Jimmy Baca

In A Place to Stand, Jimmy Santiago Baca's words about his time locked up in prison at Florence, AZ hit you the same way those "Scared Straight" shows used to. Maybe a bit harder.

The book is about coming up hard, and transformation. This guy was just about illiterate when he went in around the age of twenty-one. He came out five years later writing books, poetry, screenplays... and winning awards for his work, too.

Or, maybe it's not so much about transformation as it is about a person finding something inside that was always there -- that dormant seed, neglected by poverty, prejudice, circumstance, some poor choices -- finally getting a chance to take root, to grow into something.

Baca grew up in New Mexico; I hear he's still around here.

Check out jimmysantiagobaca.com. He's got a Community Forum. Folks have posted a lot of poetry and other writings there. Good stuff, and the forum has a good feel to it.