Deeds, not words: much quoted in the context of the Suffragette Centenary and attributed to Emmeline Pankhurst, the famous suffragette. For someone who promotes words, freedom of speech, and the power of literature I spent some time thinking about this adage. When are words platitudinous? When are they effective?
Creative writing teaches us to use many styles which involve words and language in action. Deeds match the words when the writer understands the power of language and draws in the reader.
When you read the Hydebank letters, words are emotive and the sentiment is genuine. This is a first for TimeInthat the women in Hydebank are contributors. How striking that many want to say ‘simply sorry’.
This SuffragetteIssue includes an interview with Diane Geer on music and women in the music industry, also an article on women in sport. There is an interview with Bobby Mathieson, the Koestler Trust Winners, our regular poetry feature and commentary from Honest Jim.
I would like to thank Governor Taylor for his interest, encouragement and continuing support to the Writers’ Group and PAF programmes. To the Prison Arts Foundation for their tireless endeavours to support art in prison. The contributors include inmates and the prison staff whose immeasurable support is a huge part of our production.
For many writers, words are not just words but have the intent to deliver their actions.
The poet, Pablo Neruda said ‘the only weapons here are my words’. Words are effective, they can shape reputations, bring comfort, help us understand one another, begin a discussion to resolve a conflict. Ludwig Wittgenstein stated that words have meanings but their use is the vital element.
Pamela Mary Brown
Letters to the editor should be sent to TimeInMagazine, Education Centre, HMP Magilligan, Point Road, Limavady BT49 0LR or placed in an envelope and marked TimeinMagazine c/o Library, HMP Magilligan.
TEESWATER SHEEP
CLEOPATRA VII
WOMEN IN SPORT
SINGER SONGWRITERS
HYDEBANK LETTERS
BOBBY MATHIESON
INFLATION HITS INMATES HARD
Dear TimeIn,
Recently there’s been a lot of talk amongst inmates about the sharp rise in prices of tuckshop items. The government has allocated more money for people receiving benefits to cover the rise in the cost of living, food prices, clothing, public transport and workers have had a pay rise to deal with the cost of living. So, the conversation amongst prisoners is why are we not being given a small rise in wages to deal with the abrupt price increase in almost every item in the tuckshop?
Most prisoners receive visits from their family and friends and can have a small amount of money left in which helps them purchase the necessities from the prison tuckshop such as tobacco, foodstuffs, toiletries etc. Almost every item in the shop has increased in price and our gratuity money has stayed the same. Inmates are finding it difficult to acquire the small things they need to get by. And there are a lot of inmates who don’t have anyone to visit them. This means they have to survive on the meagre wages… wages and gratuity awards that haven’t changed in fifteen years.
Maybe a sympathetic Governor will read this and realise that a lot of prisoners are genuinely struggling to live on the wages they are receiving for working and studying and the embarrassment of being unable to buy tobacco or toiletries and having to beg from other inmates. A small increase would relieve some the pressure and allow them to purchase the little things that help them cope with being incarcerated. So, if there is a compassionate Governor reading this, maybe he or she could find it in his or her heart to give some consideration to the plight of all the prisoners trying to get by within his or her prison and take a look at the rise in prices of items in the prison tuckshop and the fifteen year stagnation of gratuity payments to inmates. >>GS
COLD STORAGE
Dear TimeIn,
Iwould like to address an ongoing problem with reception and the cool reception one gets on approach. Not a day passes without an inmate being denied clothes or a small gift from their loved ones. Officers on the wing are kept busy enough without having to fill in applications, correspondences and complaint forms that needlessly go back and forth from inmate to reception in a weekly game of pingpong.
If I could draw the reader’s attention to a similar situation that unfolded in an English prison regarding prisoners’ personal items. It is alleged that this particular prison was left with no alternative but to hire, at a great expense, a massive storage facility located at a considerable distance from the prison.
Struggling with an already dissipating budget and staff shortage, this aeroplane hangar had to employ officers to run it, drive vans and keep watch over the new prison storage warehouse. A fleet of vans were purchased to run back and forth, collecting and delivering items that had failed the CSI reception team. Chances are the day glow trainers you ordered are NOT going to make it as they could temporarily dazzle an officer’s vison. So into the rack they go laying damp and musty until your release.
Is there a way in which this process could be made more efficient? What prisoner wants their brown, flared, corduroy trousers that his granny left him in reception for Christmas 1972! He’ll leave them behind along with his battery operated wireless, the tartan duffel bag he was arrested with and his pork pie hat. Perhaps the antiques road show could present a series of programmes based on unclaimed items or why not a car boot sale where people can buy up the dubious goods. Otherwise, they could build another shed.
>>MMcG
D E A R T I M E I N
PRISON STORY
Dear TimeIn,
Pack your kit, you’re been transferred. the dreaded moment, it was time for me to face the music for an outstanding court case in Northern Ireland. I was not ready for this and am allergic to boats and planes. There was no sympathy at my door that morning ‘be ready in 10 minutes’. I had never been in a prison in Northern Ireland and my imagination ran amok. Would I be safe? Am I going to get blown up or caught up in a cross fire on the way? I had heard so much news about the many factions. Hmmm, I’m sure the prison vans are bomb proof so offer some protection, that’s what I thought anyway.
6 hours later, after much ado, I am off the ferry and in a van going to Maghaberry. The journey was scary, the driver and his accomplice not talkative. There was an eerie silence. All my questions remained unanswered. On arriving at Maghaberry and going through reception I ended up on the induction wing called Bann. I received weird looks as if an alien landed from mars.
After a few days the novelty wore off that this big black guy from Manchester had joined them. I settled into the regime and actually made a few friends. The only obstacle I had to overcome was the broad Irish accent. I found myself asking people to repeat themselves, or trying to correct their poor English by saying for example it is three not treeeeeee. I found some references quite different to prison in the UK, I asked an inmate when do we get canteen and he looked at me and said what is a canteen mate. I said ‘it is where you buy baccy and sweets’. He says ‘ha you mean tuck shop’. I grinned to myself and mused I’ve a lot still to learn. >>MP
Emily Wilding Davison meets TimeIn
Women voted for the first time ever on 14 December 1918 in a UK general election. TheRepresentationofthePeopleAct of 6 February allowed the vote to women over 30 once she or her husband met the property requirements. Additionally, the QualificationofWomenActof 21 November made woman eligible to stand for parliament.
The epoch event of women’s suffrage came after decades of campaigning. In 1823 TheGreatReform Act had excluded women from the electorate in defining voters as ‘male persons’, and later that year the first petition for female suffrage was presented to parliament.
Wyoming Territorial Legislature passed the first woman’s suffrage law on December 10, 1869. Women voted in Wyoming for the first time in 1870. The legislation set voting rights for woman from the age of twenty-one years upwards and who were resident in the state.
According to history.com‘some men recognized the important role women played in frontier settlement, others voted for women’s suffrage only to bolster the strength of conservative voting blocks. In Wyoming, some men were also motivated by sheer loneliness–in 1869, the territory had over 6,000 adult males and only 1,000 females, an area men hoped women would be more likely to settle in the rugged country if they were granted the right to vote.’
New Zealand was the first independent country to pass female suffrage laws in 1893 except women could not hold office in parliament. The Corsican Republic, Pitcairn Island, Isle of Man and the Cook Islands granted women the right to vote before then, but the suffrage acts were temporary.
The cover for Issue 13 presents our image of a modern suffragette as gender fluid and punk-gothic. The image is based on the iconic Suffragette magazine that featured Emily Wilding Davison of the Women’sSocialandPoliticalUnion.She died by throwing herself in front of King George V’s horse, Anmer on Derby Day 1913. >>PMB
The Hydebank Letters
CollagebyCathy
The TimeInteam are fortunate to collaborate with Cathy,Artist-In -Residenceat Hydebank since 2008, although she didn’t work with females inmates until 2015. Cathy vehemently advocates the importance of the arts within the judicial system and believes its role should never be underestimated nor undervalued, ‘Arts improves self-awareness and communication skills. Arts assist in improving concentration and is beneficial in teaching patience. Arts nurtures creativity. Arts develops a more positive sense of self. Arts improve self-confidence. Arts is a SAFE ESCAPE. Arts soothes the soul. Arts is medicine for mental health.’
Cathy has found that females are more vocal with their issues and feels flattered to have been trusted with supporting the extremely personal information detailed in TheHydebankLetters. Cathy told us that ‘some of the women have imparted stories that are deeply complex, challenging concerns and background.’ Some of which you will read on the next few pages. Cathy and the TimeInteam would like to thank the women in Hydebank for their very personal and valuable contribution.
Two Questions to the Women in Hydebank
In preparing the content for Issue 13 the Time In team felt it imperative to include content from the women inmates of Hydebank Wood College and Women’s Prison. We asked two questions of them, and Cathy, PAF’s artist in residence at Hydebank, facilitated our questions. The women completed the exercise in the suffragette spirit, withdrawing to their cells in order to respond.
