ReEntry Lab

@reentrylab

Building bridges between writers & other artists leaving incarceration and arts & literary communities ready to receive them. Based in Minneapolis & St. Paul, Minnesota.

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Bluesky

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ReEntry Lab@reentrylab· 2d

Khary Jackson (he/they/any) is a writer, dancer and musician. Khary has been a recipient of generous grants, including the 2019 Jerome Artist Fellowship and 2022 McKnight Fellowship in Writing. In 2020/21 Khary co-composed a MNiatures commission with MN Opera. 1/5

Photograph of Khary Jackson, a Black man with medium-dark skin. In this photo, he's wearing narrow glasses, a mustache and short beard along chin and jawline, and a black jacket; his hair is pulled back out of focus and he's looking at the camera with a neutral expression.

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Flyer with text reading: “Better Things - a 5x5 reading for social change - the reading everybody will be talking about the next day. Moon Palace Books, 3032 Minnehaha Avenue, September 1st, 2026, 7 pm.” Small photos of each of five readers, labeled by name: Joel Hernandez, Hawti, Moncies Franco, Beau Rara, and Khary Jackson.

ReEntry Lab@reentrylab· 4d

Beau RaRa (they/them) is a poet hailing from the land of ten thousand lakes. They are a post-conviction lawyer and circle keeper by day and moonlight as an aerialist teaching at Phoenix Flight Studio in Minneapolis. Beau believes that relationship is the locus of transformative change. … 1/6

Photograph of Beau RaRa, a nonbinary person with light brown skin and medium-short auburn hair. In this photo, they are wearing a necklace, a patterned blue sleeveless shirt, and a distant smile.

ReEntry Lab@reentrylab· 6d

Moncies Franco (he/him) is a change agent with a passion for community transformation. As a 3rd generation incarcerated adult, and a person living with a chronic illness; he has overcome the associated stigma and shame tied to those experiences to champion healthcare accessibility… 1/5

Photograph of Moncies Franco, a Latino man with light brown skin. In this photo, he's wearing a tightly trimmed mustache and chin beard, short black hair with shaved sides, and a light blue button-down shirt, and he's gazing at something off-camera.

ReEntry Lab@reentrylab· 8d

@minnesotaj.bsky.social is a poet and book artist in Minneapolis, MN. He is the author of 'Baghdad Express: A Gulf War Memoir' (Borealis/Penguin) and 'war | machine' (Nine Chains Press) and his work has appeared in GQ, Granta, NYT Magazine, Rain Taxi, VQR, and other journals. 1/5

Photograph of Joel Hernandez, a middle-aged Latino man. In this photo, he's wearing glasses, a few days' growth of facial hair, short curly hair, and a brown jacket over a patterned blue-and-white button-down shirt. He has pale skin and is smiling.

ReEntry Lab@reentrylab· Jun 24

Joe Davis (he/him) is an award-winning spoken word artist and bestselling author who uses poetry to power possibility. He is the founding director of Finding Your Freedom Practice, a wellness ecosystem teaching body-centered practices through spoken word, writing, music, theater, film, … 1/7

Photograph of Joe Davis, a Black man with medium brown skin and black hair. In this photo, he's wearing a hat, a beard and mustache, and all-black clothes, including a T-shirt which says, "I just wanna make dope art and love my people."

ReEntry Lab@reentrylab· Jun 22

Desdamona (she/her) is an internationally known Spoken Word & Hip Hop artist who has traveled the US & abroad delivering her seamless mixture of Spoken Word, Hip Hop lyricism and melody to the stage for a dynamic & engaging performance. When she's not on stage… 1/8

Photograph of Desdamona, a middle-aged white woman with very long wavy brown hair. In this photo, she's on stage singing into a microphone and wearing a black top and a bracelet; behind her, a blurred background including another singer.

ReEntry Lab@reentrylab· Jun 20

Tony Burgess (he/him) was a long-standing member of MPWW during 25-plus consecutive years of incarceration, and is a plumber by trade with a BA in Communication Studies and minors in Sociology and Business Management. … 1/6

Photograph of Tony Burgess, a white man with tanned skin. In this photo, he's got very short black-tending-to-silver hair, shaved on the sides, with a mustache and small goatee; he's wearing a dark blue jacket and stands in front of a window of words.

