About the Project:
Tomorrow’s Ken is an invitation to reflect on the humanity of those living within the American prison system. It is a collection of video portraits of people who are currently or formerly incarcerated. Each portrait is centered around an audio-recorded interviews, with original music and imagery added in support of the narrative.
It is particularly important to me that the people featured in these portraits have the opportunity to tell their story in their own way, and the creation of these pieces has been a collaborative process. I worked closely with each of these folks, sending drafts for review throughout the process (although getting material to incarcerated folks for their review can be challenging). The person featured in each portrait retains full editorial control over the way in with their story is portrayed.
The first view video portraits are posted below. This is an ongoing project, and more pieces will be added as they are completed.
If you are moved by these stories, please consider supporting one of the organizations listed at the bottom of this page or participating in a pen pal program such as the Death Row Support Project or Black and Pink.
It is particularly important to me that the people featured in these portraits have the opportunity to tell their story in their own way, and the creation of these pieces has been a collaborative process. I worked closely with each of these folks, sending drafts for review throughout the process (although getting material to incarcerated folks for their review can be challenging). The person featured in each portrait retains full editorial control over the way in with their story is portrayed.
The first view video portraits are posted below. This is an ongoing project, and more pieces will be added as they are completed.
If you are moved by these stories, please consider supporting one of the organizations listed at the bottom of this page or participating in a pen pal program such as the Death Row Support Project or Black and Pink.
Spoon Jackson
Spoon Jackson is a poet, author, artist and musician who is currently incarcerated in Solano State Prison in California. My first phone call with an incarcerated person was with Spoon in the spring of 2022. Since then, we have had many conversations by phone and by text and I feel honored to call him a friend. Spoon is a published author and poet and his work can be found here and here. To learn more about Spoon and his many artistic projects, visit spoonjackson.org.