A letter I Wish I’d
Written
A letter to my family, I’m so sorry I turned out the way I did. I wish I knew why but deep down I know why but after 21 years being sick I still can’t accept it. I’m constantly asking myself ‘WHY ME?’. I would say I wish I had the strength and courage to speak out. But I couldn’t so it kept eating away at my mind and body. I wish I had taken that other road which leads to ‘happiness, hope, love, strength, job, kids, a better life’. I am sorry when people were offering me help I should have grabbed it with both hands. But there was too much going on in my life, my head, body. Now, 21 years later I’m still sitting in prison because I just fell into the wrong company. They dragged me down with them and because I was so unwell and vulnerable. I thought saying ‘no’ was a bad word. I wish I had been there for my 2 sisters’ weddings. I wish I could have taken my Dad to Anfield. I wish I was able to get my car and licence back. I wish I had a nice little house. I wish I had a dog for company. I wish I could let go of the label I have put upon myself. But never again will I touch tablets. I want to prove to people and my family I can turn my life around, see my little goddaughter walk down the aisle. I am not scared to say it, but this time I have spent inside has made me think about my life and set goals. But I would not have got to this point if it had not been for help, support, care and the kindness of staff. I am now thinking different about taking tablets, they are not good. I know I have lost my family’s trust, but I am prepared to prove them wrong and build up my trust with my family again. I love my family and want them to love me. But I know it will be hard. >>Anonymous
I would write a letter to my husband. It would say how much I miss him and love him. But I cannot send him that letter as he is dead. At 15:10 on the 18th, he will be gone 2 years. So, I wish with all my heart I could post him that letter as then he would still be here with me.
>>Anonymous
To my Mum, to tell her I love her before she died. >>Anonymous
Dear Mum,
I just want to thank you for being the best Mum in the world. You were always my rock and were there for me when I was low. I hope I am not too much of a disappointment to you. My being in and out of prison. I will try harder this next time to stay out and make you proud of me. Love always, P.
To myself, and tell myself to live my life for me don’t keep trying to please others! >>Anonymous
Not yet written but I will write a letter to be opened on my death to family and friends. I try to say what I feel now to peoples’ faces but after a death a letter will bring sadness at first, then laughs and memories. My letter will be long, truthful, funny, thought provoking, brash, embarrassing, risky, but ultimately full of love. >>Anonymous
To Myself, believe you are stronger! Not let people dictate and make me feel small and talk down to me. >>Anonymous
A letter to God I wish I had more faith and wish He could’ve helped me more. >>Anonymous
To my son who deserves my apology. I was drunk and nasty. It wasn’t a perfect childhood but I’m proud of him and how he raises his own children. >>Anonymous
A letter to my partner who died of a brain tumour at 34.
To my brown eyed boy, a letter from my heart to yours to tell you how sorry I am for letting you down in the last few days before you grew wings. I’m truly sorry for letting the drink and paranoia stop me from going to see you and your family before you left this world. I let you down and I’ll always feel guilty for this. The truth is I always believed you were too good for me, you used to hate me saying this.
I think back on the wee memories we made together and laugh. I think about you all the time and I miss you terribly, but I know I will see you again. I loved you back then and I love you even more now. You were one in a million. All my love for life and beyond like we used to say. From your blue-eyed girl, >>Anonymous
If I Could Turn Back Time and Change One Thing
I would change me having the ability to stand up to the bullies who tortured me through primary and secondary school. I should have been stronger and fought
back but I was so scared.
I would have stopped the domestic violence from my father towards Mum. I have 5 sisters, the youngest never experienced it. It was the 3 oldest, but we were 8 years old and felt hopeless and scared. I can still hear the screams and shouting of Mum in my head to this day. The memories are as plain as they were in the past.
I would have stopped the man who raped me at 15 years old. He was a lot older than me, about 28 at the time. I should have known better and stopped and pushed him away. I later became pregnant but lost it. I never told anyone until I was 30. I never went for examinations. I was lifeless, lonely, not knowing right from wrong. And with everything Mum was going through with Dad, I thought it was better to block it out, it was so hard. But it was a big weight off myself when I told Mum. But to this day I feel I can’t trust people. I feel lonely, scared, angry, guilty, dirty, ashamed, bad, so I punish myself, I blame myself. >>Anonymous
If I could turn back the hands of time I would change the mistakes I have made in my life. I would never have been in prison or ever been in a police station. I would have made a better life for myself and not done the wrong things. But I now have changed for the better and this is all in front of me as I want this life. I know I’ll get it if I do keep on going as this is hell that I’m in and there is a better life than the old one I am living. So, I’ll get what I do really do want and make everyone see this is not just talk, this is real for me. >>Anonymous
To explain to my Mum and Dad and sorry for putting them through hell and to make things a lot easier in life and not make the wrong decisions in life. >>Anonymous
Being with my ex >>Anonymous
I would love to turn back time and see ELVIS in a live concert. I’d have got back stage passes to talk to him and warn him about his untimely death due to drug misuse. To tell him what his music meant to me as a teenager and his gospel songs as I love the church and his holy songs. >>P
Believe in myself more—then I wouldn’t overeat—then I wouldn’t be the size I am now. >>Anonymous
My arrogance and ignorance in my 20s. I walked away from opportunities believing they would come again… personal and career choices. I was over confident they
Wood College and Women’s Prison
would find me again. They didn’t! I don’t have a bad life just not the one I planned for myself. I’ve learned never to regret the things I try—even if they don’t work out. At least I tried! I regret not trying. >>Anonymous
I wish I had listened to my parents and not been so pigheaded! >>Anonymous
The abuse I’ve suffered—which has made me the person I am which sometimes is not a nice person. >>Anonymous
I would only drink socially and learn not to use it as a crutch. >>Anonymous
I would have got out of the abusive and volatile relationship I was in and then I wouldn’t have lost my home and children! >>Anonymous
“We can’t just rail against crime. We must speak of the root problems – devastating family break-up, an insidious culture of violence that cheapens human life, skyrocketing prisoner recidivism rates that rob our communities of husbands and fathers – and recognise that there is a societal role in rehabilitation and restoration.” FrankWolf
Prison Arts Foundation (PAF) since its inception in 1997 provides access to the arts to inspire creativity and encourage personal and social change in offenders within the criminal justice system. PAF’s objective has always been to release the creative potential of those previously excluded or from marginalised communities, those serving custodial and community sentences.
Prison Arts envisage a criminal justice system where all
its stakeholders value PAF’s work as a crucial element of the rehabilitation process and everyone has the opportunity to positively channel their creative energies and talents through the arts.
A concerted effort was made to engage as many prisoners as possible with the Koestler Trust Awards 2018. The positive outcomes where overwhelming with PAF supported works receiving 72 awards., among them 6 Gold Awards (£60 + certificate), 9 Silver (£40 + certificate), 7 Bronze (£20 + certificate), 23 Highly Commended (Certificate), 19 Commended (Certificate), and 8 First Time Entrants (£25 + certificate). Among this year’s prominent judging panel was the artist Grayson Perry, ceramic designer Emma Bridgewater, indie electronic band Hot Chip, conceptual, video and installation artist Jeremy Deller, comedian, actress writer, and podcaster Cariad Lloyd.
Koestler Awards 2018
Prison Arts Foundation’s participants won 72 awards in total
Commended - Certificate
- Certificate
First Time Entrants - £25 + certificate
Total number of awards
Prison Arts Foundation AGM
Speaking at this year’s PAF AGM on 16 October Executive Director Fred Caulfield expressed thanks to the Board of Trustees, PAF artists and funders for their continuing valued support. Including NIPS, ACNI, Paul Hamlin, Halifax, and Santander.
Reflecting on PAF’s programmes Fred emphasized the importance of ongoing support ‘to help those in custody and those coming out of prison to develop new skills, aiding personal development, rehabilitation, reintegration and employment prospects upon release. To improve mental health and wellbeing by encouraging a therapeutic release of tensions and a reduction of stress can lead on to offenders having the confidence to engage in offending behaviour programmes.’
Prison Arts Foundation engage experienced artists who deliver programmes to inmates that promote mental stimulation and personal challenge. Fred explained that ‘it also helps participants to be themselves, tell their story and assists them to reduce their level of boredom. PAF promote a passion for working with offenders and we are aware that a depressed and confined offender with feelings of hopelessness might find a long term art project to be helpful in giving them a future outcome.’
A former prisoner who participated in the programmes commented that ‘since leaving prison, art has filled the time I used to waste on more anti -social pastimes. I have a little studio space in a corner of my house and enjoy losing myself for hours in my work. What’s even more rewarding is that people want to pay me for it and that’s a great feeling.’
Throughout this last year PAF have maintained facilitation of programmes within the prison establishment, with numerous ex-offenders in the community, with PAF’s Mentoring Project and also with offenders who have mental health problems and are housed in medium secure units.
PAF continue to run a Braille unit in the hub on the Antrim Road in Belfast with life sentence prisoners.
Members of The Board of Trustees
Stephen Greer
Oliver Brannigan
Fred Caulfield
Pamela Brown
Fred Caulfield, Oliver Brannigan, Harold Baird, Geoff Moore
TimeInwould like to convey a special acknowledgement to a regular contributor and friend of the Creative writing Group who passed away in 2018. Brendan worked with PAF artists based in Hydebank and Magilligan as well as contributing to TimeIn magazine. Brendan’s short story TheMoonlight Split won a Highly Commended Award at this years Koestler Trust Awards. Benny was a joker and always had a positive attitude, even though he was a joker he was serious when it came to his art and creative writing. It was with shock and sadness that the boys heard of his passing. >>SJ
Issue 13
TimeInissue thirteen, a number that has a lot of negative superstition but this number, I believe to be very interesting. It has arisen a lot for me over the last four and a half years, previous to those years I’ve went through some really bad trauma and some unfortunate bad luck from childhood right up to mid twenties. Anyway, long story short, a door opened up taking me off the streets and away from a bad drug addiction and bad company on Friday the thirteenth and my daughter was born at 13:31 and she makes me want to change my life.
