every time they come around (which isn't very often), I have been locked up. This time, I told myself, when Tool comes around, I am going to see them. I don't care what it takes. One of the other things I promised myself was that I would get to the Ocean, as soon as possible. I have always had an affinity for Mother Ocean.

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. I went to see Tool in Portland and then drove to the coast to spend the rest to the weekend at Ocean Shores. I really don't have the words to express to you, how much I enjoyed this trip, or what it meant to me. It was a spiritual cleansing, awakening, and strengthening experience that I have longed for and needed, for such a long time. I can't tell you how many times I have sat in a cell and daydreamed about all the things I was going to do when I got out. However, I never made the right choices and changes necessary to see any of these dreams through to completion. This time around, everything has been different.

I have not taken the easy path. I have not looked for instant gratification. I am working hard to prepare myself for the long haul. Still, like I said before, it can't all be work and no play... Because I had my finances, school work, and life in order, I was able to go on this adventure and enjoy it to the fullest.

Tool did not disappoint. They put on an amazing show. It was truly a visual, auditory, and spiritual awakening. The energy of the crowd was tangible and Maynard and crew seemed to feed of of it, to breath it in, and then breath it back out through the songs they performed. The creative energy in that Coliseum was soul quenching, to a man who had thirsted so long for an experience such as this. I recorded a few songs on my phone. They don't really do the performance justice, but they will always evoke the memory of being there and how alive I felt.

On the way back to the car, after the show, we came across this guy playing percussion using plastic containers. A very talented musician; this guy was making pretty good money, for a street performer.

After the show, we went to Voodoo Doughnuts. This place rocks! If you are in the neighborhood, I highly recommend it (but, not if you are on a diet).

Loaded up with delicious snacks for the road, we headed off for Ocean Shores. We didn't get there until after 4 o'clock in the morning. It was hard to stay awake, but we made it, safe and sound. Once again, it is hard for me to find the words to describe what it meant to me to hear the sound of waves, rolling into the shore. It felt like coming home, after a long hard journey. This video was shot of of our back porch, at the resort we stayed at. 

The underlying purpose of our trip to Ocean Shores was to attend an NA convention; "Clean and Free, by the Sea". I have not broached the subject of addiction yet, on this blog. It is a difficult topic, but this will be the next subject I blog about. 

Service

“I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.” 
― Rabindranath Tagore

I have been so blessed with opportunity lately. So many people have put forth effort to enable me to be successful. I have really been working hard on myself, for the last couple months. By necessity, this has been a really selfish time in my life. I realize that this is ok. I can't be there for anyone else, if I can't be there for myself, first.

I have really felt the desire to get outside of myself, as of late. I was cruising around on this volunteer website, http://www.volunteermatch.org/search/index.jsp?r=msa&l=99354,+, trying to find something that interested me, when I found an advertisement for Art at the Arch. They were asking for volunteers to help teach kids with developmental disabilities to paint. I have been volunteering on this project for two weeks now. It's only one day a week, for two and a half hours per session.

I have been helping a five year old Autistic boy, named Markus, learn to paint. To tell you the truth, he has been teaching me a lot more than I have been teaching him. This project has been a lot of fun, for both of us. Markus is aways chomping at the bit. He's not one for listening to instructions (something I can identify with), he just wants to paint/draw. What ever we are doing, he is into it, 100%.

At first, he had some doubts. "What do you want to paint?", I asked him.  "I don't know how to paint", he responded".  "That's ok", I told him. "We are going to learn".  We started out by drawing some sketches. When I asked him what he wanted to draw, he replied "A dinosaur", without hesitation. "But, I don't know how to draw a dinosaur", he told me. Once again, I responded "That's ok, we are going to learn". We found a picture of a dinosaur he liked and I started to sketch it out myself. I told him to just do what I was doing. "First we draw the body, then the head, then the tail, then maybe some spikes" a very rudimentary sketch. Markus started to sketch his own dinosaur and quickly forgot all about what I was doing. He definitely had a vision of what he wanted, immediately. He didn't want to listen to any advice. He was doing it his way and that was awesome! I just let him go to town and asked him to explain to me what he was doing. He told me a story about the dinosaur, while he was drawing it. One dinosaur quickly turned into a family of dinosaurs. The next step was turning the drawing into a painting, I told him.

