Amplifying Voices from Stateville: My Journey with “Mic Drop”

[guest_blogger]

By Jasmine Rodriguez 

“Books are sometimes windows, offering views of worlds that may be real or imagined, familiar or strange. These windows are also sliding glass doors, and readers have only to walk through in imagination to become part of whatever world has been created or recreated by the author. When lighting conditions are just right, however, a window can also be a mirror.” —Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop

The email subject line was simple: “Publication Request.” It was from Michael Bell, a Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) UWW graduate from Stateville Correctional Center. What followed in his letter was an invitation that would profoundly shift my understanding of powerful storytelling and community impact: a request to help produce and digitize “Mic Drop,” a 32-page manuscript brimming with the unheard voices of Stateville.

As an editor for the Student Media Board (SMB) at NEIU, I had gained hands-on publishing experience, but this project was different. It wasn’t just about technical skills; it was about honoring Michael’s vision to ensure these critical stories were told by the authors themselves. And in that moment, as I held the first issue of “Mic Drop”—filled with handwritten reflections and deeply personal narratives—I knew this was a mirror and a window we absolutely had to share with the world.

“Mic Drop” isn't just a collection of writings; it's a testament to the power of self-expression born from Michael’s own initiative, not an academic assignment. It chronicles the experiences within the Rebirth of Sound (ROS) Studio, an accredited music program at Stateville. Let me take you on a tour inside this powerful newsletter, highlighting two pieces that particularly resonated and exemplify the profound insights Macmillan Bits’ readers can gain from these voices.

One compelling reflection comes from Yarmale Thomas, a member of ROS's first cohort. He shares his experience creating a song to raise awareness about parole in Illinois, as part of the “Bring It Back” campaign. Thomas recounted witnessing rappers like Chance the Rapper urging lawmakers to reintroduce a parole system.

He describes how “R.O.S. has given the opportunity to experience the power of music creation, positive reinforcement, and brotherhood where our voices are heard and captured and shared with the world.” His words powerfully illustrate the transformative impact of music on incarcerated students’ lives and how creative expression can overcome communication barriers, offering valuable lessons on the reach of powerful storytelling. Thomas’s story perfectly encapsulates how community-driven artistic endeavors provide vital opportunities for individuals to voice personal and collective concerns.

Another powerful perspective is found in the “At The Roundtable” section, with an article titled “The Round Table” by DeCedrick Walker, a member of ROS's third cohort. Walker describes the roundtable as a regular practice in ROS, where participants check in before and after music-making sessions. He discloses a moment when a member shared their advanced stage of cancer diagnosis. In that moment, they were “collectively angry, empathetic, and attentive” and realized the “need for the roundtable” for moments to connect and support each other.

This piece highlights how these spaces foster profound connection and emotional support within a carceral setting, demonstrating the crucial role that community and empathy play in personal growth and resilience. This collective sharing also points to how these engagements create “rhizomatic affective spaces” in prison, allowing participants to find moments of mental escape and positive connection that make the experience more tolerable.

Throughout the process of producing “Mic Drop,” the pedagogical takeaways were immense. A key aspect was the unwavering commitment to incorporating student feedback on both content and design choices.

Michael Bell provided us with reference newsletters made by incarcerated students in the Illinois Department of Corrections, and we meticulously followed the ROS students’ directions. This meant focusing on the visual appeal of a color-coding system for sections, incorporating high-quality images as storytelling elements, and increasing font size for better readability — all decisions driven by their invaluable input.

This facilitator approach ensured the newsletter truly reflected their vision and voices, empowering the writers with agency over their own work – a critical lesson for anyone involved in publishing or education. “Mic Drop” newsletter served a similar function to other contemplative methods used in carceral-university writing partnerships, acting as a tangible artifact of the deep rhetorical listening and reflective writing that occurred within the ROS program.

Ultimately, “Mic Drop” is more than just a newsletter; it's a profound demonstration of how self-published works from unexpected places can offer vital insights into the human experience. For those of us in publishing, education, or any field committed to social justice, it serves as a powerful reminder of the immense talent and unique perspectives that exist when we truly commit to amplifying marginalized voices. Supporting projects like “Mic Drop”—whether as readers, advisors, or by seeking out similar publications—allows us to bridge divides, challenge preconceptions, and ensure that these essential “mirrors and windows” are available to everyone. It highlights the importance of community-engaged projects and offers inspiration for opportunities to get involved in ensuring diverse voices find their platform.

This post is part of a 2025 series affiliated with the Writing Innovation Symposium (WIS), a regional event with national reach founded in 2018. Jasmine Rodriguez, a 2025 Bedford/Saint-Martin’s WIS Fellow, is a Master’s student at Northeastern Illinois University, where she is active on the Student Media Board. Learn more and in posts tagged “writing innovation” and “WIS.”

The theme for WIS ‘26, artifact, invites colleagues to connect writing, art, and facts. Special features include a makerspace, an Artifact Exchange, and an opportunity to contribute to a scholarly publication. Proposals as well as applications for Bedford/St. Martin’s WIS Fellows are due 10/24; undergraduate contributions are due 11/21. Registration opens in November, and the event itself takes place onsite and online January 29th and 30th, 2026.

Work Cited

Bishop, Rudine Sims. “Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors.” Perspectives: Choosing and Using Books for the Classroom, Vol. 6, No. 3, 1990, https://scenicregional.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Mirrors-Windows-and-Sliding-Glass-Doors.pdf.

Kertz-Welzel, Alexandra. “Daring to Question: A Philosophical Critique of Community Music.” Philosophy of Music Education Review, Vol. 24, No. 2, 2016, pp. 113–30. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2979/philmusieducrevi.24.2.01.

Kougiali, Zetta, et al. “Rhizomatic Affective Spaces and the Therapeutic Potential of Music in Prison: A Qualitative Meta-Synthesis.” Qualitative Research in Psychology, vol. 15, no. 1, Jan. 2018, pp. 1–28. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.1080/14780887.2017.1359710.

Moseley, Sarah. “Contemplative Methods for Prison-University Writing Partnerships: Building Sangha Through ‘The Om Exchange.’” Reflections: A Journal of Public Rhetoric, Civic 

Writing & Service Learning, Vol. 19, No. 1, March 2019, pp. 118–33. EBSCOhost, research.ebsco.com/linkprocessor/plink?id=d28d2662-b2b3-31cc-b011-48b7bd2ca501.