A retrospective: Voices from Prison

In March we held our annual evening of poetry and music performances, Voices from Prison, at East London arts venue Rich Mix. It was hosted by one of our 2024 national exhibition curators, artist and former Koestler entrant John Costi. Six people with varied experiences of the criminal justice system performed poetry and music from the 2024 Koestler Awards alongside their own work. One of the performers, Dalton, shares his reflections on the evening below:

For me, Koestler started in prison. It was a chance to have my say, to show I was being counted and that my time in prison was put to good use. It was also a way to look ahead and do something positive when my past was full of negative experiences. When I look at those moments in prison, they paved a way without me realising. Each step took me on a path to that night at Rich Mix. The Voices From Prison event was not just an event for me. It was like taking the new me to see how the old me used to be. It was a full circle moment.

The night was incredible. It was a space to meet people who had been through things I had. We were all different and the things that impacted our experiences shone through in our work, yet all of us had that bond. We understood what it meant to hear the sound of keys and alarms, and how to summon up the strength to create change.

I read two poems entered into the Koestler Awards that stood out to me, and I felt the voices of the people who wrote them come out of my voice, and their experiences shine through their poetry. It made the audience silent as they heard their regret, hope, and resilience. Poetry is one of those mediums that causes so much emotion, and you could certainly hear a pin drop that night.

I use my poetry like I did in prison – to show people who I am. I still do that now through everything I do. I am now a student doing my masters at university. But in 2019, I was coming out of a two-year stretch that saw me utterly broken and one of the few transgender prisoners in the prison system. I was mocked and faced so much stigma. My poetry was my platform. My way to take shape and say who I was.

The Voices from Prison event was no different. I stood there and said who I was, how far I had come and what it means to be transgender in prison. I read two of my own poems that I had originally sent to the Koestler Awards that now are featured in my poetry collection and book that has been published. It was a powerful moment and one I got to share with all those whose poems we read out that I felt were metaphorically stood with us and the audience members. Each performer did the same – took their lives, and made them whole through rap, poetry, and theatre. I felt like I was flying through a mosaic of lives that crossed at the prison gates and beyond.

Even in your darkest days, if you keep moving forward and find where your passion lies, light can shine out of unexpected places. I hope anyone who keeps looking will find this level of motivation and help others do the same. The night was inspirational, and one my past self never could have even dreamed of the day they sat alone in a cell with a piece of paper and a pen.