From inStudio to the National Stage
EA's Returning Filmmaker Fellow JJ “88” wins an Emmy, + 3 new stories
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For the last Saturday of May, inStudio joined East Bay Open Studios and Oakland Art Murmur’s Summer Block Party for “Rooted in Art,” a free, family-friendly celebration of art, music, food, and the East Bay creative community.
Throughout the day, we welcomed a steady flow of visitors into the space. Families, neighbors, artists, and first-time guests stopped by to explore the exhibition, connect with one another, and spend time with artwork created by currently and formerly incarcerated artists.
One of the highlights was welcoming artist Ray Williams Jr. into the space to create live character and caricature drawings. It was incredible to watch people sit down, whether alone, with family, or alongside loved ones, and give Ray the creative freedom to interpret and sketch them in real time. The activity brought a new energy into the gallery and created moments of joy, curiosity, and connection.
We want to extend a special thank you to Ray and his wife, Chantel, for sharing their time, talent, and creativity with our community. We are grateful for the unique experience they brought to inStudio and look forward to finding more ways to collaborate in the future
The response to the artwork itself also really stood out. Again and again, visitors shared how much they were learning through the exhibition and the stories behind the work. The Distance Between: Traveling Beyond Count Time invites people into conversations about incarceration, creativity, memory, and possibility in ways that many have never encountered before.
We cannot assume that everyone understands what is happening inside prisons or how incarceration shapes the lives of individuals, families, and communities. What we continue to hear from visitors is that the exhibition offers a fresh perspective and creates opportunities to engage with these realities through the voices and experiences of people most directly impacted.
That is part of what makes having this space in the heart of Oakland’s 25th Street arts district so meaningful. It creates a place where art, storytelling, and community can come together, allowing people to learn, ask questions, and build a deeper understanding of the world around them.
We also want to take a moment to thank every artist who has contributed work to this exhibition and who are continuing to create. Your artwork matters. The stories, ideas, and perspectives you share are reaching people in ways you may never fully see. One conversation can spark another. One moment of understanding can ripple outward into a family, a workplace, or an entire community.
You never know who your audience is or what impact your work may have on someone. What we do know is that people are leaving this space thinking differently, asking new questions, and carrying these stories with them. That matters.
We also want to extend our appreciation to East Bay Open Studios and Oakland Art Murmur for organizing the Summer Block Party and helping activate the neighborhood through art. Events like these remind us that art is not only something we experience on walls. It is also a way of building relationships, creating conversation, and creating proximity across differences.
Thank you to everyone who stopped by. We loved sharing the space with you and can’t wait to welcome you back soon.
As visitors explored the exhibition and connected with the work of EA artists in Oakland, our Writing for Liberation team was in Chicago building relationships, sharing ideas, and joining a national conversation about the future of incarcerated journalism and storytelling.
Last month, Empowerment Avenue Executive Director Rahsaan Thomas and Writing for Liberation Co-Lead Joshua Strange traveled to Chicago for Bridging the Gap: Amplifying Incarcerated Voices, a national convening that brought together journalists, editors, publishers, advocates, and organizations committed to advancing incarcerated voices.
For Joshua, the experience was both professionally and personally meaningful.
“It was really invigorating and inspiring to join up with peers and colleagues who are all interested in the same mission of advancing writing and journalism from the inside,” he shared. “It reminded me that there’s a large community of people who believe in this work and want to help people get their voices heard.”
Throughout the conference, the team connected with longtime partners, met new collaborators, and recruited new volunteers to support Writing for Liberation. We were also joined by Editorial Council volunteers Abigail Glasgow, Nicole Dirks, and Tamantha Hicks, who had the opportunity to connect with others across the field and deepen their understanding of the work happening nationwide.
The conference featured keynote speakers, breakout sessions, interactive exhibits, and opportunities for attendees to learn from one another. Participants explored a traveling solitary confinement museum installation and a virtual reality experience that allowed visitors to step inside a prison cell, offering powerful opportunities for education and reflection.
More than anything, the gathering reinforced why this work matters.
For Joshua, the biggest takeaway was simple: Incarcerated voices are essential.
“When people on the inside can shine a spotlight on what’s happening behind prison walls and share their perspectives on issues that affect all of us, we create opportunities for change,” he said. “If we don’t help get those voices out, who will?”
As restrictions on prison journalism continue to grow across the country, gatherings like Bridging the Gap remind us that we are part of a larger movement committed to ensuring incarcerated writers, journalists, artists, and filmmakers have the opportunity to participate in public conversations and shape the narratives that affect their lives.
Empowerment Ave News amplifies the work of incarcerated writers, filmmakers and artists. Subscribe to receive new posts and support the collective.
Upcoming Events
Oakland First Fridays X inStudio
Join us at inStudio for The Distance Between: Traveling Beyond Count Time, an exhibition featuring work by currently incarcerated and system-impacted artists. More than a gallery, inStudio is a site of ongoing collaboration between artists inside and communities beyond prison walls, creating opportunities for artists to share their work, ideas, and creative vision. Stop by during Oakland First Friday to experience the exhibition, connect with the community, and learn more about Empowerment Avenue's work to expand access and visibility for incarcerated artists.
When: July 3rd, 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Where: 473 25th Street, Suite A, Oakland, California 94612
Artist Spotlight: Markus Xcells
EA artist Markus Xcells has been busy this year! From May through July, he will organize his first solo exhibition and participate in three group shows. Beginning with The Distance Between: Travelling Beyond Count Time, inStudio’s opening exhibition, Markus has been on fire and receiving a lot of love for his artwork. By the end of the night he had sold out. Fortunately he was able to join the event by phone and even met one of the buyers—it was a meaningful night.