The last supper had thirteen people around the table, Jesus being the thirteenth. In tarot cards 13 is the card of death but this means getting rid of old and making way for something new. The ladder to eternity has thirteen steps, on reaching the 13th step, it is assumed that your soul attains spiritual completion. 13 is a prime number, which means it cannot be divided by any number other than itself. Hence, symbolizes qualities of incorruptible nature and purity. There are 13 stripes in the flag of USA and thirteen feathers on the eagle. The 13 stripes represent the original 13 colonies that rebelled against British rule. These 13 colonies became the first 13 States. In Scotland you won’t find the number 13 in many housing estates. Many taxi firms won’t have a driver 13. Often hotels won’t have room 13 or thirteenth floor so while many people see this as a negative, I don’t. In fact my first published poem is in issue 13. First time ever writing about anything! >>JE
Turning for Home I
n association with the Writers in Libraries programme, Sussex born novelist and playwright Barney Norris visited HMP Magilligan in October 2018.
Promoting his second novel, Norris began writing TurningforHomein 2016 after the death of his Grandfather. This loss was his first profound experience of grief and would in turn become a major theme in the book. Juxtapose this with his wife’s experience of suffering anorexia triggered by being a witness in a court case. Written as monologues and using an ‘I’ narration, Norris claims that his role has been ‘to always try to give voice to authentic experience.’
Norris incorporated the infamous Boston Tapes as a way to contrast the lives of his characters, Robert and Kate. Norris believed it was ‘a tragedy when the archive was broken up’ and thought the recordings were ‘the best example of using oral histories’ that otherwise would be presented as nothing more than a watered-down overview by a TV historian.
Norris likens storytelling to computer coding, ‘A+B=4’, a writer can preload information in formation. A writer decides on characters and concepts and then explores the relationships providing a space where ‘characters talk to each other.’ He confesses to finding multiple characters difficult to follow and instead tends to work with 3 to 4 characters in a narrative. He explains that writing is always a process and even the writer is a student where the next book will be better than the one before.
Norris talked about the importance of research. He consulted with nurses and patients regarding anorexia, cognisant that ‘if I am going to write about this illness, I have to be careful.’ He also consulted with civil servants and historians on the Boston Tapes and ‘through luck, people such as Anthony Macintyre and Lord Paul Bew where there to help me.’ In many ways he weaves his stories out of his life, finds connections with important subjects and then consults with people that can authenticate the material. >>PMB
Barney Norris’s 5 Writing Essentials
1. Books read other works, other people’s stories and consider styles.
2. Research never assume you know about the lives of others or the issues that affect them, always do your homework to authentic material.
3. Get out into the world and talk to people, find out what people prioritise.
4. Consider your own life. What is your earliest memory? Reconnect with stuff that you have experienced in the past.
5. Don’t be afraid to attempt ‘automatic writing’ as a technique. You can write incredible things when you switch off all expectations.
THE MOST FAMOUS WOMAN OF ALL TIME?
THROUGH THE EYES OF PLUTARCH AND CASSIO DIO
Themost celebrated Cleopatra, Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator, was born 70/69 BCE and died August 30 before the common era (BCE), in Alexandria. She was an Egyptian Queen, infamous as the lover of Julius Caesar and later the wife of Mark Anthony. Anthony and Cleopatra committed suicide, and Egypt collapsed and fell under Roman rule. Cleopatra had a unprecedented influence on Roman politics, unlike any other female in ancient time; she also became a symbol of the romantic femme fatale.
What we know of Cleopatra VII is blurred; her legacy was recorded by Plutarch, of Greek origin and a Roman citizen, and Cassias Dio, a Roman statesman. Both historians had an agenda to criticize, discredit and undermine Cleopatra.
Plutarch in the LifeofAnthonydescribes Anthony as unable to resist the love of the royal Queen, a woman who would rather die if she was not the object of Anthony’s affection. Plutarch asserts the blame for the downfall of Mark Anthony on Cleopatra, culminating in defeat at the Battle of Actium in 31 BCE.
Rome was the centre of the world and Romans held this belief with great pride. It is suggested that Mark Anthony would have otherwise fulfilled his role as a soldier, if it had not been for Cleopatra. Cleopatra was Mark Anthony’s mistress and his obsession with Cleopatra blind sighted him, yet the connection he had with Cleopatra gave him further power while both were extending their royal dynasty.
because her Queen is female and foreign; the concept that a woman could weaken an empire was unacceptable to Cassius Dio. He attacked the Egyptian culture as worshipers of reptiles and beasts as Gods. He believed Rome superior to all other cultures. He is not concerned with the love between Cleopatra and Mark Anthony but instead takes a broader cultural view that they are arrogant, and without courage.
Cassius Dio refers to Cleopatra as an ‘accursed woman’ in a speech two hundred years after Cleopatra and Mark Anthony lived. This highlights the prominent reputation Cleopatra was continuing to amass. The love story endured and Cassias Dio addressing his soldiers wanted to influence them against anything that wasn’t Roman.
Plutarch’s history was written nearer to the time of the events, Cassias Dio with the advantage of hindsight promoted his broader agenda. Both writers held only contempt for Cleopatra and the idea that a woman could have power over a man, and the entire populations of Egypt, was unacceptable. A matriarch would not be tolerated in a male dominated society.
Cassius Dio speaks in derogatory terms about Egypt
Today we associate Cleopatra's image with heavy black eyeliner and blue eye shadow. Shakespeare’s play Anthony and Cleopatra (1606-07) rejected Plutarch’s disapproval and Cleopatra becomes the heroine. In film, actresses including Theda Bara (1917), Claudette Colbert (1934) and Elizabeth Taylor (1963) have all played the Egyptian queen. Her image has sold products from cosmetics to cigarettes, even slot machine and online gambling use her as a lure.
While Plutarch and Cassius Dio wanted to demonize Cleopatra they only helped to imprint her in history. >>PM
Good Relations Week 2018
17th-23rdSeptember
The theme for this year’s Good Relation’s Week was “Then, Now...Next?”.
Formerly known as Community Relations & Cultural Awareness, NIPS, Magilligan Library, Prison Arts Foundation (PAF) and the North West Regional College (NWRC) in conjunction with Libraries NI collaborated to exhibit creative writing from prisoners in HMP Magilligan.
Samples of the creative pieces were placed on display boards in Portstewart Library, while TimeInmagazine and the PAF Koestler Trust Award winning poetry and short story anthologies were left for members of the public to read. A
“Some really thought provoking creative writing here. Thanks for sharing this exhibition with Portstewart library”
folder of art work from the Crumlin Road exhibition 2018, that included art from Maghaberry, Hydebank Wood, Magilligan and PAF mentoring programme, was also on display.
April marked the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement therefore it was decided that the occasion would be a time of reflection. The North is now more culturally diverse and events presented the public with the opportunity to celebrate our shared culture and heritage in a friendly, communal space, while experiencing the range of free services available in their local library.
“Some great work in here, some very talented people. Keep working hard and stay focused. Take care”
“Some amazing pieces of art. Took a copy of the Magilligan prison writing and a copy of TimeIn. Thanks for sharing this with us.”
Gary Sloan Up-Date
On the 15 June Professor Gary Sloan from the Catholic University of America, Washington D.C. once again joined inmates at HMP Magilligan for a series of theatre workshops. Sloan first visited Northern Ireland in October 2017 on sabbatical at QUB. At that time, he worked in Magilligan and Hydebank Wood College.
The morning and afternoon session in Magilligan was attended by eleven prisoners. In the morning workshop, participants rehearsed a script written after Sloan’s workshops in 2017. The group gained an insight into casting a production and preparing for a cold reading. In the afternoon session they engaged with monologues from well-known movies, focusing on how to deliver a piece of text using their own experience to present the material in a new way.
Sloan’s visit was supported by the Prison Arts Foundation while Adele Norton, Head of Resettlement and Rehabilitation at Magilligan, commented on supporting the arts in prison as imperative and added that it was ‘brilliant to have Professor Sloan back again.’ Sloan had been visiting Belfast for the BritishShakespeareAssociationConferenceto stage TheHauntedPrince, a requiem for Edward Booth, performed and adapted by Gary Sloan.
Tom McKeever PAF Board Member
Each year Koestler Trust give feedback to over 3,000 prisoners and ex-prisoners covering fifty art categories including Fine Art, Craft and Design, Performance and Song-Writing and Creative Writing. The work is selected and appraised by leading artists in the creative industries. The writing group at HMP Magilligan have continued to do well in Koestler Trust Awards. Out of 23 awards given to Magilligan entrants 21 were for writing: 1 Gold Award, 2 Silver, 2 Bronze, 10 Highly Commended and 6 Commended. In this issue of Time In we have included two winning entries.
Commended Award
The Long Trick’s Over >> GS
The Foyle is calm this morning. Lazy autumn sunshine flickers across silvery ripples and follows the river’s gentle flow towards Donegal. An old cormorant swoops and dives, and a flock of screaming seagulls shatter the early morning silence as they rob the old bird of his catch.
