Dream Catcher

Author and prison rights activist Amy Friedman knows how children of people in prison feel, because she offers them a safe and supportive space to share their feelings and to support each other in recognizing their strength and resilience. Seven years ago, she launched a school-based program, POPS the Club, “pain of the prison system,” with her husband, Dennis Danziger, a writer and high school teacher. POPS started as a single club at Venice High School in Los Angeles where Danziger was then teaching.POPS publishes an annual anthology of art, prose, and poetry created by its members and alumni. This year’s collection, Dream Catchers, represents the work of students from POPS Clubs in all around the country. The book discusses how kids, like their incarcerated loved ones, suffer due to institutionalized prejudice and stigmatization. It also discusses how kids with a parent in prison are just like other kids, and The healing power of self-expression through writing and artwork.