Malcolm Ivey

I was 13 years old and in juvie for stealing car stereos when I read my first novel, a thousand-page colossus of a book by Larry McMurtry titled Lonesome Dove. I recognized it from my father's nightstand at home and snagged it off the detention center library cart, thinking it would give me something to discuss with the old man at visitation. It turned out to be an epic adventure better than any movie I'd ever seen. That was almost 30 years ago, but the twined themes of confinement and reading have been constants in my life that persist to this day.

I was a high school student in Pensacola, Florida, when I graduated to the Department of Corrections. The petty thefts and marijuana possessions of my early teens eventually devolved into heavier stuff like cocaine and burglary. By my 18th birthday, I was headed to state prison and would not see the free world again for nine years, seven months, and 21 days....

Read my complete story at www.malcolmivey.com