I can smell the city wakening from its slumber; the sweetness from bakery ovens, delicate spices from the back kitchens of Indian, Chinese and Italian restaurants, and the first bitter fumes from the buses and cars of those with an early start.
The distant honk of the Belfast train echoes across the valley and jangles every bone in my scrawny old frame; “I’m here again” she blares as she appears at the bend and idles her way towards the station, clattering and wobbling like an exhausted runner struggling for those last strides to the finish line.
From the bridge I can see the commuters disembarking; tiny soldier-ants streaming in single-file toward another weary day of minimum wage; seamstresses to the whine of the shirt factories, shop-girls to the department stores and waitresses to the cafes and dirty dishes of the day.
The copper coin I am twiddling with
looks newly minted. I let it fall and watch it tumble to the river below. I hear the gentle plop as it breaks the surface, and see it give one last golden wink at the world before it sinks down into centuries of darkness and loneliness… forgottenness. Will it ever see the sun again?
***
This afternoon, instead of going to the cemetery, I have decided to take a walk along the quay. There are schooners leaving Lisahally docks today. From the Caw embankment I watch them; brilliant white sails unfurling and flapping. I can hear the distinctive whip and slap of new canvas. With a quick
glance to the skies in the west I can tell that they’ll have strong winds to carry them out onto the blustery Atlantic. I can smell the sea and there are tears in my eyes as I watch the mainsails stretch and fill as the ships surge forward, eager for the ocean waves.
I stay to watch until they are little more than specks on the darkening horizon.
***
Soft rain fell that evening with the dusk. Doherty’s café was busier than usual. The hissing and spluttering of coffee machines and the ringing of crockery mingled with the chattering of old friends. Mothers and daughters shook their umbrellas in the doorway as they scanned the room for empty seats and familiar faces.
From my seat at the window I watched a young couple quarrelling outside the bookmakers across the road. Buses rumbled up and down, red tail-lights flashing on the wet asphalt of Foyle Street. I drain the last of my tea and pop some
napkins and sugar-cubes into my pocket. The young waitress smiles at me. She is clearing my table as I step out into the cold and damp of the city streets. In the doorway, a little boy tugs at my trousers and his mother scowls at me as she rushes to pull him away.
My old shoes glow red in those taillights as I shuffle my way to the telephone-booth on the corner of William Street. There is a drunkard standing outside Tracey’s bar tapping his feet in a puddle to the rhythm of the jazz music playing inside. I watch him begging passers -by for money. Some give. Some don’t.
The dancing man smiles a toothless grin at me as I walk past, but I have nothing to give him; the few remaining coins in my pocket are all I have left to make my call. The phone-booth stinks of urine and cigarettes. The receiver is sticky and cold in my hand as I dial in the number I’ve gotten to know by heart.
The young man I speak to is kind and apologetic, “I’m so sorry but we have nothing at all. Perhaps you could try again tomorrow.”
The rain is falling heavier now. Through spattered glass I see the old drunkard leaving the offlicence, tuck a brown paper bag inside his duffle-coat and disappear out of sight.
Many years at sea have made me a resilient man. My skin has become impervious to all kinds of weather. My bones do not feel the cold and rain. These hands have built and navigated ships in every corner of the world and the soles of my feet are as tough as the old leather shoes I wear on them. Physically I can withstand tonight; it is my soul and my spirit I can feel withering as I stand once again on this bridge staring out towards the open seas. I watch the city lights reflecting on the black of the river and my thoughts wander to another place and time. I am standing on top of Table Mountain, a warm breeze in my hair and the African sun on my upturned face. The scent of jasmine
fills the air and I can hear the beating of drums in the town below. Next I am strolling through the markets of Zanzibar. Smiling faces are all around me and the market-traders are offering exotic fruits and spices. The women are dressed in garments of vibrant colours, red and gold; silver with emerald green. Children chase each other through hot dusty streets and
I remember the advice of an old friend from a long time ago.
the sound of their laughter is all around.
The screaming of a siren snaps me from my reverie and an icy wind creeps under my collar. I make my way across the bridge and along the quay. Strolling couples pass me by without a second glance and the bustle of the city fades as I near my destination.
My old rucksack is still there; safely tucked away amongst the bushes where I’d hidden it that morning. I breathe a sigh of relief as I realise that it is still dry. I throw the old bag over my shoulder and make my way to the place by the watersedge where I slept last night.
I remember the advice of an old friend from a long time ago. She told me that a person can determine their dreams through their final thoughts at night just before falling asleep. I can still hear her voice. I can see her face
now as I close my eyes. But I can never find her in my dreams. She exists only in the screaming of my nightmares.
The storm comes out of nowhere. The waves loom like mountains above us and the roar of the sea is murderous. Howling winds whip at sail and mast that snap like delicate bones and are tossed into the darkness. The sound of snapping timber chills like ice in my bones. The pale white of her face and surrendering eyes are my last thoughts when sleep comes to save me.
There are no more dreams.
I’ve been in prison for quite a few years now and prison life on Christmas day is extremely mundane and boring. As part of the TimeInteam I wanted to talk to fellow inmates about what it’s like to spend the Christmas holidays inside. For me, it’s just another day. It’s that long since I’ve spent Christmas with my family that I actually cannot remember any longer. Some may say I choose not to remember. Sometimes the dinner is alright and sometimes it has been really bad. We normally get double-week tuck-shop, but this never lasts for the two weeks. The lock-ups carry on until the New Year. Boxing day unlock at 9am until 11.30am, which gives everybody time to get organised, cleaning cells and showering. I pass the time doing handicrafts and ultimately Christmas in prison for me is justanotherday. >>MMcG
Christmas day in prison, for me, is a day of remembering; remembering happier Christmas days gone by with my family, remembering my loved ones who are no longer here and remembering not to be last in the queue for dinner again like I did last Christmas.
All prisoners, woman, boy or man, strive to hide behind their bad-boy facades, but I’d bet my mince pie this year that each and every one of those men have a little longing, a little bit of extra sadness inside on Christmas Day. Most of us have someoneout there. And, if some don’t, there is still someone at some point in their life that loved them. We will ALLbe thinking of those loved ones on Christmas.
2 5
So, when the radio plays the same old Christmas songs and the TV is showing all the usual family movies, when the turkey’s cooked and eaten and the warder bangs those big, blue steel doors behind us at 4.30pm and shoots the lock… we can all remove our bravado faces, lay back to watch some old Christmas movie and drink the cup-a-soup the Governor gave us as a treat. And wish with all our hearts that we were with our loved ones instead. >>GS
Christmas in this dump yet again, well lads what can I say, buckle up and get ready for the many lock ups that’s going to come as its Saturday, Sunday routine for the 12 days that is the Christmas break. What a place to be stuck in at the festive time. So get your phone call to your families and try to comfort them and tell them yeaI’mdoingfine. Look up and down the wing and see the worst looking bunch of zombies. Merry Christmas you nutters, what’s merry about this, baa humbug all the way. Try to comfort yourself with the thought that the food is nicer and the governor gives you a selection box. All in all lads, this day, to round up in a nut shell, Christmas day treats you the same as Paxotreats a turkey. Suck it up, it’s just another day in the hotel California. >>MN
CHRISTMASSMILE
It’s a false face in a lonely place trying to go the pace
Stare at the walls memory banks like Niagara Falls
Accept the day, get it done another year, another date not long now, to walk through the gate. >>>SJ
Well lads, it’s that time of year again, Christmas. I can already hear the groans of early lock ups, out of date paninis, stale sandwiches, Christmas songs and compulsory broken heating and cold showers. This time of year can be hard for any prisoner but it is always the hardest time of year for our families and especially if you have kids.
I can remember walking around the yard last year with the snow belting down and singing Christmas songs with two other patients. As silly as it sounds we had a laugh, so remember just to enjoy a bit of craic and don’t take life so serious. Above all remember that we are all in the same boat here. So if it is getting tough for you this year, you are not alone. Nobody in here is any worse or any better than anyone else. So show some Christmas spirit and have a merry Christmas ya filthy animals ;) >>JN
Everyone's Worst Nightmare
GriefinPrison, Compassionate
TemporaryRelease?(CTR)
Tuesday morning, I returned to my cell after spending an enjoyable morning working on the latest edition of TimeIn. I was waiting for the usual “grubs up” call when I heard my name and an officer shouted that I needed to call home.
I was in the furthest cell from the phone and it felt like “Walkingthe Mile”. I knew in my heart that my father had died. My son confirmed my feelings; my father passed away early that morning. He was a great age, 92, and had been in a home for a few weeks, suffering from severe dementia. I had hoped he would live longer, as I had three weeks to go. I was overwhelmed with grief and cried with my son on the phone.
A prison officer kindly handed me a handkerchief. When I finished the call he brought me into the office and we were joined by the Senior Officer (SO). They were sympathetic and offered their condolences. They had the appropriate forms and said I should complete them over lock up and the process would start that afternoon. I was offered to join a fellow inmate for lock up and an officer filled my flask for me. I wanted to be alone and returned to my cell forms in hand.
