A pebble in the shoe of the Prison Industrial Complex. Notes From The Pen is a modern portrait of American incarceration told, in real time, through a series of fifteen-minute phone calls between people on opposite sides of a prison wall.
The Vegas Studio where mama c works her magic to bring you weekly episodes (shout out to JD for all the help, support, and gifts).
This one-of-a-kind podcast follows the incarceration of Bobby Caldwell-Kim, writer, artist, and general iconoclast, as he navigates a 12 yr. prison sentence in the Michigan Department of Corrections in the hopes of helping others. No other show on the planet offers this level of access to the world of incarceration with the humor, expertise, and unbelievable range covering everything from toxic masculinity, loss of connection to the outside world, what rehabilitation behind bars looks like, to the meaning of the universe, the allure of gang culture, and recovering addicts. The very existence of this show is a monumentally important endeavor, a raw, heartfelt, ridiculous, and unapologetically necessary exercise of our 1st Amendment right.
mama c.
I created the Notes From The Pen podcast (and this website) as a way to document Bobby’s journey behind bars. It’s a series of prison phone calls with childhood friends, family members, former inmates, and new friends found along the way. We have over over two hundred episodes and a community of listeners around the globe. Tune in for conversations about life, prison, mental health, rehabilitation, and everything in between. The prison podcast starts out with Bobby and Jeremy, who were childhood friends that grew up together in South Florida, fell out of touch, then reconnected when Covid-19 hit, and fell out of touch again. One of the pitfalls of prison life; people come and go. Some topics are uncomfortable, some are funny, and others are entertaining…but all of them have a lesson to be learned. Bobby shares everything with us…’warts and all’. Along the way we’ve met some amazing people, some even joined our efforts of giving Bobby a voice by co-hosting on podcasts (like Doug Stanhope, JD, The Captain, and Cousin Greg). We hope by listening you’ll learn things about mass incarceration you didn’t know - I know I’ve learned so much since Bobby was locked up. And hopefully…hopefully you’ll see that many people in prison are worthy of rehabilitation, and a second chance.
NOT SURE WHERE TO START?
Listen to EP #4 Morality In Prison
EP #13 Story Of Incarceration Part 2
EP #19 Early Call Out
EP #21 Annoyingly Positive Bobby
EP #52 Cassius.
EP #157 - Some Men Are Islands
For a quick listen of some of the more heartfelt episodes, here are 3 audio clips from a few of our podcasts.
Bobby found his personal meaning while in prison…to share his journey as a story teller.
There’s nothing wrong with day-dreaming…even in prison. Bobby looks for ways to find something to look forward too while behind bars.
This is an audio clip where mama c talks about her worry that she’s not equipped to help Bobby during some of the hardest times.
Bobby’s been a fan of comedy long before his incarceration. Having the chance to co-host with one of his favorite comedians was a dream come true. In this series the guys talk about everything from Bobby’s prison sentence to Doug’s last road tour. Two guys sharing their love of comedy and their friendship.
Notes From The Pen is available on your favorite podcast platform.
Special shout-out to Doug Stanhope - make sure you check out his website as well. https://www.dougstanhope.com
Special Feature Episodes
Check out our series called
Comic & Convict
Featuring a legendary Stand-up Comic
Notes From The Pen is available on Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/user?u=56777802
The Patreon account not only helps with prison reform, but it also helps offset the financial cost of prison: emails, maintaining this website, and covering the high cost of prison phone calls.
Free (limited) episodes are still available on Apple Podcasts, Breaker, Podbean, Spotify…and just about every other podcast platform by searching for Notes From The Pen.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/notes-from-the-pen-prison/id1518819034
We thank you for taking the time to follow the journey of Bobby’s life behind bars. If you are interested in prison reform please make sure you check out our Prison & Publications page on this website.