Laughter Yoga in Prison

Posted on August 2, 2015 by William Mongelli

(IN WHICH we re-discover that starting a new physical activity in the middle of New England Summer is not the brightest of ideas, and have reinforced for Posterity the time-honored human truism that A Little Bribe Never Hurts….)

We did our first laughter yoga session on Tuesday, July 21st. With surprise and relief, I must admit that it went far better than I had anticipated. Well, telling them ahead of time that we’d only be doing it for half the night and then they could go served to brighten their spirits. It was kind of a bribe.

Plus, it was oppressively hot and disconcertingly muggy. There’s no A/C in this library, only windows on the west side of the room (with no hope of a cross-breeze), and a wall-mounted fan that at present doesn’t work. We brought out several table fans from the back office, but like that’s gonna help when you’re jumping around laughing and clapping and spinning and hopping in 90-degree heat & 100% humidity, with the sun streaming in aggressively through giant panes of glass at precisely that hour of the day?

I am NOT whining; I am simply reporting.

The laughter yoga leader training manual talks about certain personality types you’re apt to find in your session. One of these is called the Laughter Blaster, the person with the loudest, goofiest, most contagious laugh. Well, we had one, a lifer who’s a huge fantasy buffoon. He really must have needed to laugh. I’ve attended laughter yoga sessions in public, and have never seen this kind of naked “let’s DO this!” enthusiasm for the concept. He was champing at the bit (everyone thinks it’s ‘chomping,’ but everyone is wrong. It’s ‘champing’) to perform the silliest exercises suggested in the manual. And I am using the term ‘perform’ accurately.

At one point I read to myself the title of one, the “Kangaroo Dance” and said “We have no hope of doing that one.” This guy says “What?” as if throwing down the gauntlet to the Cosmos. So I read the exercise description to them. And the guy starts hopping all over the room and laughing his fool head off. He hopped so hard, his pants fell down. I did not need to see that. Everyone was laughing at his pants.

Before this hot, muggy night was through, we had hopped, shouted, giggled, clapped, stretched, laughed silently, and pretended we were airplanes buzzing around the room with our arms out & laughing at each other. We were exhausted.

Laughter is work. The Puritans banned it on the Sabbath [citation needed]. And they knew a thing or two about stomping out the natural joy God wired us for, you betcha! [common knowledge]

Them and those Calvinists. I think those Calvinists used to pillory people who were found smiling on the Sabbath. John Calvin, a real barrel of laughs. What got his knickers in a knot? There’s someone who needed therapeutic laughter!

I hope he’s in Purgatory now, being shown South Park: Bigger, Longer, & Uncut on an eternal tape loop with his eyes pried open like Malcolm McDowell in A Clockwork Orange.

After the Money’s Gone

Posted on July 10, 2015 by William Mongelli

(In which we are reminded that All Things Must Pass which, strangely enough, even includes library grant money from the United States government….)

THIRTEEN DAYS AGO, or one day before the grant spending was officially history, I got the OK to spend the remainder of the grant money. This money represented DVDs & Blu-Ray purchase requests that AEP couldn’t fill by the June 30th deadline. Having said that: if you don’t currently deal with AEP, you must. Phenomenal fill rate, people who specialize in government sales, and what they

THESE PEOPLE ARE NOT INEPT. THEY ARE OUTRAGEOUSLY EPT.

don’t have they drop ship. Embarrassingly, until this grant experience I never knew what ‘drop ship’ meant. Someone in our Fiscal office (who’s probably still laughing) schooled me, so now I’m in the know.

Advanced Educational Products – GSA

See this structure? Isn’t it magnificent? If only it was ours. Our location is ugly. But the people working at our ugly location are personable, competent book-people, and you can’t ask for anything more than that. Wait–yes you CAN! Earlier in the

year they also provided lunch on the house, as a thank-you for spending two thousand dollars. Proving yet again that it’s what inside that counts. This time, our paltry $281 netted us a paltry 19 titles. Nineteen. What is our world coming to? You kids and your Nooks.

No books on humor-as-therapy were found this time, but among the titles purchased were (3) Bill Watterson Calvin & Hobbes remainders that are probably already stolen as you read these words. Cartoon collections are hard to keep. I buy them anyway, in the psychotic belief that soon prison culture will undergo an inexplicable sea-change where inmates who normally steal this stuff begin to return them on or before the stamped due date. We each of us have our self-delusions.