Between the tears and heartache I filled out the forms, adding a supplementary letter to reassure the prison that I was not a risk of absconding or breaching rules associated with CTR. When I gave the forms into the office I was told they would be passed up the line straight away. I returned to my creative writing class but was called back to the
block to provide contact details of someone who could collect me from the prison. I hoped I would hear something that evening. The clock ticked slowly and my head was full of grief thinking about my mother, my children and my family. Lock up came and two officers apologised, there was no word back, they hoped I would hear in the morning.
It was my longest night in jail and when morning came I went to the office but no news. The officers on the wing had not been on duty the previous day. I rang my distraught mother and told her they would have to arrange everything in my absence.
Lunchtime came and went, still no news. I was assured that the SO would get on the ball and chase things up but the SO was in fact on leave that day. Tea time came and I was locked up for another night. Thursday morning and I asked again, when I was told that there was still nothing I broke down in tears. I had hoped that being a short term prisoner, convicted of driving whilst disqualified, with only 3 weeks left to serve I would be granted a couple of days to spend with my family.
Finally I was called to the SO’s office and informed that I had been granted 8 hours of unescorted CTR on the
day of my father’s funeral. Although I was disappointed, I was thankful for small mercies, at least I was permitted to attend the funeral and could inform my family. Next morning I left, then returned to prison and had abided by all the rules and regulations.
As I write, it is one week since my father died. I have heard many horror stories from fellow inmates who have had a lot worse experiences regarding CTR. I am thankful that I am one of the lucky ones and got to my father’s funeral but I think it’s a disgrace my family had to wait two days and being told I should hear within hours massively compounded our grief, even that of my fellow inmates and staff who were genuinely concerned and supportive.
I commend the individual staff for all their kindness but the system has to be reviewed. It only takes a matter of hours to arrange an entire funeral surely HMP can respond to a request for CTR in a similar time frame. RIP Dad. >>PMc
There is always help to support you through the hard times, reach out don’t suffer in silence.
Samaritans: 028 38333555
Cruse: 028 90434600
Adept: 028 7775 1831
Nature Watch
As the sun fades, not showing its face so often in the winter months, flowers with steadfast determination push themselves harder for our enjoyment. While the summer and autumn flowers have long ago hibernated, gathering up strength and energy for next year’s exhibition, resilient winter flowers are getting ready to bloom.
If you take the time and look around, you’ll find, even in the grey prison surroundings, a fresh and abundant array of new life and colour pushing through the soil.
Daffodils, snowdrops, bluebells and tulips, both introduced and naturally spreading will burst open, showing off their vibrant colours and pleasantly scenting the air that you will find in no perfume bottle.
We are very lucky to have such a busy work team here in Magilligan, that care and manage the flowerbeds, containers and baskets, all year round, as the alternative would be concrete and tarmac.
It is a medical fact that flowers, shrubs and even trees can be beneficial to our moods and wellbeing. They do more for us than any energy drink, if we just slowed down from
our busy schedules and took a bit of time out. We have had flowers and plants on our planet since the beginning of time. Archaeological digs have unearthed man as having used flowers, nuts and berries for medical purposes, decoration and flowers in our food.
TV Chef’s are now using pansies, marigolds, carnations and day lilies, flowers and petals to garnish dishes and desserts to enhance our palate, but that’s nothing new. They are only rediscovering something that man has used from time immemorial.
Romans, Greeks and other cultures that invaded from distant lands brought bulbs, cutting, plants and seeds to cultivate and use when cooking so they could have a little taste of home. If you want to show your feeling towards a girl you buy her flowers. If you are trying to impress your mother-in-law, you buy her flowers. Birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas and other celebrations are marked with an array of
flowers. It just wouldn’t be the same if a bride walked down the aisle carrying seaweed and sheep’s wool, would it?
So, enjoy what you see around you and learn to appreciate how hard flowers work on our behalf. You don’t need a massive garden to benefit from the colour and perfume A few pots and containers outside your home will brighten the smallest of windowsills and may even perk up the smile of a passer-by. >>MMcG
Ewe, I’m Doing Time
Teeswater Sheep
Jacob Sheep, believed to be the oldest breed in the world, were introduced to Magilligan in 2001. They remained on the prison grounds at Foyleview for 2 years. Many UK prisons have farms which include cattle but sheep are easier to manage and where reintroduced to Magilligan this summer.
The small flock of pedigree Teeswater sheep are a distinctive breed recognised by their long, fine and curly fleece, they have a characteristic topknot covering their face. Originally from Teeswater in England, the breed is rare and there are only five known breeders in Northern Ireland, with the flock at Magilligan now making six.
Governor McClenaghan, responsible for introducing the flock to Magilligan explained that ‘often the sheep are sold for meat but their main use is wool. Typically the wool remains natural without dyes Once the sheep are sheared the fleece are sent to a company in England called TheNaturalFibreCompany. There some of the oils are removed, the fleece undergo scoring, carding and spinning. The wool is then returned and sold locally, with orders from abroad including America and Canada.’
The Drumhacha Flock will be presented at the Rare BreedSurvivalTrustat Gosford Castle in September 2019 as well as local shows in Ballymoney and Limavady, also on the Teeswater show-stopping agenda. The Teeswater breed have been on the RareBreedsSurvivalTrustVulnerableListsince 1998 and there are only 900-1500 Teeswater sheep in the UK.
Before a flock can be registered with the Teeswater SheepSocietya name is required for registration. Traditionally, a flock is named after the area or farm where they are located. Magilligan prison sits in the townland of Lower Doaghs and a member of staff suggested ‘Dumhacha’ (Dun-Hack-a), the Irish word for Doaghs. It is hoped that the Dumhacha flock will be prepared for the Balmoral Show in May next year. A prisoner/s will be taught how to prepare them as well as given guidance in halter training. Preparation involves preparing the wool, washing and cleaning the sheep while halter training is an important part of show preparation.
Currently the ewes in Magilligan are being prepared for mating. This involves the synchronisation of the breeding cycle to ensure the lambing is condensed into a shorter period. This will also mean that feeding can be managed more effectively. Dosing of vitamins and vaccines will also be easier administered.
The ram will be turned out to the ewes at the end of October and if all goes according to plan this will leave the ewes due to lamb around 17th March 2019. The ram will be marked with different coloured marking, when mating has taken place this coloured mark will be left on the ewe indicating that mating has taken place. The ewes will be scanned around January 19 to find out how many lambs each ewe is carrying.
>>PMB
There are up to 1 billion sheep on the planet and according to The National Sheep Association (online) while all bleating may sound the same, ewes recognise their lambs by their call. There are more than 90 different breeds and crosses of sheep in the UK and without sheep grassland, and upland land in particular, would be overgrown by scrub and coarse vegetation, becoming less accessible to many plants, small mammals, ground nesting birds, and at risk of environmental damage by wildfires. The average person in the UK eats 1.9kg of lamb a year. The UK produces 298,000 tonnes of sheep meat a year, 64% is consumed domestically, 36% is exported around the world.
“Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.” ― Banksy
Well, it’s the much debated question of street art or ‘graffiti’…and it depends on what we call graffiti, not yer average ‘I was here’, political or gang logos we see scratched onto anything stationary but the bright and colourful, well done kind so let’s do a brief history lesson…
The first cave paintings are considered graffiti but they were usually illustrations of animals of a religious significance, NOT quite the vibrant pieces we see and know today! So, right from the dawn of time, man has always had this urge to scrawl his name, picture or symbol as a means of identity, or in a nutshell ‘I was here’.
Fast forward through all the artwork in history (too many to mention) to the present day and we have ‘Bombing’ –the act of painting a name or slogan where the public can see and usually done with spray cans. This started in New York in the mid 1970’s and was one of the five elements of Hip Hop.
Trains were the canvas of choice and artists or ‘writers’ said they chose trains because more people would see it! They would spend an entire night (10-12 hours) painting a train car called ‘top to bottoms’ which the whole side was covered usually in the bright interlocking letters we all
know today.
So, back to the original question, Art or vandalism? Of course its art – you only have to look at the complexity, colour schemes and execution of the pieces that writers and crews paint to realise that a lot of time has been spent designing and finishing the work.
Many art enthusiasts and critics now recognise graffiti as an actual art form (eventually) and it has been included in art shows, exhibitions and galleries, Banksy being the most prolific. And as for vandalism, we could write an entire new article on that subject alone. Let’s keep it short and just say this; it’s O.K. for the super-rich greedy corporations (from fast food to beauty products) to plaster their name all over our towns and cities, but when individuals put their mind to original artwork and put it on show, then it is vilified?
I personally think that graffiti is anti-authoritarian and has a history of being so, after all that’s in all of us (as art is). I think we rebel against the 1% super-rich and the way they run society in general and that’s where the vandalism part comes from, we are the underdog and are biting back with artwork-it could be a lot worse! >>R
Is it a car, is it a plane…?
No, it’s the Prison Service logo
Logogram (n.)
“word-sign, sign or character representing a word,” 1840, from logo “word” gram. Generically, “any symbol representing graphically a product, idea, etc.,” from 1966. The earliest use of the word (1820) is in the sense “logograph” but OED explains that it is a substitute for logograph, “which in this sense is itself a mistake for logogriph,” the old type of word-puzzle.
Now we know what a logo is, one has to wonder where the Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS) logo came from and how does it represent graphically the purpose for which it is supposed to serve? Hopefully, I can clear up the myths and assure everyone that it is not a copy of the Renault car logo, although they do look similar.