After some initial hesitation, he once again dove head first into the creative process. Once again, he didn't want any help, or instructions. He knew what he wanted and he was full-on committed to the process. It was awesome to see how quickly he changed from the self doubt we all experience, into the master of his own domain. We pretty much had to drag him away from the painting, when it was time to clean up. When we finally got the painting put away, Markus totally got into helping me clean up. He not only wanted to clean his table, he wanted to clean the whole room! He kept finding places that needed cleaning and would point them out to me. "Right here", he would say. I would spray it and he would wipe it up. Then, on to the next spot. I've never seen a kid have so much fun cleaning!

I didn't feel like I was really giving my time away. I felt like I was being blessed with a great experience. I would highly recommend getting involved in some sort of volunteer work. Not only will you be doing some good for society and helping others, you will soon discover that the joy and reward you receive is like no other. I begin to understand what Gandhi meant, when he said "The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others."

Cultural Blog

This weekend, I went to a belly dancing Hafla, sponsored by the Sultana Dancers. It was an all day cultural event, held at the Clover Island Inn. Belly dancing troupes from all over the country preformed, employing a wide variety of belly dancing styles and methods. It was a very interesting and intriguing affair. I had no idea what to expect, when my friend (who preforms in one of the troupes) invited me to attend. Of course, we all have our preconceived notion about what belly dancing entails...the sexy, sultry, undulating maneuvers associated with middle eastern dancing. Truth be told, this is what peaked my interest and what I most looked forward to observing. I was shocked and surprised by how eclectic the various types of dances preformed were. I was also surprised by the diversity of the dancers, themselves.

Of course, there was the classic belly dancing performances, such as the example displayed in the short video clip above. There were also performances of tribal infusion belly dancing, as well as some more modern dance infusions. The dancers performed to a wide variety of music. They danced with swords balanced on there heads. They performed choreographed dances, as well as some amazing free form dances. They performed singularly and in a variety of numbers. There were also live drummers that were amazing to watch and listen to. What was most interesting, to me, was the different types of dancers themselves. Of course, there were the classic beauties, with society's current definition of what the female form should look like; but, there were also every type of size, shape, age, color, and yes... even gender. One of the best performances, I felt, was by a troupe led, directed, and choreographed by a male belly dancer.

 At first, I focused most of my photos on the classic beauties. After a little while, I started to pay more attention to the more diverse population of dancers. I observed the passion and joy that ALL of these dancers performed with. These dancers felt sexy and alive. It didn't matter if they were big, small, old, young, talented, or maybe not so talented... These dancers really loved what they were doing and it showed in the joy and enthusiasm that they performed with. Everyone in the audience seemed to be enthralled and thoroughly entertained; I know that I was. I would highly recommend attendance at the next belly dancing Hafla, held by the Sultana Dancers, to anyone who enjoys the world of dance.

Our Thoughts...

We are what we think.
All that we are arises with our thoughts.
With our thoughts, we create the world.

-The Buddha 

One of the most important lessons that I have learned, over the last couple years, is that my thoughts become my reality. Simply put, if I believe I will fail, I will. If I believe I will succeed, I will. Both of these are tested, tried, and proven theories. Granted, I have vastly more experience with failing... but, that is just because, for most of my life, I expected to fail. I never thought I was worthy of success, or happiness. Because I believed it, on a visceral level, it was true.

A couple years ago... about the same time I started working towards my AA, with a couple years left to do, I picked up a book called "Change Your Thinking, Change Your life", By Brian Tracy. I liked the sound of the title, so I decided to give it the once over. Since that day, the principles I learned in that book have been the foundation of the revolution that has been occurring within my spirit and mind. 

It is mind boggling, to me, that a concept so simple and yet so powerful was lying right underneath my nose all along. How could it be so simple? And yet it is... I don't mean to say that, one day, I just changed the way I thought about everything and lived happily ever after... It was a gradual evolution... and one that is still in process. I still battle with self doubt, but now I pretty much have an auto-mechanism that kicks in and reminds me that I have to believe my goals and tasks will be accomplished, if I want that to become a reality. Immediately, I visualize what i want, as if it already exists. The results have been extremely tangible and nothing short of amazing. Ever since I turned the corner and started really knowing that I was a good person and deserved success, things have almost magically been falling into place. I go forward with confidence and a strong belief that what I want, will be; I visualize it as already being reality... and the right thing just seems to happen, at the right time. I meet the right person, who has the knowledge I am seeking. I stumble upon solutions to problems in ways I had not anticipated.

