11 Comments
Jan 18·edited Jan 18Liked by Claire Tak

Thank you, Claire, for all your edits, and for sharing my essay with your your peeps. The questions you asked led to a much deeper version. You rock!!

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You are more than welcome and it was a great learning experience for me too... the student becoming the editor and all that! :) It just goes to show how it helps to get other perspectives and to collaborate. You're the best!!

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Love what you're doing on Substack, Claire. Thanks for sharing your work—and you're one of the people who inspired me to get here. I'm grateful!

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Wow, what a compliment! Thank you so much Brooke! Your Substacks are awesome too.

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What a unique and rewarding experience. We live by quite a few prisons (Texas). Tickles my curiosity as to what programs they have for the women lifers. Really neat story.

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Hi Gina, thank you for reading it and for your lovely comment. I often wondered what went on inside prisons too, and ironically, found out after my brother went in. Another ironic thing is that I keep meeting writers who were either incarcerated or have worked with incarcerated people! Go figure. :D

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Omg this piece!! Thank you for sharing.

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Right?! Thanks for your comment, Caroline!

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This was so beautiful. Thank you for sharing it <3<3

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I love this piece. I want to read it again and again and again to swim in its subject matter, its craft, its raw vulnerability, its hope. Thank you for sharing. I’m blown away.

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Thanks Christine! Allison's story is quite incredible and there's so much more to her story than the prison volunteering. I was particularly drawn to the part about how her students made her feel after experiencing the death of her BF. Thanks again for reading and your comment. I hope you're feeling better and doing well! :)

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