The way you’ve woven these trees together, the ones you could barely touch inside and the walnut you sit beside now, feels like its own kind of rooting.
Reading this, we couldn’t help but imagine that mulberry growing through a pine, the silver maple holding quiet in the middle of the yard, the climbing tree with scraped shins and a hammock made of bed sheets and dog leashes. Each one was thriving where it “shouldn’t”, offering shade and sweetness in places built for punishment, not belonging. Life found a way there, and so did you. It makes such deep sense that, nine months out, you’d see yourself in the walnut — shaggy, wild, rooted in a spot not designed for what you’re becoming, yet still giving anyway.
Your art and your writing feel like exactly that kind of shade for men still in the heat of their sentence. Your work is a canopy they can stand under for a minute and remember they’re more than the number they answer to. You’re becoming fertile ground for others while still carrying power lines, monitors, stents, and history through your own branches, and the duty you feel to keep growing and giving is something we’re profoundly grateful for. The way you’re learning to be the tree instead of the boy who takes is going to matter for a lot of people who haven’t yet found their own lanai or walnut to watch. 🧡
It would be an absolute honor to collaborate with you.
I’ll share this idea with our team and start brainstorming possible directions, and would love for you to do the same on your end so we can see where our work and your stories naturally intersect. Hopefully, we can get something onto our creative calendar that feels true to both what you’re building and what we’re trying to offer families.
We’re also in the process of launching a podcast this fall, focused on life inside, coming home, and the unseen work of staying connected. If you’d be open to it, we’d be thrilled to consider having you as a guest to talk about your art, your writing, and what it means to “be the tree” for people still on the inside.
You know what maybe that podcast will be our chance to work together of course I’m open to doing so before, but yes, I’d be absolutely honored to join and add my voice
We’re genuinely thrilled at the prospect of having you on the podcast and adding your voice to the conversation. We’ll talk it through at our Weekly Planning Meeting today and then reach out with more concrete details about format, timing, and next steps.
I love this style of writing! The philosophy behind the story, the way you unfold and perceive things, and how you discover your inner self. It’s the idea that a tree isn't just a tree, but holds the magic and energy of years, even centuries, that we can sense, prompting us to pause and truly feel it. It’s a form of therapy. It's fantastic to read something like this! I certainly love it.
The way you’ve woven these trees together, the ones you could barely touch inside and the walnut you sit beside now, feels like its own kind of rooting.
Reading this, we couldn’t help but imagine that mulberry growing through a pine, the silver maple holding quiet in the middle of the yard, the climbing tree with scraped shins and a hammock made of bed sheets and dog leashes. Each one was thriving where it “shouldn’t”, offering shade and sweetness in places built for punishment, not belonging. Life found a way there, and so did you. It makes such deep sense that, nine months out, you’d see yourself in the walnut — shaggy, wild, rooted in a spot not designed for what you’re becoming, yet still giving anyway.
Your art and your writing feel like exactly that kind of shade for men still in the heat of their sentence. Your work is a canopy they can stand under for a minute and remember they’re more than the number they answer to. You’re becoming fertile ground for others while still carrying power lines, monitors, stents, and history through your own branches, and the duty you feel to keep growing and giving is something we’re profoundly grateful for. The way you’re learning to be the tree instead of the boy who takes is going to matter for a lot of people who haven’t yet found their own lanai or walnut to watch. 🧡
Thank you for your close read and your very kind words. Perhaps we might collaborate on something for Substack.
It would be an absolute honor to collaborate with you.
I’ll share this idea with our team and start brainstorming possible directions, and would love for you to do the same on your end so we can see where our work and your stories naturally intersect. Hopefully, we can get something onto our creative calendar that feels true to both what you’re building and what we’re trying to offer families.
We’re also in the process of launching a podcast this fall, focused on life inside, coming home, and the unseen work of staying connected. If you’d be open to it, we’d be thrilled to consider having you as a guest to talk about your art, your writing, and what it means to “be the tree” for people still on the inside.
You know what maybe that podcast will be our chance to work together of course I’m open to doing so before, but yes, I’d be absolutely honored to join and add my voice
This means a great deal to us. Thank you.
We’re genuinely thrilled at the prospect of having you on the podcast and adding your voice to the conversation. We’ll talk it through at our Weekly Planning Meeting today and then reach out with more concrete details about format, timing, and next steps.
I love this style of writing! The philosophy behind the story, the way you unfold and perceive things, and how you discover your inner self. It’s the idea that a tree isn't just a tree, but holds the magic and energy of years, even centuries, that we can sense, prompting us to pause and truly feel it. It’s a form of therapy. It's fantastic to read something like this! I certainly love it.
Thank you so much, as always for the close read. You as well seem like someone pretty close to nature.
Yes, nature, I love it. I love working in the garden, reading, drawing, relaxing. The birds, the sounds... it calms me down.❤️