Before the diamond shaped logo was introduced in the early nineteen-nineties the NIPS logo was the same as in England with the crown image and simply called Her Majesty’sPrisonService(HMPS). However, due to the political and somewhat controversial nature of Northern Ireland it was deemed necessary to come up with a new name and logo which would be acceptable as neutral to both communities, similar to the change from RUC to the PSNI.
A committee was established by the Northern Ireland Information Services department through the prisons press office within prison headquarters and an open competition was held to find a replacement for the crown. Several graphic design companies came up with differing ideas.
The fact that the diamond was chosen caused controversy and even the then minister for security, Sir John Wheeler, commented, “Over my dead body are we using a car badge for a logo to represent Her Majesty’s Prison Service.”
are different shades of the one colour which in printing terms has saved millions over the years, as you only pay for the number of colours used. All colours apart from silver and gold are made up from three or four primary colours, RGB (red, green and blue) or CMYK (cyan. magenta, yellow and black) and you pay for each colour for each page you print. You can imagine how many letterheads, posters, compliment slips, business cards, have been produced over the years.
Nevertheless, he was outvoted by the committee who saw it as a neutral symbol. The diamond symbolically represented the jewel in the crown and the colour scheme was felt to be neutral (not orange or green) and had a soft shade of blue as well as a dark side. These colour choices have proved very popular over the years and many departments are now using the same colour scheme.
Also, if you look at the reception area of Maghaberry the walls are now painted in the two shades of blue, much better than the old grey, cream or brown colours used in other parts of the jails here.
Another benefit of the colours used is the fact that they
Following the removal of the crown from the logo there have been further attempts to make more changes such as TheAssemblydebating the removal of the crown from the Prison Officer uniforms in 2011. However, at the time of going to print, officers still have the crown on their badges. Another interesting change In recent years was the introduction of new prison staff numbers on all epilates for identification purposes. It is rumoured that the number range that is used was in fact the old RUC number range since its transformation to the PSNI. >>PMc
Did You Know?
Nike is the number one most iconic logo of all time! Company Founded: (1964) Logo Introduced: (1971) Logo Designer: Carolyn Davidson(1971) Nike (1978, 1985, 1995)
Carolyn Davidson, at the time received only $35 for her work, was inspired by Nike, the namesake Greek goddess of victory, to create the swoosh which implied movement and speed. Updating the logo in 1978, Nike opted for a bolder, all-caps font and a slight re-positioning of the swoosh. The swoosh went on to become one of the most iconic images in the world. In 1995 the company chose to remove the brand name of the original design, leaving the swoosh as the sole symbol of the company.
Who are the best female singer-songwriters of all time? What sets the precedent? Is it staying power or selling power? When the Time In team began to compile a list we considered genres from jazz to pop, blues to country, hymns to rock and many more. Often seemingly invisible, women have a huge influence on the music industry. We apologise to those gifted artists we have unintentionally overlooked and included several with staying power, based on a chronological approach.
Our first contender Cecil Frances Alexander (1818 – 1895) wrote three of the most famous hymns, All ThingsBrightandBeautiful, Thereis aGreenHillFarAway and Once In Royal David’s City. An Anglo-Irish writer, born in Dublin, she lived in Sion Mills and Derry where she wrote her famous works.
Billie Holiday (1915–1959), known as Lay Day. Signature songs God Bless theChild andLadySingstheBlues.
Édith Piaf (1915–1963) left her mark on the music world with La Vie en roseandNon,jeneregretterien.
Peggy Lee (1920–2002) recorded over 650 songs on over sixty albums. Her reworking of Fever is her most recognizable hit.
Joni Mitchell’s (born 1943) album Blueregularly appears on lists of the greatest albums of all time.
and 9to5. In 1973 she wrote IWill Always Love You, memorably covered by the late Whitney Houston.
Patti Smith (born 1946) was a member of the New York City punk rock movement alongside artists including Debbie Harry (‘Blondie’). Smith’s 1975 debut album Horsesis considered one of the best albums of all time. The "Godmother of Punk," fuses rock and poetry.
Stevie Nicks (born 1948) was a prolific singer-songwriter. As part of the hugely successful Fleetwood Mac, Stevie was responsible for Dreams, Rhiannonand Landslides
Bonnie Raitt (born 1949) was a blues singer-songwriter who released 17 albums and won 10 Grammys over a career lasting more than 40 years.
Annie Lennox (born 1954) penned some of the Eurhythmics’ bestknown tracks, including Sweet Dreams(AreMadeofThis)and Here ComestheRainAgain. She received eight BRIT Awards, more than any other female artist.
Madonna (born 1958), the biggest selling female artist ever, has to date shifted 300 million albums worldwide.
The Celts. Her 1988 album Watermark recognizable for folk melodies and atmospheric vocals.
Dolly Parton (born 1946) has written more than 3,000 songs and sold over 100 million albums. The Queen of Country Music songs include Jolene
Guitar Therapy
Sade (born 1959) Helen Folasade Adu wrote YourLoveisKingand Smooth Operator, selling over 110 million albums. In 2002, she received an OBE for services to music and dedicated it to "all black women in England".
Enya (born 1961) gained recognition for her music in the 1986 BBC series
Loseyourselfin music
I’ve been coming in and out of jail all my life and I struggled while in jail to fill my time. I was getting into fights day in day out, taking drugs, arguing and fighting with officers. I spent all my time looking for something mischievous to get up to and break up the boredom and routine. Then when I came up with a brilliant idea I’d ended up looking at a crack in the celling in the punishment block, bored and looking for something else to get up to.
Then one day I was walking past the music class and through the window I spotted a guitar with the saying ‘This Machine kills Time’ written on it. Something drew me towards it, so I went into the class and picked up the
Tracy Chapman (born 1964) celebrated for FastCar, a song from her debut album dealing with themes of poverty and alcoholism. Other hits include Sorry and Talkin’ ‘boutaRevolution.
Sarah McLachlan (born 1968) was signed to Nettwerk while still at college, before she had written a single song. Her reputation peaked with her Grammy-winning 1997 albumSurfacing
Dido (born 1971) renowned for the sampling of her single ThankYouon Eminem's 2000 hit Stan. Her album No Angel (1999) sold 21 million copies.
Lauryn Hill (born 1975) one third of The Fugees, solo album The MiseducationofLaurynHill in 1998 won five Grammys and sold eight million copies in the US.
Alicia Keys (born 1981) debut album SongsinAMinorwas released when she was twenty. The album won her the first five of her 14 Grammys.
Amy Winehouse (1983-2011) second album, Back to Black, sold over 20 million copies worldwide.
Adele (born 1988) debut album, 19, was certified four times platinum in the UK, but it was the follow up by 21 which has sold over 25 million copies.
Will those contemporary artists on our list stand the test of time? Only time will tell. >>DM
guitar. It took me a few weeks to get the first few chords and that was me hooked. No more sitting around bored. I finally had something to do and I can honestly say I didn’t get into as much trouble.
These are the four most commonly used chords. Make these patterns on the fretboard of a guitar and strum lightly. You fingers will quickly learn how to change in time and you will be able to play thousands of songs. Six weeks, ten minutes everyday. >>SF
Womenand theMusic Scene
Instead of our regular commentary from Musician-InResidence, Time In decided that we would interview Diane Greer, musician, activist and partner of Paddy Nash.
Whichartistsinspireyou?
I like artists who are socially aware and have something to say. Trailblazing artists like Joan Baez who it could be argued politicised Bob Dylan and Patti Smith. I loved the Dixie Chicks long before they were cool. They were banned by American Republicans for speaking during President Bush’s reign and more recently they had interesting things to say about Trump and Putin. Contemporary artists like Taylor Swift recently nailed her political colours to the mast by supporting two Democrats running for office in the upcoming Mid-term Elections in the US. I really appreciate and respect the work of Kate Tempest, British poet/ musician/author who isn’t afraid to tackle and expose the underbelly of contemporary society. She pulls no literary or lyrical punches. I’ve seen her performing live and she is a tour de force.
Women like Mavis Staples at the great age of 79 is still packing out her gigs. She played Glastonbury last year and was simply amazing for any age. Others like Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams, Dolly Parton are still grafting away. I think Bjork is
still very relevant and there’s no doubting that she’s madly creative on so many levels.
Doyouthinkfemaleartistsgetafair crackatthewhip?
The short answer is no. Women in general outnumber men only in jobs and careers where there are poorer working conditions, lower pay, less security and higher risks. In the music industry it’s a rarity that a women will excel unless they are willing to compromise in all the ways. The same demands are not made of men. Thankfully movements like #MeToo and #TimesUp are also beginning to flush out the creeps and predators who have used positions of power and influence to abuse and degrade women in the industry, ultimately dictating whether they rise or fall.
Whatinstrumentsdoyouplay?
Well…‘Instruments’ might be a stretch. I play a range of percussion from tambourine to all manner of shaky, rattly objects from other countries. I also own what might be the only electric kazoo in the country. In my head it’s more than that though – it’s a saxophone or trumpet. It’s not loved by all the other band members though, in fact I might be the only one.
Doyouwriteanysongs?
