Episodes

Erik Beller had a Master's degree in Education, a professional career, and a seemingly good life. But just as things were really starting to fall into place, his brother died of an overdose. Then, on Erik's birthday, his best friend, John, also passed away. These tragic events set Erik on a downward spiral of addiction, homelessness, and ultimately jail. While incarcerated, Erik was beaten, almost to death, by a guard (who was later convicted and served prison time for the assault). Erik spen...

When Baltimore artist Anya Blakeley walked away from a high-stress job in the criminal legal system, she knew it was time for a change. Anya began searching for meaning and healing in a world that suddenly felt broken. Her journey led her to the Justice Arts Coalition, a group that didn’t just talk about change, but created it by matching incarcerated artists with creative allies on the outside. Enter Cuong Tran, better known as Mike, a self-taught artist behind bars in California, whose raw ...

Growing up near Chicago, Illinois, Anjel Ocegueda learned by age 13 that the environment around you can shape the course of your life. "The streets take a toll on you. Whether it's your environment, the people around you, or something that happens to your friends or family, you feel like you have to choose a side." As a sixth and seventh grader, Anjel excelled in school. He earned straight A's, made the honor roll, participated in sports, and envisioned a future built around higher education. H...

Before becoming a resident of one of Florida's most demanding correctional facilities, prison pen pal Miguel Cordero was immersed in the world of video games, logging countless hours on various consoles. However, following his arrest and the onset of a daunting 20-year sentence, he found himself grappling with intense emotions and a fiery temper. His notorious anger earned him the moniker "Psycho" among his fellow inmates -- a title that ultimately helped fuel his transformation. During a gruel...

Jason Evick is currently serving time at the Toledo Correctional Institution in Ohio for a violent crime. In Ohio and many other states, inmates have access to an app called GettingOut, which allows them to receive emails directly on their prison tablets. While this technology can significantly enhance communication with pen pals outside, it also carries potential risks. When we think about prison inmates and catfishing, the typical assumption is that the inmate is the one deceiving others—fabr...

In the 1990s, DeWayne Lee Harris was responsible for the tragic deaths of multiple women, earning infamy in the Seattle, Washington area under chilling monikers such as Chilly Willy, The Seattle Jungle Killer, and The Seattle Shoelace Slasher. His heinous acts included tying up victims like Denise Marie Harris and Antoinette Jones with their own shoelaces, ultimately strangling them with a belt. His third known victim, Olivia Smith, met a similarly grim fate, being stabbed to death. Disturbingly...

Jason Kurtz is a PenPals.Buzz member who lives and loves fitness. He remembers his first workout at the age of 11; since then, he never looked back. Over the past 30+ years, Jason has managed over 15 gyms, has worked for companies that sell fitness equipment, and even got arrested and sent to prison due to his involvement with a supplement he encountered during his fitness journey. In this episode, Jason Kurtz explains the important connection between a healthy body and a healthy mind, and share...

Jacobi Thornsberry’s journey began in the vibrant streets of New Orleans, Louisiana. Seeking an escape from the bustling chaos of the city, he made the leap to Oregon. However, fate had other plans, and within three years, he found himself behind bars in an Oregon prison. Loneliness settled in, and the thought of finding a meaningful connection crossed his mind. He considered WriteAPrisoner.com as a way to meet that special someone. But then there was the enigmatic "Baby Gua," a mysterious figur...

Changing your name while incarcerated is impossible in some states, and quite easy in others. There are countless reasons why someone behind bars might feel the need to legally reinvent themselves. In this episode, we’ll explore the inspiring story of Savannah Turner, formerly Gena, an incarcerated member of PenPals.Buzz. Currently incarcerated for identity theft, Savannah has moved beyond a troubled past filled with poor choices and substance abuse. Today, she seeks to shed her old name and emb...

"Welcome to More than an Inmate's Girlfriend. I'm your host, Jae," speaks a soothing voice each week from her podcast studio in Canada. Since 2024, Jae Ely has been releasing podcast episodes aimed at reducing the stigma associated with prisoners, prison wives, and even pen pals who choose to write to prison inmates. Jae, who is married to an inmate (yet not allowed to communicate with him!) talks about her life, her podcast, and the challenges she's faced along the way. In this exclusive interv...

Romantic relationships between an inmate and their free-world pen pal often start out like a whirlwind romance. After just a few letters exchanged, prisoners often feel like they met the person of their dreams, their true love, their soulmate. But is any of it actually real, or are they merely living in a fantasy world of false hopes and future faking? In this episode, Licensed Mental Health Counselor and founder of Gratitude and Growth Counseling, Jennifer Garcia, breaks it down. You'll learn a...

Prison relationships can seem like a fairytale love story. Take Anthony Cloud, for instance. A few years ago, he met the love of his life, Melissa on PenPals.Buzz. They referred to each other as husband and wife. After all, Melissa told him she was pregnant with his twins. According to Anthony, she had the ultrasound pictures to prove it. Having grown up in foster care, he never had a family who loved him. When he met Melissa, all of his dreams came true. But shortly thereafter, Anthony realized...

Britney Gulley is his legal name, but this female to male transgender inmate is better known as Xandan. He's a political prisoner, activist, and published writer. Xandan Gulley enjoys football, reading, astrology, Greek mythology, women’s basketball, dogs, and listening to NPR. One minuscule tranquility for Xandan is being able to watch the sunrise and sunset every day, out his small window in the 6X9 solitary cell (where he has been a victim of prolonged solitary confinement for over 14 years)....

Richard Strong was convicted of First-Degree Murder for the 2011 shooting of Ygnacio Bermudez, Jr., on the streets of Lansing, Michigan. Rick, who was sentenced to Life without Parole, claims he was wrongfully convicted of the murder and has polygraph test results to prove it. He admitted, however, that his past history of selling drugs and hanging around the wrong people contributed to his downfall, and he knew he "needed to just change everything." It was then that he made a conscious decision...

Robert, a PenPals.Buzz Super Fan, works as a caretaker in Illinois. After some personal experiences with friends and family members being arrested and incarcerated, he decided it was time for less judgment and more kindness. In addition to helping the free-world senior citizen residents as his place of employment, he felt a strong desire to help those behind the walls, too. That's when, about a year ago, he happened across PenPals.Buzz and began writing to male and female prison inmates around t...

In 1993, Marc Rosemond was convicted of 3 counts of murder and sentenced to Life in prison. Now, 33 years later, he calls the Prison Pen Pal Podcast from his cell at the Shawangunk Correctional Facility in Wallkill, New York. Desperate to find answers about why he committed such horrible crimes, Marc Rosemond (inmate #93A1985) shares how art, poetry, and music helped him work through his childhood trauma, find clarity, and transform his life into one of positivity and resiliency. In addition to ...