Category Archives: Inteviews

Effects of Prison Interview, Part III, by Ms. Begum K with Wayne T. Dowdy

This is the conclusion of the three part interview by Ms. Begum K with Wayne T. Dowdy. Please take a moment to like and subscribe to the YouTube channel after following the links to the content below. I do thank you in advance!

In the conclusion, I expressed my views about the overcriminalization in America and other issues, including parts of my life as a returning citizen. My hope is to help others understand more about the effects of incarceration, and the struggles that some returning citizens may experience upon release; especially, after serving a long prison sentence.

Some of the things I share had an emotional toll on me, as I expressed my feelings, but what I had to say was important for me; as well as for others who may need to know that it is okay to be human, and to experience God-given emotions. For men in particular, even those emotions that are not macho. Displaying anger is easier than showing pain or remorse. And for that I am grateful!

Click Here for the conclusion.

If you missed watching the other two segments, here is a link for the playlist. I do thank you for the support. https://youtu.be/JhMZgWJqULY

Effects of Prison Interview, Part II, by Ms. Begum K with Wayne T. Dowdy

Yesterday I posted the content below the subtitle, Effects of Prison Interview, Part II, on my Quora.com Space, Life Inside and Out. And then noticed that when it posted there was not a title for the post. So, now I am revising what I wrote and the process by posting it where it should have been first: Here on StraightfromthePen.com.

Sometime later on, on Quora.com/Life Inside and Out, I will replace the previous content that I use below with this blog. (I modified the title of this blog to be clear about its content.)

If you haven’t read or listened to Part I, you may do so by clicking this link: YouTube Interview with Wayne T. Dowdy – STRAIGHT FROM THE PEN


Effects of Prison Interview, Part II

On March 20, 1995, I planned for that day to be the last day I shot dope or did other mind-altering substances. My plan didn’t work the way I anticipated. Two weeks and three days later, I got high again but stopped halfway through the process and threw away the rest of the joint I was smoking. That was the last time, thus far, and I don’t anticipate reverting to my former ways that helped to keep me returning to prison. Yes, I am a recidivist.

This interview (Effects of Prison Interview by Ms. Begum K with Wayne T. Dowdy, Part II), would not have taken place had I not continued to stay away from what I knew was killing me and helping to destroy my life. If you enjoy watching and listening to it, please click to like, follow me on YouTube, and subscribe. Thanks!

YouTube Interview with Wayne T. Dowdy

Effects of Incarceration Interview with Begum K., Part I

When Ms. Begum K. first contacted me on my Quora.com Space, Life Inside and Out, because she needed participants for an interview on the effects of incarceration to use when writing a paper for her Psychology class, I was hesitant.

After several days of thought and deliberation, I agreed because I believed in her objective of wanting to help others. Then afterwards, I became grateful for overcoming my fears.

Even though I was unknowingly in the first stage of COVID-19 on the day of the scheduled interview, I did not want to delay her project and proceeded. And then I became her fan and did all I could to assist her in finding other participants to complete her study.

Click the following link to watch and listen to the YouTube video on my StraightfromthePen. channel.

Effects of Incarceration, an Interview with Ms. Begum K., Part I

Returning Citizens Interview

Help Needed

I am posting this link to Quora to help Ms. Begum K. find another participant for her interview of returning citizens. I’ve already been through the process with her and it was painless, not extremely sensitive questions or anything to fear, so if you or someone you know has been incarcerated and are now free, she does need a volunteer.

Here is a link to my post on Quora where I shared her request: https://www.quora.com/profile/Wayne-T-Dowdy/Im-sharing-this-post-in-hopes-of-it-reaching-the-right-person-who-will-help-this-young-lady-with-her-project-I-done-th

Check out my other blogs about Quora to see if you may want to become a contributor or just go there to search for answers.

Quora Monetized and Cryptocurrency | STRAIGHT FROM THE PEN

Frequently Asked Questions and An Anonymous Interview

An incarcerated person asked these questions for Wayne T. Dowdy. Because of privacy concerns, the name of the incarcerated person will remain anonymous.  Straightfromthepen.com gives special thanks and will provide a complimentary copy of Essays and More Straight From the Pen.

Q: Since you have started using this blog, has the sales increased on your books?
A: I haven’t noticed much of an increase in sales since I began writing the blogs. But since my release from prison, I have increased the number of views on the blogs, and the circulation of eBooks on Smashwords.com by making certain eBooks free.

Q: Since you began using this blog, have you talked about your books?
A: Yes, during the first two years I did (I paid to get a website and blog created in 2015), but I haven’t written promotional content in several months.

I got involved with the prison reform movement in 2016, and then later began writing blogs relating to prison reform, but also to help fight my way out of prison. I became an outspoken critic of the former BOP Director (Mark S. Inch), who changed halfway house policies (reducing available placement period from up to one-year to “up to four months”).

On prison reform, I wanted to do my part in creating positive change, so I put my personal writing and sales promotions on the side until I could get out of prison and put things in action. Now I am back. Look out!

Q: How many books have you written?
A: I’ve written four books but only have two I’m marketing. I had a special purpose for UNDER PRESSURE-MOTIVATIONAL VERSION by Mr. D (I added sections to the original UNDER PRESSURE to inspire the aspiring writers). To make it a better value for my readers, I combined the original novel with the sequel and produced UNKNOWN INNOCENCE by Wayne T. Dowdy, with the help of Midnight Express Books when originally published.