The following weekend, VA for Liberation Director Christine Lashaw travelled to Memphis, TN so she could attend the opening for Markus’s solo show, The Exit, which was on view from May 9th — 28th at the Benjamin Hooks Central library. This exhibition was organized in collaboration with Markus’ outside art advocate and co-founder of Forever Forward Collective, Jada X— she really brought the community! In her own words:
”...the whole idea began from simply wanting to bring Markus into public community space in a real way and allow people to encounter him beyond confinement and beyond abstraction. People didn’t just stop by quickly…they stayed, lingered, revisited pieces, connected with each other, engaged with Markus through his voice and presence, and really experienced the exhibition. Over 50 people came through, including people traveling from out of state and several hours away just to be present. The room truly held people.”
Markus spoke, people laughed, people cried and it was a beautiful event to witness. They closed the show out with another powerful event on May 28th, his birthday.
Concurrent with these first two shows Markus participated in a group show in Nashville, TN—Breathing Underwater at Radar 615, May 2— June 6. Curated by artist Phish Bone, the exhibition asked what it means for Black men to survive in emotional environments where breath itself has often been restricted. Finally, Markus will round out this run as part of another group show in Nashville at the Gordon Jewish Community Center, Janet Levine March Gallery from June 10— July 15.
We are thrilled to see Markus’ art so visible this early in his career. It’s a lot to reflect on. Markus shared this with us:
“It’s a blessing to be able to showcase my talents, spark conversations about social issues and have an impact on people. I never thought I would have a solo show this early in my career. It’s amazing how everything is working so effortlessly and fast with my art, it’s truly a blessing. It’s one thing to have created pieces that resonate with others but to be able to engage the audience is a beautiful thing. Organizations like Empowerment Avenue are pivotal to artists who are incarcerated, that have a gift, believe in themselves and have something to share with the world.”
Keep at it Markus! This is just the beginning…
Writer Spotlight: Timothy Peoples
The Writing for Liberation program supports more than 30 incarcerated journalists, essayists, and poets. Each month, we’ll be using this section of the newsletter to spotlight one of the writers we support. This month, we’re highlighting Timothy Peoples.
Here is more about what inspires Timothy to write:
Writing for me gives back my rights to expect responsibility, accountability, and government reforms by elected officials who stripped away the rights of the incarcerated to actively participate in government affairs. The impact I want my writing to have is on members of the public and incarcerated persons willingness to create bridges in order to stand together against factionism that view our government as a right of privilege extended to them by virtues of inheritable political role playing of nobility. It is why I enjoy writing about a governmental system fixed on separating people by class and laws that deprive them of the right to enjoy being recognized as a human being and not just a product that leads to the success of upper class society members and their offspring.
Our Latest Work
1. Kwaneta Harris joined Victoria Law for this special interview in The Nation1 with scholar and writer Steven Thrasher Ph.D. about his new book, The Overseer Class.
2. In this incredibly important story for Filter2, Tony Vick reports about formerly incarcerated people who are completing their prison sentences and then being transferred to Immigrations and Customs Enforcement without due process. One of the sources in his piece details how the harassment campaign ICE has been waging against his family. “They want to keep you wondering what’s about to happen to you,” the source said.
3. Kwaneta Harris writes for Prism3 about how Texas state prisons play a near-constant loop of Fox News, state-run media, and white Christian nationalist programming, which is shaping how incarcerated people understand power and violence.
Inside/Outside Insights
1. CONGRATULATIONS: EA writer Edwin Chavez was featured in a reported story by The Marshall Project about how state prison systems are working with immigration enforcement to deport incarcerated people after they’ve completed their sentences. Thank you for sharing your perspective and wisdom with us!
2. CONGRATULATIONS: Songs from the Hole, a Netflix documentary about incarcerated musician JJ’88’s quest to find hope through songwriting, won a documentary Emmy for Outstanding Art Direction/ Set Decoration/Scenic Design. Congratulations to the entire production and production team on this win!
Team Reflections
When people hear, see, and engage with what our community creates, it matters.
Whether it’s our team co-sponsoring a conference in Chicago, visitors spending time with artwork at inStudio, or readers engaging with stories from people behind prison walls, what sits at the center of all of it is connection. It is the pursuit of understanding one another.
It matters that incarcerated artists, writers, and filmmakers have opportunities to share their experiences, perspectives, and creativity. It matters that they can participate in conversations about criminal justice, public safety, culture, and the issues shaping our world. It also matters that they can simply create on their own terms.
As always, we want to be transparent about the challenges that come with this work. Recently, one of our writers encountered difficult circumstances while conducting investigative journalism inside prison. Unfortunately, this is not a new reality. Incarcerated journalists often face retaliation, discrimination, and the loss of privileges for reporting on issues institutions would rather leave unexamined.
In response, we are exploring ways to strengthen our support systems, expand our network of legal resources, and better protect incarcerated creatives when these situations arise.
If you have connections to attorneys, legal organizations, advocacy groups, or others who may be able to support incarcerated journalists, we would love to hear from you.
The ability to tell the truth should not come at the cost of safety.
Finally, a huge thank you to everyone who participated in the email zap campaign. We are grateful to share that the writer has been moved. Every email and every person who took a moment to speak up sent a powerful message: our community cares, and we will continue showing up for one another.
Thank you for helping us build that kind of community.
In solidarity,
EA Team
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The Nation publishes reporting, essays, commentary, and cultural criticism focused on politics, justice, and social change. It is a strong outlet for writers interested in connecting personal experience to broader social and political issues. Payment varies depending on the assignment.
Filter’s mission is to advocate through journalism for rational and compassionate approaches to drug use, drug policy, and human rights. They pay $300 per essay.
Prism is an independent, nonprofit newsroom led by and for people of color that launched the Right to Write Project to feature and pay incarcerated writers. They pay $.50 per word.