Ink from the Pen: A Prison Memoir

Ink from the Pen is the story of an educated, HIV+ gay man whose decades-long walk on the wild side came crashing down in 2004, when he found himself facing nine months in prison for dealing the crystal meth he'd become addicted to during the worst of the AIDS epidemic. An accomplished writer, Olmsted soon discovered his love of words was precisely what would get him through the experience. With a keen eye for the finely-observed detail and an unerring capacity to deftly convey the poignancy and absurdities of incarceration, Mark learned that creativity is one of the most powerful survival tools there is."This is a haunting and beautiful story from the depths of the California state prison system, of people found and left behind, acts of defiant joy, tender moments of generosity, soul-searching, and looking desperately for glimmers in the darkness. Characters with such rich and vivid names as Jack Hammer, Drifter, Thumper and Chainsaw may have been forgotten by society, but Olmsted puts them in such indelible ink you will carry them with you long after you close this remarkable memoir." - Kathy Hepinstall, The Book of Polly

Author: Sandra Moreano, Mark Olmsted
Publisher: Nuance Titles
Published: 04/18/2017
Pages: 264
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.61lbs
Size: 8.00h x 5.25w x 0.55d
ISBN: 9780692784143

About the Author
Mark Olmsted has been a writer since he graduated from NYU School of the Arts in 1980, where he penned the award winning short film, ...and he'll grow up to be big and strong. After over a decade in Manhattan, he moved to California to pursue screenwriting and take care of his brother, who died of AIDS in 1991. Gay and HIV+ himself, Mark self-medicated through the worst of the plague years with crystal meth, which led to a conviction for drug-dealing in 2004 and nine months in prison, an experience that produced Ink from the Pen. Mark emerged into a life of recovery and activism, writing hundreds of essays for the Huffington Post and his personal blog, The Trash Whisperer, based on his hobby of keeping his Hollywood neighborhood free of litter. In 2011, he entered the Graduate Humanities programs in Mount St. Mary's University, obtaining a Master's Degree with a specialization in Creative Writing in 2013. He has returned to screenwriting with a drama set in post-war New York, The Exiled Heart. He lives in Hollywood with his partner, David.

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