CZM Book Club: Poems by Incarcerated Authors -- with In The Belly Magazine
This episode of It Could Happen Here transforms the book club format into a radical act of solidarity, centering poems by incarcerated authors published in In The Belly magazine—a revolutionary abolitionist publication by and for people in prison. Rather than a traditional literary discussion, the episode becomes a direct transmission from inside the U.S. prison system, where voices from SCI Chester and other facilities share raw, unfiltered reflections on survival, identity, and resistance. The poems expose the dehumanizing machinery of mass incarceration while revealing profound creativity, spiritual resilience, and political clarity. 'I Am' confronts the grotesque spectacle of a Black man caged and led by a leash, symbolizing the state’s erasure of dignity. 'Bioluminescence' reframes despair as potential: the imprisoned are not broken, but rich in hidden strength, capable of self-illumination and revolution. The episode challenges listeners to see incarceration not as punishment but as a system designed to crush the soul—and to recognize that art, especially poetry, is a form of liberation. The host, Matthew Garcia, and editors like Yair and Remy emphasize that writing is not escape but survival, a way to maintain humanity and connect across generations of struggle. The episode’s power lies in its refusal to perform empathy.
Poetry in prison is not therapy—it's resistance and self-creation.
The prison system is designed to erase dignity, but incarcerated people use art to reclaim it.
The phrase 'I am a dog on a leash' symbolizes how the state reduces Black men to property.
Incarcerated people are not waiting for salvation—they are already building the future.
Bioluminescence is a metaphor: the imprisoned are rich in potential, capable of self-illumination.
…and 3 more takeaways available in PodZeus
The Book Club That Reads from the Inside
“We have an author-read episode this week. A bunch of authors, three different authors. Because this week we are continuing our collaboration with In the Belly magazine, which is a revolutionary abolitionist publication by and for incarcerated people and their communities.”
The Process: The Discipline of Survival
Remy’s poem 'The Process' frames personal growth as a relentless, internal labor—'the sweat, the tears, the anger, the joy is all a part of the process we need to stay in bed with in order to give birth to everything we desire.' It’s a meditation on self-mastery under extreme duress.
Was It a Drug? The Myth of the Criminal
Yair’s 'Was It a Drug?' dismantles the narrative of criminality, revealing how systemic violence and poverty shape lives. The poem reframes drug deals not as moral failure but as survival in 'brick tent cities' where 'the anthem is survival of the fittest.'
Roses: The Urgency of Dignity
“Before I die, give me my roses. I want them now, not when I'm in the ground like my fallen soldiers.”
I Am: The State as Predator
“I am a dog. Not in the sense of my bark, my bite, my breed, instinct or characteristics. But in the sense that I'm handcuffed behind my back with a black leash hanging from between the cuffs.”
“I am a dog. Not in the sense of my bark, my bite, my breed, instinct or characteristics. But in the sense that I'm handcuffed behind my back with a black leash hanging from between the cuffs.”
“We are seeds hidden in darkness. We are surrounded by richness potential concealed beneath foundations that are hard and cold.”
“Before I die, give me my roses. I want them now, not when I'm in the ground like my fallen soldiers.”
Host
Guests
In The Belly Magazine
organization
Matthew Garcia
person
Yair
person
Remy A.K. Rio
person
Cool Zone Media
organization
SCI Chester
place
Eva
person
June 11
other
Pierre Pinson
person
Hazel
person
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