listen: ROOTS MEET BELOW THE CROSSROADS

BY TRACY SCHLAPP & DANNY WILSON

THE PONYXPRESS TURNS ONE!

Today we are doing a little victory dances as we mark our first year and open ISSUE NO. 4, CONNECTIONS with the last part of our radio series.

PonyXpress Radio Series, Part three: Roots Meet Below the Crossroads
Presenting work from Coffee Creek Correctional Facility spoken by the authors. This performance was recorded live in front of an audience of the authors’ peers in the medium side chapel at the only facility for women in Oregon. The project was a collaboration from start to finish: the women chose a theme and worked on their pieces individually, read them in the workshop, and supported one another in writing and rewriting.

In the spirit of the this issue’s theme, we have pieces that intersect at life’s crossroads — places where we struggle until we find a resolution. Listen to Regina Baker, Hannah Brophy, Comrade Candle, Kirsty Jeffers, Samantha Jensen, Manda Moonlight, and Carolyn Stickley joined forces to read from the chapbook that we produced together.

Music was composed and performed by PonyXpress editor from Oregon State Penitentiary, Le’Var Howard. This show first aired June 4, 2024 on XRAY.fm. A grant from Oregon Humanities supported this part of the project along with public readings in prisons and community spaces around the state.