At 6:00 a.m., six Clemson University students departed South Carolina to arrive by 8:00 a.m. at Phillips State Prison—ready to dive into deep conversation and shared learning with students in the Common Good Atlanta classroom. Maddalyn Knaack, Kristie Alianiello, Sophie Roehrborn, Emily Buchholz, Maggie Stack, and Asheton Holden are part of Dr. Nancy Paxton-Wilson’s Creative…

I first met Janine three years ago amid COVID protocol, when CGA was hosting classes virtually. Her reputation was well known among CGA alumni for serving as a board member and for having recently become a published poet through the Poetry Foundation with her poem, “Forgotten Portraits.” It was not until several months after the…

INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL CLARK What was your first day out like? I got home on December 29th, 2019, from Atlanta TC. I remember it was a sunny day, slightly cold given the time of year. My parents came to pick me up that morning. It probably wasn’t as glamorous as most people would expect, only…

My journey at Common Good Atlanta (CGA) kicked off with my desire as a 3rd year Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) student in the Fall of 2021. It all started when I enrolled in the Social Welfare institution and had the privilege of being taught by Dr. Elizabeth Beck, a highly inspirational professor. And my…

The end of the year. We are finally here! The time when all the holidays fall in sequence as family gatherings, parties, soirees, and more seem to be never-ending. We cheer with people we haven’t seen the year before and keep our spirits merry and warm. Let’s not forget any family tradition we uphold from…

I recently wrote a letter to a friend’s daughter who was incarcerated. When I wrote her, she had just got her time and was still in the throws of understanding what her future looked like. I felt it was necessary to write her to discuss some things I knew she was soon to encounter, something…

I gained a humble dose of wisdom after one of the first dates I went on when I got home. I had been on a few prior to this, but this woman, who I will call Cara (not her real name), was different. We had met during a New Year’s Eve party and had hit…

During the first summer at my first prison camp, I was on lockdown. There are a lot of things to explain about this situation, so bear with me for a moment. My first prison camp was in Waycross, Georgia, and it was a close security camp which also had the distinction of being a medical/low-level…

I was reminded of a bit of wisdom I gained in prison recently. I had a friend going through rough times, and he started venting some of his frustrations and concerns to me. After a minute, he stopped and laughed, then said, “You know, Mike, I almost forgot you were in prison. Here I am…