Life Lines

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Life Lines is an audio journal of poetry, spoken word, and other creative writing by men on Death Row, USA. Contributors live on Death Rows in North Carolina and Tennessee. Life Lines is about connection. It’s about finding surprising spaces to share endangered, beautiful life. It’s about recogniz…

Life Lines Collective


    • Oct 15, 2018 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 2m AVG DURATION
    • 51 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Life Lines

    #105 A bucket of chicken

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 15, 2018


    I could tackle the whole world like Atlas, with greasy lips and a full stomach.

    #104 Story of mine

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 7, 2018


    Every picture has the touch of a dream

    #103 Carrying my side of the plexiglass

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 30, 2018


    Almighty Creator, although I’m not worthy, grant me the peace of awakening within the warmth of all of your splendor.

    #102 Conversation with a dear friend

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 23, 2018


    So what we came to find out, basically, is that life is worth living.

    #101 Breaking news

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 2, 2018


    I've watched the hole petrify pretense, making men fake forever

    #100 The timestretcher

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 19, 2018


    It's like having a pot dropped over your head and a wooden spoon is pounding the rhythm of the Star-Spangled Banner into your eardrums. You know the tune so well, but you just don't want to hear it.

    #99 Judicial pantomime

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 12, 2018


    #97 How do you see yourself

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 30, 2018 1:03


    #96 Demons in the grave

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 22, 2018 3:18


    The notice informed them it would be a temporary matter

    #95 Sorry that I let you down

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 15, 2018


    #94 Insane world

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 8, 2018


    Even the best of us will not pass through it unscathed

    #93 When killers cry

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 1, 2018


    It was a tear-stained revolution.

    #92 Beyond the wall (part 2)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 17, 2018 4:52


    The light hurt to look upon. For the briefest moment, I remembered another life. Then it was gone.

    #91 Beyond the wall (part 1)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 10, 2018 6:12


    "I haven't been outside those walls in 17 years," I told her

    #89 In your eyes

    Play Episode Listen Later May 27, 2018


    A thug, a savage, the truth doesn't live inside of me

    #88 The weather

    Play Episode Listen Later May 20, 2018


    If the forecast doesn’t improve, I will surely drown.

    #87 Mama

    Play Episode Listen Later May 13, 2018 0:50


    You helped me become a man, even without my dad

    #86 Supervision failures

    Play Episode Listen Later May 6, 2018


    Overly relying on incarceration as a panacea to crime expresses every weakness of the criminal justice system.

    #85 Synthesizing freedom

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 29, 2018


    Ergonomically designed to cradle inmate lives

    #83 Reality check

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 15, 2018 6:49


    Trouble is easy to get into and hard to get out of

    #82 Game day

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 8, 2018 3:06


    It’s crazy—I’m in this sold out stadium with 55,000 fans who have no idea a 10 year-old child is trapped in a dark hole beneath them.

    #81 How great thou art

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 1, 2018


    Then sings my soul

    #80 Amazing grace

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 25, 2018


    How sweet the sound

    #79 Down in the river to pray

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 18, 2018


    Good Lord, show me the way.

    #78 Anti-Catholic sentiment as public safety

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 12, 2018


    Our conflict is a continuing erosion of fundamental rights.

    #77 For freedom

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 4, 2018 3:33


    We gotta ride gotta ride, to the end of the line, for freedom

    #76 Do you love your friends?

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 25, 2018 2:42


    For a moment, Death Row faded into the background.

    #75 Contradictions

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 18, 2018


    You want to be happy, because that seems like a normal thing to want to be

    #74 Talking to my mom in autumn

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 9, 2018


    So many damn layers between us.

    #73 Hope

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 4, 2018 0:48


    There is hope for us yet

    #72 Hypertension

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 28, 2018


    My existence drips like molasses.

    #71 When You Look at Me

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 21, 2018 1:14


    You'll see someone

    #70 You Have No Idea

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 14, 2018 1:17


    Put yourself in my shoes, and you wouldn’t last a day or two.

    #68 The longest night

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 17, 2017


    What if the pain we feel seems endless?

    #67 Dance to the flame

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 10, 2017 0:43


    #66 The gift of song

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 3, 2017


    Looking into the perpetual abyss of time, his laughter was revolutionary.

    #64 Invest in rehabilitation, not punishment

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 19, 2017


    Although investing millions in staffing may increase prison security, it is a temporary fix that does not address the causes of violence in prisons.

    #63 Domesticated

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 12, 2017


    Resisting their insisting curiosity and playfulness was impossible.

    #62 Leaving Eden

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 5, 2017 2:48


    I snatched it out of my mouth, staring at it as if it had bitten me.

    #61 Small windows

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 29, 2017


    So that the people outside can see clearly.

    #60 Fear of acceptance

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 22, 2017 7:39


    Welcome to Unit 3.

    #59 When I look

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 15, 2017


    How is it that when I look, she's always there?

    #58 The last lifeline

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 8, 2017


    What is a dream of someone who lives in a nightmare?

    #57 The right to remain silent

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 1, 2017


    Maybe Silent Sam is employing his silence to prod protesters to be silent and think about this country's glorious history and revered personalities if they want to point the fingers of blame for slavery, racism, and white supremacy.

    #56 To shine, beat the sun up

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 24, 2017 2:44


    For to shine is to be seen, and to be seen is to live.

    #55 The plan

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 17, 2017 4:07


    The staff meant to break your will. When that was done, the Plan was waiting.

    #53 The great American eclipse 2017

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 3, 2017


    Pondering astrology through pinholes

    #52 Marching orders

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 27, 2017 1:03


    I guess I'm different than most.

    #50 My son

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 13, 2017


    I was four years old the last time I heard my dad's voice.

    #49 You are

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 6, 2017 0:39


    You've changed my life for the better

    #47 The tombs

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 23, 2017


    A graveyard is still a graveyard, I don't care how you try to pretty it up.

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