Q&A with Amy Friedman, Leticia Longoria-Navarro, and Victor Trillo Jr.

 

Amy Friedman

 

 

Amy Friedman, Leticia Longoria-Navarro, and Victor Trillo Jr. are the editors of the new book Home and Away: Poetry, Stories & Art. Friedman is a founder of the group POPS the Club, which focuses on the children of people in prison. Longoria-Navarro is the executive director of The Pathfinder Network, which helps people affected by the justice system. Trillo is the program manager for POPS the Club and The PATHfinder.

 

Q: What inspired this new collection, Home and Away, and why did you choose that particular theme?

 

A: In fact, the writers and artists whose work appears in this volume chose the theme. 

 

Since 2014, when the first POPS Anthology was published, we have solicited submissions from all members of our clubs, and from graduates as well.

 

As the work pours in, the editors read and think about the work—whether a poem, a story, an essay, a drawing, painting, collage, or photograph. We’re looking and listening for the subjects that emerge in the work, and for the mood and tone.

 

One of the most vivid examples of this process occurred during Covid when so many of the pieces submitted were focused on friendships—friends missed, friends, lost, new friends forged, and quickly the title Dear Friends was born.

 

And last year as the work poured in, again and again, we recognized three themes—one was family and the comfort and/or chaos of home. In some cases this meant literal home, in others the work revolved around the feelings of being at home with friends, or being at club meetings, or in the creators’ neighborhoods.

 

Other work revolved around either those loved ones who have gone away and those who have been taken away, while still others were about going away and getting away. Again, the title evolved. 

 

The one exception to this method was for our 2023 release, Advice to 9th Graders. The PATHfinder and POPS clubs merged in 2022, and this was our first collective release, and we decided to try an experiment, to invite submissions tied to a single theme. Of course, the artists’ and writers’ imaginations took flight that year as well. 

Leticia Longoria-Navarro

 

Q: How were the contributions chosen for the collection?

 

A: Those who submit work are usually accepted, but our teaching artists work with the creators on revisions.

 

Our goals are two: First, to inspire the club members’ creativity, and to witness and celebrate the healing that so often comes with artistic creation.

 

And second, and as important, we know how wise these young people are and how much they have to teach readers. Too often the voices and visions of teenagers and young adults are overlooked, and these young people, whose lives have been impacted in some way by incarceration, deportation, or detention, have so much to teach us all.

 

Our executive editor is a professional writer and editor and selects which work will be presented, and how. As she says, “Even after 10 volumes, with every piece I see, I learn something new about what it means to be a teenager in this world.”

 

Victor Trillo Jr.

Q: How did you decide on the order in which they would appear in the book?

 

A: As Amy Friedman, our executive editor, begins to put together the volume, she looks for stories and works of art that feel as if they belong together, that thematically and spiritually are connected. Those works provide Amy and the other editors with ideas for ways to divide the book into sections.

 

In Home and Away, for the first time, we also received many pieces from middle school and elementary school youth, pieces in their exuberance, youthfulness and curiosity all seemed to belong, and we can't wait to see the work they produce as they grow older. 

 

Q: For those who are not familiar, can you describe the PATHfinder and POPS Clubs?

 

A: PATHfinder and POPS Clubs are arts-based support clubs that provide supportive paths for youth whose lives have been affected by incarceration, detention, or deportation.

 

We co-create a community where club members feel comfortable and confident to stay in school and graduate, expand their resilience, conquer challenges, embrace opportunities for healing and self-expression and connect in meaningful ways with their peers, loved ones and their community.

 

Through art, expression, and community, youth pave a trail from hurt and harm to hope and healing. Our Clubs create empowering spaces. Preliminary findings from ongoing evaluation of our clubs illustrate the powerful outcomes that occur when youth feel heard, supported, connected, and empowered. 

 

Since its founding in 2013, each year POPS the Club published a collection of the poetry, stories, essays and artwork that were created by members. These books are healing for families, relished by students from elementary school through college, used in prisons and detention centers as inspiration, and praised by librarians, educators and literary journals.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: We are putting together our 11th book that will be published in May 2026, a volume that, at the moment, revolves around the theme of music, song, movement, though we’re keeping the title mum for now. Stay tuned! 

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: Another project we are proud of is our YouTube video library, Impacts of Incarceration.  This free resource is designed to educate, empower, and create meaningful change by sharing the stories, experiences, wisdom, and resilience of people impacted by incarceration.

 

The Pathfinder Network is proud to present Impacts of Incarceration in collaboration with filmmaker Andy Langdon of Good Pictures and producer and POPS the Club founder Amy Friedman.

 

With this video library, 19 interviewees offer their wisdom and guidance, with the goal of eliminating the shame and stigma connected to mass incarceration.

The library features interviews covering 10 key topics. Interviewees include individuals who grew up with an incarcerated loved one, those who have been incarcerated, and those working with individuals and families impacted by incarceration. It is available, free of charge, to anyone seeking support, connection, guidance, and wisdom.

 

Explore Impacts of Incarceration: Impacts of Incarceration on You Tube

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Amy Friedman and Leticia Longoria-Navarro.