Of course, there is a lot of hard work and dedication involved. It's pretty hard to convince yourself that things are going to work out, when you just sit on your ass and do nothing (although there are people that seem to somehow make that work). It is a symbiotic relationship, for me. My hard work gives me a sense of self worth, my sense of self worth allows me to believe I deserve (and am capable of) success. My belief seems to empower my ability to achieve my goals, which gives me the drive to keep working hard. It all comes around, full circle.

I strongly encourage any of you, who are seeking to transform your lives, to give some serious thought to how you view yourself and what your expectations are, on a truly visceral level. Do your beliefs and expectations correlate with your experiences? I'm willing to bet that, for better, or worse, they do.

Volume Two

Volume One

Smokin Joe's Monthly Newsletter

Volume 1, Dec. 2013

 

Greetings and salutations, my brothers:

You probably thought I had forgotten about you... I said I would write and I'm a man of my word. This first installment is just going to be a brief note, just to let you guys know that I haven't forgotten about you and that I am doing well.

Funny how we think that getting out is somehow going to magically make all our problems go away and life is instantly going to be awesome... Freedom kicks ass, don't get me wrong, but the challenges can be more than a bit overwhelming.  I'm just trying to make a little progress each day and enjoy the little things.

Showering by myself is novel. The only pecker I get to check is my own and you all know how disappointing that is. Using a descent razor kicks ass. I'm done in about 2 minutes, without cutting myself:) Needless to say, I've been eating a lot of meet; steaks, chicken, shrimp, and lots of pork (bacon, chops, roast). Mmmmmm, bacon. It's nice to eat what I want, when I want. A nice warm bed, a nice soft pillow, a nice warm, soft woman... yes, freedom is nice. Oh yeah, and let's not forget NFL Red Zone and video games :) and, oh yeah, chew.

For those of you who have been down for a bit... you won't believe how much shit has changed, out here. You have seen the adds on TV, hopefully you have taken some computer classes, but even that won't really prepare you for the Brave New World, out here. Society has become a Matrix, for real. No one uses paper for anything anymore. EVERYTHING is mobile/touch screen/techno/w.w.w./connected... It's a bit overwhelming, for an old fart, like me... but, I'm getting it figured out. The possibilities are amazing. It's so easy to find/create/do anything. It's all at your fingertips. Of course, everyone also knows where you are and what you are doing, too... I have nothing to hide though, for the first time in my life. I plan on keeping it that way.

The Oxford house I'm at is cool. It's a nice, big house with huge flat screens in every room. We have a weight set up outside, on the back porch. It's a little chilly, but I've been getting my workouts in. Taking creatine, testosterone supplements, and protein powder. I've already experienced increased strength and endurance. I'll send you guys some pics next time. When I get some more cash, I'm gonna join Gold's Gym. It's right down the street.

I am officially registered for spring quarter at WSU Tri-Cities. I'm taking classes in beginning animation/cgi and video/sound technology. I'm also taking a writing class, “technology and the new rhetoric” and an anthropology class, "speech, thought, and culture". I'm pretty stoked.

The PPEP has been there for me, every step of the way. They got me a bus pass, sent me a voucher for some new clothes, they paid my first installment on my defaulted loans, and they are paying for my first semester's tuition, until I get the loans out of default. They have been great with advice and support concerning my current CPS troubles, as well. I fully encourage any of you, who are serious about continuing your education and turning your lives around to call these people and establish a relationship with them, while you are down. If you are just trying to get some free shit and some come up money though, you probably want to look elsewhere. Remember, they are all convicts... you are not going to pull the wool over their eyes... but, they will help you if you are truly doing everything you can to help yourself.

After I get my shit together, I will be starting my own Non-Profit. I talked to some of you about that. I am serious about getting that together. It is going to be a minute, until I can get all the pieces in place. I will keep you posted.

I haven't got a job, yet. I've got some promising leads. Hopefully, I get something dialed in soon. I'm working on getting a tattoo gun, too.

Like I said, life isn't easy out here. The challenges I face frustrating and overwhelming. I just do my best to get a little bit accomplished every day; to make the right choices (rather than the easy ones), based on the values and ethics I have decided to live by. I am striving to live in a manner that will make my ancestors proud.

