. Text by Bob Shell, Copyright 2020 . Jailhouse Nicknames . Almost everyone in prison uses a jailhouse nickname rather than their real name. I’ve known two men called Mouse and one called Groundhog. The first Mouse was a thin little man who claimed he’d been a bouncer at a local strip club. I … Read more
Text by Bob Shell, Copyright 2020 . The 60’s . In the summer of 1966 I moved to Washington, DC, to take a job I’d been offered at the Smithsonian Institution as a biological illustrator. I’d been making detailed paintings and pen and ink drawings of insects, birds, and animals since grade school. I … Read more
Text by Bob Shell, Copyright 2020 . Parole Denied . My legal efforts: Unfortunately, the Virginia Supreme Court declared a state of judicial emergency in March, shutting down all state courts except for emergency hearings and some clerical functions. I have several ongoing court actions, but all are on hold until the courts reopen, … Read more
. Text by Bob Shell, Copyright 2020 . Civil War-Part Two . As I write in September of the end of the second decade of the Twenty-first Century, there is much talk in the media of a second civil war. How this will turn out is anybody’s guess right now, but if the unrest descends … Read more
Text by Dominic Mercier, Copyright 2020 . Fleeing Oppression, Finding Creative Freedom . When Milt Ward arrived in Philadelphia in the late 1930s, he was fleeing the oppressive and segregated south. But what he found in his new home was a welcoming, creative community that would bolster his artistic skills and shape his distinguished … Read more