Written Off Lemonada
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- Arts
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Walter Thompson-Hernández speaks with formerly incarcerated young writers whose work will be read over the course of the season by creatives like John Legend, Issa Rae, Yvonne Orji, Karamo Brown, Jay Ellis, Keke Palmer, Julio Torres, and Jesse Williams. Vulnerable poems and honest stories play out against a tailored soundtrack with original music. From Lemonada Media and Black Bar Mitzvah. The voices of those locked up in the U.S. prison system have been all but written off, but no more. These aren’t voices you’ve missed; they’re voices that haven’t been heard.
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Listen Now: The Letter Season Two
The hit true-crime podcast The Letter is back for Season Two. Today, we’re dropping into your feed to offer you a sneak peek of this gripping and impactful story.
On a winter morning in 1982, two young fathers were found shot to death in a van parked outside an upscale Utah restaurant.The killer soon confessed, but his story about what happened - and why he chose violence - would create more pain, conflict, and questions for the families left in the wake of the murders.
As the families of the men struggle to rebuild their lives, they face questions they never anticipated. Does everyone deserve a second chance? Who is forgiveness for? And if you can inherit trauma, can you also inherit forgiveness? Through their stories, we discover even the most personal decisions can unintentionally ripple through lives, through generations, even impacting the lives of people we’ve never met. From KSL Podcasts (Cold), Lemonada Media (Blind Plea) and WorkHouse Media.
You’re about to hear a clip from Episode 1, Season Two of The Letter. To hear the rest of the episode, head to https://lemonada.lnk.to/theletterfd or theletterpodcast.com.
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Learn More: Providing Access to Housing After Incarceration
Incarceration in the U.S. has profound flaws and consequences, but there are many people doing life-changing work to lessen its harm. In this special episode, Lemonada co-founder Stephanie Wittels Wachs sits down with two individuals whose organizations aim to increase access to housing for people who have been involved in the justice system. Stephanie speaks with Leslie Credle, founder and executive director of Justice 4 Housing in Boston, and Bernadette Butler, director of The Homecoming Project, an initiative out of Impact Justice in Northern California. The three discuss the realities faced by justice-involved individuals in today’s society, and how housing is both a human right and a crucial place to start when trying to improve lives.
You can find Justice 4 Housing at justice4housing.org and @justice4housing on Instagram and YouTube. The Homecoming Project can be found through its parent organization at impactjustice.org and @impactjustice on Instagram and Facebook.
Thank you to both of these organizations for making this episode possible.
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Introducing: Life Jolt
Life Jolt - prison slang for a life sentence - examines the lives of women navigating Canada’s correctional system. The team gained unprecedented access to the Grand Valley Institution prison, the federal pen for women in Ontario, for a full year. They followed women going into prison for the first time, spoke with lifers who have been there for years, and parolees as they left. Hosted by Rosemary Green, a former inmate herself, Life Jolt focuses on individual women’s stories and the realities of prison life, and explores a wide range of issues including parenting behind bars, segregation, the over-representation of Indigenous women, addiction, trauma and the many obstacles of reintegration. More episodes are available at: smarturl.it/lifejolt
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Collect Call. Kyle Murphy x Jesse Williams
“Wash It Off.” Written by Kyle Murphy. Performed by Jesse Williams. Kyle chats with his friend (and series executive producer) Aaron Bergman a few weeks ahead of his release about his political activism and fully realizing his literary dreams after a decade inside the system.
“Some people might feel like they’ve written me off, but I’ve got news for them - that s*** is incorrect. I got a bright future ahead of me.” - Kyle Murphy
Written Off contains mature language and themes and may not be appropriate for all listeners. To hear a bleeped version, go to lemonadamedia.com/shows/writtenoff.
Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.
Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.
Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. -
Ultimate Freedom. Ramon Escobar x Angelique Cabral
“My People.” Written by Ramon Escobar. Performed by Angelique Cabral. Ramon is quick to thank InsideOUT Writers for helping him make the transition from feared gang member to highly-successful business owner who happily employs other IOW alums.
“I'm in a different place now where I don't have to hide this other person anymore - it's part of who I've become.” - Ramon Escobar
Written Off contains mature language and themes and may not be appropriate for all listeners. To hear a bleeped version, go to lemonadamedia.com/shows/writtenoff.
Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.
Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.
Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. -
Inhaling Memories. Frank Jimenez x Danny Ramirez
“2nd.” Written by Frank Jimenez. Performed by Danny Ramirez. Frank is putting his mentor’s sage advice to good use by prioritizing his and his family’s happiness and working towards leaving his own unique mark on Hollywood.
‘My writings are like little track markers showing me I'm on the right path, even though I might not see it right then and there.’ - Frank Jimenez
Written Off contains mature language and themes and may not be appropriate for all listeners. To hear a bleeped version, go to lemonadamedia.com/shows/writtenoff.
Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.
Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.
Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Customer Reviews
Moving, Poigiant
It is really amazing how much healing and solace these kids get from writing. Kudos to the actors who read their work for them. It takes so little to give so much to people who needed support and affirmation. The podcast could have better production values, but that doesn’t really detract from the worth of the content.
One of the best imho
There’s just something about this show…oh, I know what it is! It’s real. Like real real, not “reality show” real. It covers a wide range of the real deal. Face on. Creatively. I am very fond of real people and this show covers that, which the world needs more of. Topics that matter. People who are changing the world. Love it.
A Work of Art
An incredible podcast that helps us listen to unheard voices in a very poetic manner. I am constantly amazed.