Not really, I do try though but I think I let not playing a ‘real’ instrument hold me back. I do write though –just not songs. I did co-write Billy
Bragg Jeans with Paddy though and here and there I make suggestions of word changes when he’s writing. I never get any of the royalties though! I try to tell him if I change a word I should get a third! He doesn’t agree. I’m working on a project at the minute where I’ve been gathering stories from women about the curtains in their lives. It may be a book eventually or something for the stage.
Isitcoldstandingintheshadowof Paddy Nash or are you the wind beneathhiswings?
I laughed reading this question because away from the music I have my own career which I’m well known and respected for. A woman in my own right you might say. However, in and around the music scene I am certainly seen simply as a Happy Enchilada band member, sidekick to Paddy Nash. The honest answer I don’t think anyone would ever be cold in the shadow of Paddy because he’s so humble and encourages everyone around him to shine, including me. I like to think I’m his biggest fan and most honest critic. Living in a song factory isn’t easy though, especially when he’s at full tilt creating. He also writes songs in his dreams and I waken to calls of “get me guitar, I’m not moving in case I forget this”. Some of his best work has been performed for the first time while sitting on the end of the bed in his pants! An audience of two – me and the pup. Don’t tell anyone though!
Diane Greer
‘And I shall make you fishers of men…’
John 3:16-17 (KJV) ForGodsolovedtheworld, thathegavehisonlybegottenSon,thatwhosoeverbelievethinhimshouldnotperish,but haveeverlastinglife.ForGodsentnothisSon intotheworldtocondemntheworld;butthat theworldthroughhimmightbesaved.
Bobby Mathieson, a former prisoner and member of the Bangor Elim Church, gives his time to promoting the arts within prisons as a vehicle for positive self-change and reintegration into society.
A product of the troubles, Bobby was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1982 and served fourteen years behind bars where he first encountered prison arts, a subject which he admits changed him as a human being and helped make him the person he is today.
Whilst in prison, and after a breakdown, Bobby found his Saviour, Jesus, whom Bobby is convinced still works hand-in-hand with him today to save young men from going down the paths that Bobby strayed onto in his youth.
Bobby’s passion as we spoke was reflected in his eyes and in the words he used to describe his mission to help as many incarcerated men through art and through the word of God; a God Bobby believes is very present within the prison system and working through people who promote it.
‘It’s all about people,’ Bobby told me; ‘The teachers and tutors and Governors and most of all…the prisoners themselves. Change has to come from within.’He said with a passion I couldn’t help but notice.
Bobby believes the inclusion of family and friends is piv-
otal to a prisoner’s return to the community. Including loved ones on their journey can only be a positive thing for inmates. Bobby is adamant that prison arts is a way for every man or woman behind bars to ‘tell their story’, to be heard and begin the process of acknowledging and healing. He has given tirelessly of his time to give those chances to others who have been down the same roads Bobby himself has been down.
‘Pick as much education as you can’ Bobby advises. ‘Be it poetry, painting, writing or music. Maybe one piece you create will have a powerful effect on someone else’s life.’ Bobby admits that he once thought poetry wasn’t a “manthing” until, at one of the darkest times in his life, a lady named Joy began slipping small extracts of poetry under the door of his room in hospital. These words had the power to transform his thoughts and therefore, his actions. He still believes a great deal in the power of words as a mechanism for healing today.
The first time I met Bobby, I have to admit, my initial feeling was one of mild interest. I’d met a dozen Bobbies on my travels through the Irish prison system; men who had found religion whilst locked up in a prison cell and now wished to devote their time saving other sinners. But, after speaking to him earlier this morning, I watched Bobby walking away to visit other inmates in H-Block1, and my entire perception of the man had changed.
Bobby, you said that it is peoplewho can affect change. People like you certainly can. And I wish you all the best for the future. You shouted ‘God Bless’ as you walked off this morning and I didn’t shout it back. But I would like to shout it back to you now my friend… ‘God Bless you Bobby.’ >>GS
Buying the Farm
Why do people gamble? Is it through desperation? Is it through boredom? Is it because they dream of that big lottery win or accumulator on the horses? Is it to try and make ends meet? Perhaps they just enjoy the buzz of the game of chance? Or because they dream of getting rich and buying the farm? Whatever the reason, there are a lot of gamblers out there and gambling is big business.
I can remember a line from a television show years ago “gambling is the last recourse of the desperate”. In the past I myself have described gambling as ‘risking money that you can’t afford to lose to try and win money that you don’t actually need’. And while that phrase is not true of all gambling,
it’s certainly true in many cases. Who wouldn’t like to win the lottery, retire and go and open a small pub on a beach in Thailand or Jamaica? Or move to the Costa del Sol and buy a bungalow overlooking the sea, or even an apartment in old Amsterdam where you could grow old living a hedonistic lifestyle. For sure we would all like to be rich. But you don’t need to be rich. You just wish you were, and that’s why we all gamble a little from time to time, risking our hard-earned cash to try and win money we don’t really need. Worse again, some people spend their wages or dole money on gambling. Others borrow money to gamble and some people even steal to feed their gambling habit. Some people become totally addicted to the gambling buzz and it takes control of their lives. They get
into terrible debt and it even breaks up their families. Some gamblers end up in prison and occasionally they even commit suicide. When a gambler dies it is said they “bought the farm”.
For whatever the reason, most of us like a flutter from time to time. Whether it be a few quid on the Grand National, an accumulator or the football on Saturday, or just a couple of quid on a quick pick for the National Lottery, many of us like to try our luck from time to time. And it’s harmless enough fun if kept in moderation. Just don’t wager more than you can afford to and keep control of your gambling, otherwise, you may find that your gambling is controlling you.
Bon Chance.
Honest Jim
I seen hunderds of men come by on the road an' on the ranches, with their bindles on their back an' that same damn thing in their heads. Hundred's of them. They come, an' they quit an' go on; an' every damn one of 'em's got a little piece of land in his head. An' never a God damn one of 'em ever gets it. OfMiceandMen—John Steinbeck
5. The language of this invention was agreed upon universally (11)
7. Spider surfing? (8)
10. Rest spring nip creates a book? (8,5) (anagram)
11. Without fingers, I point, without arms, I strike, without feet, I run (5)
13. What a compound, wall to wall and on the ground (8)
15. My paw noses many wars (7) (anagram)
16. This set it all in motion (5)
21. I C Rapper going down the pan with this invention (8, 6)
22. Mustang, jaguar, Panda, one careful owner (3)
23. To infinity and beyond (5,6)
24. Find me unblemished in Sheffield (5)
25. Soother of little people with this human model (5, 5)
DOWN
1. Did Old MacDonald plant this seed? (7)
2. Len’s picture has never told a lie (6)
3. This invention progressed to the cell but make sure you hide it well, haha (9)
4. Focus on this spectacle and see things clearly (7)
6. A brotherly innovation, right or wrong? (8)
8. This invention follows fire, search and steam (6)
9. I mend ice because it makes me feel better (8) (anagram)
12. Some say I’m cold, some say I’m hard but I still pay your bills (5)
14. New comers put boot up the world of invention (9) (anagram)
17. A moment of inspiration changed how we see the world (5,4)
18. This invention is found in Iceland (6)
19. Jack Sparrow’s device points to the thing you want the most? (7)
20. Some are cross, some take me home and every last one lead to Rome (5)
INFORMATIONSERVICES
Support services are available for all those in custody and their families. If you would like to get in contact speak to your Class Officer or the Family Support team.
AD:EPT provides a range of services to people in custody who have problems with drug and alcohol abuse.
Adept works across the 3 prisons in NI and have vast experience in helping people in custody. All Adept workers are trained professionals who offer a sensitive and confidential service.
If you would like help and support with a drug or alcohol problem, there are several ways you can contact Adept:
● Ask an officer on the landing to arrange an appointment.
● Ask your medical officer or probation officer to refer you or at your resettlement meeting.
ChurchServices
The spiritual needs of inmates are catered for in prison as on the outside. The main denominations have chaplaincies but others are also accommodated. You can contact a chaplain by asking your class officer to phone the office and leave a message. You can also have a request put on the computer system or you may speak to a chaplain at the Sunday Service and make appropriate arrangements.
Cruse Bereavement
When someone dies we can feel a host of emotions including being abandoned, angry, guilty, shocked and sad. The death could have happened recently or a long time ago. Talking about how you feel when someone has died can help.
Cruse Bereavement Care are volunteers from the community and do not work for the prison service. Cruse will offer you a weekly hour-long session with a volunteer.
When you meet you can talk as much or as little as you want and the volunteer will listen and provide support.
All you need is to fill in a Cruse referral form, or ask your Class officer to contact Cruse. An appointment will be made to do an assessment, after which you will be allocated a volunteer who will see you each week on the same day.
Turning Pages
from Shannon Trust is a reading programme specifically designed for adults who struggle with reading.
It’s a peer led, confidential, one to one programme that can be worked through at the pace of the learner in short bursts of 20 minutes a session, with completion certificates earned at the end of each manual.
If you are interested in improving your reading or becoming a Mentor, there are several ways to get involved in the programme:
● Ask an officer on the landing to arrange an appointment.
● Ask an existing Shannon Trust Mentor or Learner to refer you.
Samaritans Listeners
Roman Catholic, Combined and Free Presbyterian services are held on Saturdays and Sundays. Check notice boards on wings for relevant times.
