Publisher‏ : ‎ Out of the Woods Press 

ISBN: 978-1952197123

One in 14 children in the United States has a parent who has been in prison.

Have you ever wondered how these youngsters feel about having a parent in prison? Many are depressed, showing low self-esteem. Withdrawing from family and friends is not uncommon. Isolation, bullying, fear, and guilt are prevalent among these youngsters. They may exhibit obnoxious behavior in school or elsewhere. There is also a higher chance of delinquency and/or criminal behavior in the future.

POPS the CLUB, a fantastic nonprofit organization that stands for Pain of the Prison System, has been invaluable in assisting these young people affected by a parent's incarceration.

Amy Friedman and Dennis Danziger launched the nonprofit in 2013.

POPS creates a safe, empowering space for these youth through arts-based programs, transforming stigma into hope and dignity so they can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally now and as adults.

Dear Friends: Pops the Club Anthology is the eighth publication put together by POPS the CLUB members and friends.

The anthology contains 277 pages of beautiful art, powerful poems, and fantastic photographs. They cover a total of 277 pages.

The collection was compiled by students from California, Georgia, New York, and Pennsylvania.

These well-thoughtful reflections demonstrate how a parent's incarceration significantly impacts their children.

Writings and other forms of expression connect a diverse group of creators dealing with the effects of having a parent incarcerated in their lives.

Throughout the pandemic, these children collaborated on their work, divided into eleven sections in the anthology.

Jessica De La Mora's Note to God is one such piece of writing, in which she expresses her strong feelings about God in the first stanza:

"As I write to you,

I beg for forgiveness.

I ask for help, I need you to hear me out, listen to my voice.

The pain in my voice.

I'm screaming for help, but nobody is listening.

I shout your name, but you do not care.

I need you to take this pain away, I can't take it anymore."

The feeling of confusion is expressed by Imari Stevenson who writes:

"I wake up every morning wondering how my day will go.

Will it be a good day or a dreadful day.

Most days I end up just wanting to give up.

But then I realize that I was placed on earth for some type of reason.

Now it's our job to find meaning for being birthed

into this place called earth."

Scattered throughout the anthology are several self-portraits and art work confirming the old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words.

If you are wondering who are these authors, the last few pages of the book introduce us to each one.