On Friday, we received the titles (all of them, it should be gratefully noted) from the Property Department. The cataloger/classifier classified & cataloged them before he left at

DIGITAL LIBRARY MANAGEMENT, RETRO-STYLE! HEY--FOR A NEW ENGLAND PRISON, THIS IS ACTUALLY HIP.

DLM, CIRCA 1999. WE’VE USED THIS FOR SO LONG, IT’S RETRO.

3:30 to begin his weekend. The circulation clerk created records for them in Circulation Plus. The bookbinder covered hardcover dust jackets with Mylar. Then the ILL clerk–who usually launches himself out of the building the moment “Movement!” is called but was still hanging around–took it upon himself to shelve them.

And so, the money’s gone. This is what we have to show for it:

Some pedagogic technology
Humor-as-Therapy media to feed it
Two program texts (Healing Power of Humor by Allen Klein & HA! The Science of When We Laugh & Why by Scott Weems) @13 copies each
Laughter Yoga Leader training and certification
A 111-title comedian biography section
A 79-title humor-as-therapy section
55 new books for the Humor section

And class content for a 12-week course on humorous techniques to apply when you’re feeling stressed out and even when you’re feeling calm. This Tuesday’s Week Seven topic is ‘Humor, Laughter, and Its Uses in the Correctional Environment.”

“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”

Posted on July 5, 2015 by William Mongelli

When the Department of Correction must decide where to place a prison, most citizens have the NIMBY attitude. Fred McFeely Rogers–“Mr. Rogers” to you and me–thought of the children, no matter whose children they were.

In the 1970’s, Fred Rogers was instrumental in changing how the State Correctional Institution-Pittsburgh approached the nurturing of the children of inmates.

Mr. Rogers and The Children of Prisoners

I took my internship in prison library management at this prison in 1985-86. I remember the resentment of some SCI-P staff over this change that Fred Rogers was able to effect. Some employees felt that, for the sake of the victims, the children of inmates should suffer along with the inmate. I doubt these folks considered that the children of inmates were suffering.

Fred Rogers did.

Even now, 30 years later, some staff still feel that, for the sake of the victims of violent crimes, nothing should be done for the inmate, let alone for their children. Obviously, inroads have been made, and corrections has come a long way. But crime is emotional.

Because he lived & recorded his program in my hometown, I grew up watching and listening to Mr. Rogers, never suspecting that our paths would cross– however indirectly–in a prison.

Fred Rogers. March 20, 1928-February 27, 2003.

Considering what the man accomplished, Fred was a force of nature. The wonder of it is that he’d never agree with that statement. What he wanted was for those of us listening to realize that we are all of us remarkable, and to live caring, compassionate lives for those who need us. Fred knew that the kids need us.

Below is a link to an ordinary video, ordinary to all but those who grew up watching the show. If you watched Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, Fred’s words will challenge you, convict you, encourage you, and move you. If you didn’t grow up in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, this will show you the man (with heartfelt thanks to SJSU instructor & friend, Raymond Dean).

“I’m so grateful to you for helping the children in your life”

“Auntie Em! Auntie Em! It’s Twister™!”

Posted on July 4, 2015 by William Mongelli

“Sheep are very dim; once they get an idea in their heads, there’s no shiftin’ it.” — Monty Python’s Flying Circus, “Flying Sheep” skit.

My poor interlibrary loan clerk. This was the man who, one solar day before the humor-as-therapy program begins, comes to my office:

HE: “Sign me up for that thing you’re doin.’ Whaddaya call it? ‘Happy Time’?”

“‘Happy Time’? It’s ‘Skill-Building Techniques for Stress Reduction.’ How’d you get ‘Happy Time’ out of that?”

“I couldn’t remember all that. All I know is we’re supposed to laugh a lot.”

So I sign him up for ‘Happy Time,’ so he can laugh a lot.

A few weeks into our program, I ask this same ILL clerk if he’s completed his ‘Observing Your Personal Humor Style’ assignment for the week. This assignment asks inmates to be aware of countervailing humor types (constructive & destructive) while watching TV, listening to the radio, hearing funny comments or observing practical jokes in the Unit or the Yard, as well as funny things they say, do, or think. They are to keep a tally of each time they witness or participate in either constructive or destructive humor.

“I’m still doing it. I hear a lot of negative humor all around me is what I’m learning. There’s so much, I’ll have to use another page!”

“Just write in the space, ‘Too many to list.'”

“Oh! We can do that?”

“That’s what I’M doing. Especially with my thought life. Lots of destructive humor swirling around in there.”

“OK, good, thank you. That makes it a lot easier.”

“So, how’re you enjoying the course so far?”