Foyleview services are on Wednesday (Free Presbyterian) and Thursday (Roman Catholic and Combined) from 4 – 4.30 p.m.
are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to offer support to inmates who are having a difficult time. The service is available to everyone regardless of their age, ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation. To make a request ask an officer on the landing. The scheme is independent of the prison authorities and completely CONFIDENTIAL.
Women’s rightful place in sports has been a long, arduous uphill struggle. In fact, women were originally the prizes in ancient Olympic sports, where the only females permitted to spectate were prostitutes and virgins.
Around 1000B.C, the games of Hera were a version of athletic games specifically for women where prizes consisted of pomegranates, symbols of fertility, olive wreaths and slices of sacrificial cow; a far cry from the gold medals and the financial rewards earned by todays top female sports stars.
The first modern Olympics were held in in 1896 and women were not allowed to participate. However, one Greek woman was an unofficial competitor in the marathon, because she ran the course the day after the men’s race. For the final lap, she was not allowed to enter the stadium so she ran around it instead. But she completed the run!
If one looks through history, it is clear to see the immense battle women have fought to be seen as equal, to be viewed as capableeven, of participating in sports. It was only at the beginning of the 20th century that there was some sort of positive movement; The NAAF (NationalAmateur and Athletic Federation) was founded and was committed to girls and boys being on “equal footing with the same standards, the same program and the same regulations.”
All rounder athlete Babe Didrikson Zaharis was named “Woman Athlete of the Half Century.” However, still as recently as 1981 there were no female members of the International Olympic Committee; a shocking statistic!
A Spartan Princess, Kynisc, was the first female Olympic Champion; one of many female pioneers fighting for the equal rights of women in the sporting arenas.
Today, women are a vital part of all sports and, although there are still not enough, women sit on many sporting bodies and committees and play a leading role in the organisation of some of the greatest sporting events on the planet. Modern day sports and Olympic events have given the world a host of inspirational female champions who have dedicated their lives to their chosen fields and to motivating
young people to take up sports. Thousands of charities worldwide have also benefited from female sports stars championing their good causes.
If one looks back through the centuries it is clear to see that it has been more of a marathon than a sprint across the field of equal rights as far as female competitors are concerned. However, they stayed the pace, kept slugging on and today, some of the most celebrated, admired and richest sports stars in the world are strong, determined females. From being the prize to being the inspiration to millions of children around the world, the female competitor has come a long way toward the finish line, gold and her rightful place on the podium. >>GS
SPORTS DEPT.
Brave The Shave
HMP Magilligan recently hosted a charity event to raise money for Macmillan Cancer which saw some of those taking part in "Brave the Shave" going under the razor and saying goodbye to their hair (both male and female alike!). The event raised over £3,000 with donations made by staff, prisoners and their families. £1,000 of
Lower Drummans Parkrun
Lower Drummans parkrun received a Special Merit AwardatLimavadySportsCouncilAwardsNight.
Saturday 6th October was also "International Parkrun Day" which celebrates the first parkrun that took place in London 14 years ago. Lower Drummans had five prisoners reach a milestone, completing 25 parkruns on Saturday. They were each given a parkrun running top to recognize this achievement.
this total was donated directly by prisoners and their families.
On the day, a BBQ was held in the prison café (The Cove) and staff collected donations throughout the day, both at the BBQ and in the staff car park. The Sports and Recreation department also put on a circuit session during lunch collecting further donations.
The organizers of the event wish to thank all of those who collected, cooked, donated and took part, especially those who had their heads shaved.
Well done everyone!
Stay Onside
TheReducingOffendinginPartnershipis a joint approach made up of representatives from IFA, NIPS, Youth Justice and PSNI. They deliver programmes both in custody and in the community providing support for the journey back into our community from custody.
Those identified as suitable to participate in StayOnsideProgramme have the opportunity to gain qualifications in sport and coaching. This creates employment pathways, builds self-esteem and good relationships through sport. The programme is delivered in both custodial settings (Maghaberry, Magilligan, Hydebank and Knockbracken) and also in community settings.
Limavady Special Merit Award
poetry
POEM
Behind the walls and wire fences the locks and razor wire a young man walks to writing class and his youthful heart on fire. He’s learned to write good poetry and he has a girl at home and his love flows through the keyboard as he writes his girl a poem. He wrote it in his cell last night while listening to their song true love is in the words he writes he says it won’t be long ‘til the gates are opened wide and he wants her to be there a smile upon her luscious lips and sunlight in her hair. In all the grey and loneliness where every man’s alone the young man walks to writing class and writes his love a poem. >>GS
THE PRISON ALCHEMIST
Great treasures within have gone in the bin given up virtue for a life full of sin where can you go what else can you do how do you turn it around and get back to virtue if there’s a path of light I need it to be shown instead of the treacherous troublesome one I have known like a rose out of concrete towards light I should be growin’ instead I’m in prison writing a stupid poem… just waiting for the light that’s yet to be shown. >>AL
UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN
It’s crazy when your world turns upside down and everything around comes crashing down who do you turn to? To whom do you seek? it’s a funny ole world, when it’s tongue-in-cheek
You reach out but no one’s there you knock out the bricks; at the bars you tear because you know deep inside your heart you have to prepare for things falling apart
So no matter what, don’t give up the fight there comes a stage in any man’s life when he has to give up the dope can you see me? Is there any hope?
Well, on a more positive note there is a light, and it ain’t remote reaching that point becomes a struggle your body and mind are somewhat troubled
Don’t quit quitting; don’t give up that tunnel is about to open up. >>SJ
TRAVEL
One day I hope to travel the world, travel so far, and never return, the farther I go, the better I feel, travel yourself and you’ll know what I mean.
Life can be good if you go the right places, seeing more people, get to know the right faces, being here is not good at all, I’m getting a plane and leaving it all. >>MMcD
MAZE
A maze of broken souls cells are cramped; full of damp time freeze; an inevitable end harshly confined, we stare behind at nothing but cold grey concrete corridors no point in looking ahead, unwell greeted with disappointment and dread in our residential hell. >>AMcC
IT WILL TAKE FROM YOU
It will get you when you at your happiest when you least expect it, when you’re at your most content moment, it will come crashing into you’re world, it is so very sly and really very smart, it will dedicate itself in finding a way to infiltrate your senses, it’s so very cunning and will disguise itself in your thinking, it’s really patient and will do its best to blend to your emotions, it’s dark and direct and only wants to hurt you, it will let you believe it is your best friend, it wants you to believe it’s got your best interest at heart , it will do anything and everything to make you believe it’s the best thing in your life, after it gains your trust it will slowly dismantle your life, it will make you fight with the ones you love the most, it will strip you of work, it will make you lazy, it will make you hateful , you will become bitter and twisted and do things you never thought , it will take you to places you never dreamt of, you will stoop to levels never thought of, after all this it will make you homeless, workless, penniless, you will beg for it steal for it, you will do things for it, believe me it really doesn’t care where it brings you, it will take your health from you, fuck after all that it might even kill you, once it gets hold of you it owns you, it showed me just how strong it was, all in all its one of, if not, the most seductive powerful entities I know, believe me you will go to any length for heroin. >>K.G.B
BANGED UP ADDICTED
He’s strung out, he’s strung out inside years of taking it in his stride banged up sick with nowhere to hide so forgive him if he’s somewhat stressed on the wing, no different than the rest he listens all day to grown men sick chasing a hit and looking it quick years on the chin, He was somewhat reckless he’s done his time, these prisoners wackless he has a drug problem doing his time cost him his health, his youth and prime standing from the crowd, he’s trying to quit his addiction is serious, he must admit at 21 he dabbled a bit, now he function’s with that hit
trying to stop drugs he finds he can’t, to be stable all he wants. lost everything, his family as well thinks he’s been punished and sent to hell
man up like, you haven’t a clue, strung out inside from 22 mentally drained, hanging on tight, years inside an ending in sight instead of a release date he could do with a cure
a life of drugs, what he needs I’m sure there’s strung out, then strung out inside locked up on drugs he has nowhere to hide.
>>C.Hawk
COFFIN MAN
Its freezing cold, buried with gold, People come young and old, rocks in the earth 6ft deep, they would come stand, sometimes weep his face frozen, eyes are shut, little air in a one man hut.
settled in he’d little choice, left the morgue in a blue Rolls Royce.
dressed for the occasion suited and booted and can’t tell, hasn’t a clue he’s looking swell’ a trip to heaven or maybe hell. >>C.Hawk
FirstDaysInsidetheGreys
DAY 1: A broken day, I’m wasting away forced into a cell, told to stay nobody cares how I feel or think these grey walls starting to shrink
DAY 2: A lost day, head in the clouds not looking around, avoiding the crowds, feeling abandoned and out of place , I need to shake this of my face
DAY 3: A better day, I’m feeling the vibe, talking my way into a tribe keeping strong, I gotta survive even in here, still glad to be alive
DAY 4: A ground hog day, the hits away back to reality, to bad mentality
around the room, nothing but gloom drugs, a patch for my mental wounds
DAY 5: Another day, the weekend is near, I sent a post card saying I’m glad you’re not here, on the outside Fridays were best, instead locked up, putting patience to the test
DAY 6: A Saturday, time to reflect, all these dark thoughts I must eject I will better myself, make things right chase out the internal parasites
DAY 7: A regressive day, a bored game I’m just a number, a forgotten name snakes and ladders, climb to the top people on therise, then watching them drop. >>JE