I encourage you all to stay strong and remain true to yourselves. Ask yourselves, "what do I want from life?", and then ask yourselves "am I doing everything in my power to work towards that goal?". Act, don't react.  Help and encourage each other; united we are strong.

I promise that the next installment will be more informative and colorful. I'll be a little more settled in and have some more experiences to share. I'll be thinking about you guys, during Yule. I would love to hear back from you guys and hear how you are doing. If there is anything I can do for you, let me know. If anyone else wants to get on the mailing list, let me know. Also, if you guys have any suggestions for topics you would like to hear about, feel free to submit suggestions.

Your friend,

Joseph Gary Jensen,

Man Of Action

Chapter 1 of my new life...


A new chance at life...  I am so blessed to have this opportunity to re-define myself and live a life worthy of remembrance. The vast majority of my friends that have traveled the same road I did have either died, or are spending the rest of their lives in prison. This blog will not be about my past, but about the current path I am on; to gain an education, to build a career, and to find a new way of living. In order to understand the relevance of my current journey, you must first understand a bit about where I am coming from.


Imagine life in a 9x12 cell. The concrete walls pressing down on you, suffocating your will... a constant reminder of your failure as a human being. The only time you are allowed to leave your cell is when the doors slide open and you are told what to do and when to do it. Once these doors open, you must constantly be on your guard, looking over your shoulder, always ready for the imminent threat of violence. This is how I have spent the vast majority of my adult life. I was recently released from a five-year sentence; my third time in prison. My whole life has been a struggle. During the short intervals of “freedom” in between prison sentences, I have battled with depression, anxiety, addiction, and homelessness. I never believed that I deserved, or was capable of success and happiness. A couple of years ago I came to a turning point in my life. I had a five-year-old son out there that needed his father. I knew that if I was ever going to have a chance at a successful life, I was going to have to take charge of my life and start making some better choices. I began to throw myself wholeheartedly into the rehabilitation process.

Durring my last prison sentence, I completed my Associates degree . I also completed chemical dependency treatment, parenting classes, and several behavior modification classes. I also completed a one-year graphic design certificate. For me, art was always a way to escape from my troubles. Only recently have I discovered that I could actually make a career out of it. Along the road to achieving my graphic design certificate, I was introduced to the intriguing possibility of becoming a graphic designer. 

With a year left on my prison sentence, I applied for, and received a scholarship from The Post-Prison Education Program. I applied to, and was accepted by WSU Tri-Cities, where I am currently enrolled and working towards a degree in Digital Technology and Culture. I plan on achieving a double Bachelor's degree in DTC and Fine Arts, then continuing on to a Master's of Fine Art. From there, I plan to open my own design company. By owning my own company, I can avoid the unnecessary complications that potential employers may have with my felony record.


Along the path towards achieving higher education, I have learned that education does not just teach you how to earn a living, it teaches you how to live. After spending a lifetime running away from my problems, I now view the challenges and problems I face as an opportunity for growth and accomplishment.


In order to, in some small way, repay the kindness and help I have received,  I wish to help others of a similar background find a new way of life. One of the first steps I have taken towards this end is to write a monthly newsletter, which is sent to prisoners currently engaged in seeking to transform their lives through the power of post-secondary education. It chronicles my experiences transitioning back into society and specifically, my experiences as a student at WSU Tri-Cities. By providing a history of my struggles and triumphs, I hope to give insight, perspective, and advice to others planning on taking a similar path. 


This Blog will be a supplement to the monthly newsletter. My hope is that other ex-convicts transitioning back into society can view this blog and know that they are not alone in their struggles. Perhaps they can learn from my mistakes and avoid some of the same pitfalls I experienced and benefit from a record of what I found helpful and useful in my own journey.


I was released from the Washington State Penitentiary on November 24th, 2014. What follows is the first installment of "Smokin Joe's Monthly Newsletter", mailed out in the beginning of January 2014, followed by the second installment, mailed out at the end of February, 2014. My goal is to, first of all, become more punctual in the production and distribution of this newsletter, and second of all, to grow and progress in using the graphic design skills I am learning in school. 


By reading this blog, you should be able to  view my progress as an artist, designer, writer, student, and citizen.