“I like it! I like when you showed the cartoons. I laughed at almost every one of those.”

“Happy Time.”

“You’re not gonna let me forget that, thanks! I like that you can laugh and learn new stuff at the same time. Just don’t expect me to do Twister™. I was talkin’ with some of the guys. They’re gonna push back on that one.”

It is here that we must pause our narrative, and interject some much-needed-or-the-rest-of-this-won’t-stand-a-chance-of-making-the-slightest-bit-of-sense back story.

In the previous class I mention that, when we finally do a Laughter Yoga session, we’ll need to remove the tables & chairs to make space for laughter exercises. I also mention that, when I participated in a laughter yoga session at Walpole Pubic Library, at the end of it all we lay on mats and practice deep, relaxing breaths as a cool-down from all the belly laughter. But In this man’s twisted mind, upon hearing the word mats and then the word exercises his thoughts twist to Twister™.

ME: “Twister™? What the hell are you talking about?”

HE: “You said we had to play Twister™.”

“Never. Mother of God!”

“You told us last class.”

“Look, I created this program. Like I’m gonna have adult male prisoners playing Twister™ with each other.”

“Everyone else think so, too. They think you’re gonna make us play Twister™.”

“If they think that, it’s because of you!”

This past Friday, I mention to my course assistant that the ILL clerk refuses to understand that I never referred to, joked about, or even thought of Twister,™ “The Game That Ties You Up In Knots,” by Milton Bradley.

ME: “He’ll go to his grave believing that!”

ASSISTANT: “He’s a bug.” (Usage note: In New England, “He’s a bug” means “He is certifiably and dangerously insane”).

“He’s also the one who keeps advocating for us to screen The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Hey, at least that has a twister in it.”<laughs> “THAT’S what he’s up to! He’s talking about twisters to make you show the film! Whadda they call that? Subliminal! He’s manipulating you!”

Nah. He’s just a bug.

BTW — Here in New England, they call it ‘Twist-ah.’ Of course they do.

They also raise children, some of whom end up in jail believing that their Librarian could even conceive of seeking written approval to supervise games of Twist-ah™ in an adult-male prison.

Humor-as-Therapy, indeed.

The Wonderful Home Brew of Oz

Posted on July 3, 2015 by William Mongelli

(in which it is driven home that word choice matters, even when discussing American cultural archetypes….)

Today with my course assistant, talk turns to our next humor-as-therapy class. Last class meeting, our group decides in a future class to watch The Wizard of Oz as an object lesson for identifying instances of destructive & constructive humor. I mention that, from a selection of 30 DVDs purchased for the program, their choice of this particular film surprises me.

“Bill, you can only see it on cable. THAT’S why they wanna see it.”

“Yeah, but it was weird. That was the first film I mentioned, and I suggested it as a joke, really. But then every hand went up.”

“They miss it.”

Talk then turns to the performance of Judy Garland. My assistant mentions that MGM originally wanted Shirley Temple for the role of Dorothy Gale. I said that, as an old man, I now respond to her character from the point-of-view of a protective father.

“FYI — I won’t be able to see this film without tearing up.”

“Bill, I tear up at almost everything now. TV, books, movies, don’t matter. I’m a big lush.”

<pause> “So, you’re a drunkard now? Since when?”

“What?”

“That’s what ‘lush’ means. You’re a drunk.”

<laughs> ” Oh! I thought it meant you cry easily!”

“What you mean to say is ‘I’m a wuss.’ ”

“OK–”

“–who likes drinking to excess.”

<laughs> “Yeah! I’m just a big lush!”

“I’m telling!”

“You probably will!”

Pruno. Hooch. Home Brew. And the score of other jailhouse nicknames for sugared fruit left out on the window sill to ferment into alcohol. I doubt anyone’ll be drunk while OZ is playing. Not even the ‘big lush,” who’ll be too busy crying.

But I’m waiting for someone to suggest we synch the film to Dark Side of the Moon.

How would you write the Authorization to Enter form?

“ITEM TO BE BROUGHT IN: Pink Floyd CD to use as soundtrack to Wizard of Oz.” They’d call a Code 99 & truck me away.

Unless they’re fans of the Trailer Park Boys.

Dark Side of Oz | “In Popular Culture”

You Get What You Need

Posted on July 2, 2015 by William Mongelli

Today, I receive a PDF file in my work email containing a letter to an inmate in response to his complaint that more typewriters should be placed in the population law library. Now this may come as a shock, but I do not believe that this is a very professional way of communicating a change in service with your professional librarian. Because I believe this, I am furious. Dismissing the letter-writing impulse to the Superintendent, I feel that the direct way is best, and decide on the day following to call his secretary to make an appointment to meet & discuss this.

