Staying in with Jacob A. Keiter
Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag Jacob and thank you for agreeing to stay in with me. Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?
Hello, today I have brought along my first self-published book, Notes From The Pen: A Collection of Essays, Poems, and Thoughts From Prison.
I’ve not featured many ex-prisoner authors Jacob, but there have been a few. I like the word play on pen! How did you end up in prison?
For the last five years I spent my time inside a Federal Correctional Institution. For the majority of my life I have suffered with addiction, as well as a strong desire to fulfil a criminal lifestyle. I know it sounds silly and obscure, but I honestly thought it was what I wanted. Until I heard that gavel slam down and I lost my home, family, and freedom. That’s whenever I realized I finally hit rock bottom, and in reality this is not the life for me. It’s funny what rock bottom can do to you, you’re given two choices in that moment; stay where you are, or strive for the best you can make out of a situation. In short, I chose the latter.
Good for you. So how does Notes From The Pen: A Collection of Essays, Poems, and Thoughts From Prison fit in?
Notes From The Pen: A Collection of Essays, Poems, and Thoughts From Prison, is just that; a collection of my time and experience within the federal criminal justice system. My story has been shared through other publications, and I felt it necessary to expand to a wider audience to help others understand the reality of my situation and others in a similar position.
I think reading about other people’s experiences can be incredibly helpful Jacob.
Notes From The Pen: A Collection of Essays, Poems, and Thoughts From Prison in layman’s terms, are my raw thoughts about prison. Surprisingly some will find when reading my story, that even as an inmate I don’t completely bash the prison system. Rather than an inmate complaining and whining about the entire situation, I give credit where it’s due. The book isn’t necessarily a tell-all account of the prison system but rather just my personal experience and what I felt necessary to share with the general public.
Notes From The Pen started as a column for a local newspaper where I shared accounts on a weekly basis, and has been well received by my local community. One of my major fears of being released was the possible judgement from others and not being accepted back into society. Due to my honesty and my platform I think I made a positive impact on my community as a whole. I have been welcomed home by strangers and loved one with open arms and presented with opportunities I honestly didn’t expect to come my way.
That’s just wonderful to hear. I expect they realised that your addiction was at the root cause of your behaviour.
What else have you brought along and why have you brought it?
In addition to writing I also do creative art. At the moment I am pursuing copper moulding and making plaques. This is mostly a hobby and a way to express my artistic side in another fashion. I mostly use this as a way to personalize gifts for my loved ones, but one day I would like to pursue further projects.
It sounds to me as if you’re a highly creative and positive individual Jacob. Thanks so much for staying in with me to chat about Notes From The Pen: A Collection of Essays, Poems, and Thoughts From Prison.
Stay tuned for additional work as I have several novels written while I was in prison just yet to convert digitally!
We will. In the meantime I’ll give readers a few more details about Notes From the Pen:
Notes From The Pen: A Collection of Essays, Poems, and Thoughts From Prison
Jacob Keiter entered federal prison on January 18th, 2018. At first glance he thought his life was over, little did he know his life was finally beginning. Throughout his incarceration he had one goal in mind, to grow into a better person than he ever thought he could be. In “Note From The Pen” Jacob explores a variety of topics throughout his incarceration, that allowed him to become the person he is today. Articles include previously published material, as well as brand new exclusive material!
Notes From The Pen: A Collection of Essays, Poems, and Thoughts From Prison is available for purchase through your local Amazon site.
About Jacob Keiter
Linda's Book Bag 