The other book is technically a personal magazine because it combines genres. ESSAYS & MORE STRAIGHT FROM THE PEN has 11-essays, 1-short story, and 3-poems, which I’ve discounted the price of at $8.95.

My case manager read it and commented, “Parts of it make you want to laugh, others make you want to cry. There’s a lot of wisdom in it.”

Q: Have you written any novels?
A: UNKNOWN INNOCENCE and UNDER PRESSURE are fiction.

Q: When did you start writing?
A: I wrote for decades in personal journals. At the age of twenty-five, while serving a state sentence, I wrote drafts for a series of pornographic literature. I gave my collection to a married woman I was having an affair with and asked her to keep them for me until I got out.

She was jealous. Everything I wrote did not include her. When I got out and wanted my writings, she said they got lost or her husband threw them away, either way, my perverted writings conveniently disappeared.

Maybe I’ll return to that genre if sales don’t improve on what I’m writing now. 🙂 With the success of Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James, there’s  a large market for that type of writing.

Q: Did you go to college to learn to write?
A: Yes, and No. In 1981 I did take Creative Writing in college. In 2006-2008, I took a professional writing course through the Long Ridge Writers Group to learn how to write essays and short stories for magazine publication.

Q: Were you published in any magazines?
A: Yes, but I was published before taking the course. In 2003 I was first published in the A.A. Grapevine under a pseudonym. I’ve been published several times since then; however, none of the publications satisfy my ego, which always wants more.

These are my magazine writing credits:
The Sun (Chapel Hill, NC);
The Iconoclast;
Confrontation magazine, the literary journal of Long Island University;
Savage Kick magazine;
and many others under a pseudonym related to recovery from drugs and alcohol.

Q: How has writing changed your life?
A: Writing, in general, has not changed my life except on an interpersonal level. But writing does help me to formulate ideas and allows me to express myself without interruption. That means a lot to me when I feel the issue is important and needs addressed, whether it’s what people want to hear or not.

One day I hope to answer that question by saying my writing changed the quality of life by making me rich and famous, but in the meantime, I must say it keeps me constructively occupied and that I take pride in knowing my writing impacts the lives of others, as many have said to me throughout the years.

Q: Are you writing another book now?
A: No, but I do have ideas for one coming soon and I am plotting on writing query letters and articles I want to see in print, something my ego loves (seeing my name in print).

Purchase writings by Wayne T. Dowdy from your favorite eStore or bookseller.  Get the best value on eBooks at https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/WayneMrDowdy

FAQs about author Wayne T. Dowdy

Thanks for inquiring about my writing.  Most people want to know answers to several personal questions.  ESSAYS & MORE STRAIGHT FROM THE PEN contains answers to many questions.  Purchase it at http://www.straightfromthepen.com or from your favorite online and offline distributors.   Purchase eBooks at https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/WayneMrDowdy.

(FAQs)

1) How many books have you written?

A) Four: 1-UNDER PRESSURE by Mr. D; 2-UNDER PRESSURE-MOTIVATIONAL VERSION by Mr. D; 3-UNKNOWN INNOCENCE ($12.95), and 4-ESSAYS & MORE STRAIGHT FROM THE PEN ($8.95) by Wayne T. Dowdy.

2) What is the difference between UNDER PRESSURE and the Motivational Version?

A) The Motivational Version contains “The Story Behind the Novel” and two chapters from the sequel (UNKNOWN INNOCENCE). I added “The Story Behind the Novel” to inspire and assist the aspiring writer by showing how I managed to put the book in his or her hands, and by listing several writer’s tools available for those fortunate enough to purchase them.

The setting for UNDER PRESSURE is the U.S. Penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kansas, and even though the plot concerns the murder of a prisoner and other violence, the novel offers the reader much more than prison scenes and events.  It shows the life of the main protagonist before and after prison, and also enlightens the public about some of the draconian conspiracy laws and shows how easy it is for someone to end up in prison for a drug conspiracy.

3) Have you been published in magazines?

A) Yes. In print, THE SUN magazine published several clips I wrote in response to various topics, as well as an essay I wrote for their “Readers Write” column. In August of 2008 they published what I wrote for the topic of “Up All Night.” The ICONOCLAST magazine published two essays: “Fences” and “Fence Rows,” both of which I included in the essay collection. CONFRONTATION magazine published my essay, “State of Affairs” as a Letter to the Editor.

In 2018, the Savage Kick published “Guns, Drugs and Thugs: Drug Store Spree” in Savage Kick #9.

I’ve been published several times under the pseudonym Wayne D.

Online, PrisonLawBlog.com and PrisonEducation.com published several things I have written to educate and inform my readers. Those publications may now be read on my blog (https://straightfromthepen.wordpress.com).

4) Were you a politician?

A) No. When researching who I am, if you add the “T” for my middle name, volumes of things will come up that I have had published.  I was in a state prison when I first heard about the Honorable Wayne Dowdy, who is a politician from Mississippi.  By adding “Wayne T. Dowdy” to your favorite search engine, it will allow you to yield numerous results.

Reading ESSAYS & MORE STRAIGHT FROM THE PEN will tell you a lot about my interest, beliefs, and convictions.  Most who have read it commented that it contained a lot of wisdom, and some stories that make you laugh, others that are sad, but well written.  It contains events that show the damage of incarceration on society and individuals trapped in the vicious cycle of imprisonment and recidivism.