Next afternoon, while walking through our staff parking lot toward the front door–a walk of about 100 yards–it occurs to me that my input was in fact solicited by my boss. Not only was it solicited, it had been mentioned more than once over the past two months. It took a while for this to surface, because of the casual way in which these conversations were held, almost as an afterthought. So it isn’t that the Librarian’s input was not sought; it was that a decision was made that did not jibe with the Librarian’s input.

So I have that to stew over.

But that’s much easier to deal with than having not been asked in the first place. In this case, Administration does the professional thing and asks the front-line employee for input before weighing the alternatives.

Do I think that their decision caves in to the demands of a few loud-mouths? Of course I do. But you can’t always get what you want. You can’t always get what you want. You can’t always get what you want. But if you try sometime, you just might find — you get what you need.

I need some sleep.

“Not to kiss his a$$, but this is a good class!” OR, LOCAL HOOD MAKES GOOD

Posted on March 21, 2013 by William Mongelli

ABLE MINDS meets each Wednesday night for two hours in the Lending Library. Right now we have eight participants, including my course assistant. This is the advanced class, where we delve into the components of good human character. we’re using The Hobbit. Tonight marked the 2nd of eight planned classes for the cycle.

All students demonstrated the depth of their knowledge regarding the novel. To be sure, The Hobbit was written for children, but participation of this kind you do not take for granted in the Pokey. An engaged classroom is something to be thankful for. The Moderator (Yours Truly) did not dominate the conversation, as everyone had something tangible and pertinent to contribute. That’s the way ABLE MINDS is supposed to work. I don’t need to lecture; I need to introduce concepts, see where they take them, and then challenge them to come up with alternatives if opinions begin to stray in the antisocial realm.

Many of the men contributed personal anecdotes about explaining the course to family members, both face-to-face in the visiting room and over the phone. One student’s ex-girlfriend was surprised to hear that he was reading the novel, a book that she happens to know well, So now they have a common conversational thread. Another student said his sister was shocked to discover that he was reading the novel, as she has been coaxing him to read both it and Lord of the Rings (LOTR) for several years.

The men were honest and sincere. One guy held up the novel and said, “I can’t relate the story to the life I’m leading.” But then he held up his THINK FIRST handout and said, “But I can ride with this. This is gonna help me live in here.” (At break time, my assistant discovers that this man had difficulty reading in English, and is ashamed to admit it. I’ll discuss this with him later on).

From the PowerPoint lecture, the concepts of friendship, duty, and honor drew nearly an hours’ worth of reflection. We identified plot points in the novel where examples of these take place, and then attempted to relate these to our American culture generally and then to specific prison culture.

One individual was called out of the classroom by an Officer, and was told to bring his coat and books with him. It looked like he was done for the night. But he returned, and explained that he had the choice of remaining in the Unit but chose to come back to class because “I have an anger issue, and I think this class can give me a better way of thinking.”

Several times during the evening, I’d made correlations between The Hobbit and LOTR. Finally, one man said enthusiastically, “Why don’t we do that book next?” which elicited some laughter from my course assistant. I explained that we’d been using LOTR in ABLE MINDS since April 2007, and just discontinued it in favor of The Hobbit. Feigning frustration, I said “Where have BEEN for the past five years?!” He said “Here!” which elicited general laughter.

Toward evening’s end, our discussion turned to emotions. I ventured the notion that once someone recognizes an emotional problem within himself, he must next recognize an inescapable truth about that problem, which is — It Will Never Go Away. The best that we human beings can do is work at it and hope that it gets better. A student said “And will it? Does it ever get better?”

I said that this question is probably one of the most useful questions that can be asked in a consequential thinking seminar. I asked the class to contemplate the adage, “While there’s life, there’s hope.” We’ve assembled in a course that offers troubled people encouragement and a problem-solving method to try. Like the reformed alcoholic, the problem remains but we are its master. We try. We fail. We try again. We succeed. It begins to get easier. Nothing we can ever do can make the problem vanish. But we can learn to manage it. And managing it is good enough. Knowing we have the control to make it better is enough of a self-esteem boost to get up out of bed and face each other. We give ourselves the confidence we need to face our burdens every hour of every day.

It’s a good group of men. They listen, they ask questions, and they give those answers consideration. That’s all any teacher can hope for from the classroom dynamic.

JAILFIRE

A passion for prison libraries

Tag Archives: Socialization