ReEntry Lab@reentrylab· Jun 18

folaṣade (they/she) (b. 1992) is a blackqueer neuro/quirky poet, curator, and organizer concerned with the immediate survival and ongoing liberation of people of the global majority. intuitively guided by her ancestors, folaṣade nurtures a reverence for indigeneity and the erotic… 1/8

Photograph of folaṣade, a Black person with medium-dark skin. In this photo, they are wearing a lavender sweatshirt, thin necklace, large-framed glasses, and their hair up in a topknot. She has a satisfied smile and is in a room with books and art.

ReEntry Lab@reentrylab· Jun 16

Nen G Ramirez (they/he) is a nonbinary Chicanx writer from Adrian, Michigan. They are the author of All Women Are Born Wailing (Black Lawrence Press, 2023), which was awarded the 2022 Acentos Book Prize. Ramirez received their MFA in poetry… 1/6

Photograph of Nen G Ramirez, a Chicanx person with light skin and black hair with green splashes. In this photo, they are sitting in a park; their face has multiple piercings and their eyelashes are enormous.

ReEntry Lab@reentrylab· Jun 3

Please join us on Tuesday, July 7th, at 7:00pm, at @moonpalacebooks.bsky.social, for our next 5×5 Reading, featuring five fantastic artists: Nen G Ramirez, folaṣade, Tony Burgess, Desdamona, and Joe Davis. For more info, see reentrylab.org/better-things/

ReEntry Lab@reentrylab· May 20

Eemanna (she/her) is a Minneapolis born and based multidisciplinary artist and community organizer. A singer song-writer and rapper spanning across genres of hip hop, alternative and soul, Eemanna is also a ceramicist and podcast producer. … 1/2

Photograph of Eemanna, a young Black woman with medium-dark brown skin. In this photo she's wearing a matched pair of stretch pants and bandeau with orange and black patterning, large hoop earrings, a nostril ring, and short natural hair.

ReEntry Lab@reentrylab· May 18

Adrien Wright (they/them) is a poet, performer, and costume designer who lives and works in Minneapolis. Their poems have appeared in the Midway Journal and Selfish Magazine, as well as on stages at the Midwest Poetry Mash-Up, the NorthBEAST Regional Poetry Slam, … 1/2

Photograph of Adrien Wright, a nonbinary white person with dark brown hair. In this photo, they are wearing blue striped overalls and a red/white and blue/white striped shirt, a safety-pin necklace, and mid-length curly hair with two long pigtails. They're somewhere outside, with a rock formation in the background.

ReEntry Lab@reentrylab· May 16

Willard Malebear Jr. (he/him) is an artist, community organizer, and creative wellness advocate based in Minneapolis. He is the founder and executive chairman of Art Shelf, a nonprofit that operates like a food shelf for art supplies, providing free creative materials, … 1/3

ReEntry Lab@reentrylab· May 14

Antonio Duke (he/him) is a Twin Cities based actor and playwright. He is the program director of The Ifẹ̀ (Ee-fay) Lab which is a fellowship highlighting black solo performing artists. The fellowship combines film and live performances culminating… 1/6

Photograph of Antonio Duke, a young Black man with medium-dark brown skin. In this photo, he's wearing short freshly trimmed hair, a trim goatee and mustache, and a long-sleeve black shirt. He's seated and smiling.

ReEntry Lab@reentrylab· May 12

mk zariel (it/its + masc terms) is a transmasculine neuroqueer theater artist, Best Of The Net and Monarch Award nominated poet, movement journalist, and BashBack aligned anarchist. it is fueled by folk-punk, Emma Goldman, and existential dread. … 1/3

ReEntry Lab@reentrylab· Apr 22

Sabrin Nur (they/them) is an artist based in Minneapolis since 2014, currently serving in their second year of AmeriCorps national service, coaching and mentoring high school students on their postsecondary plans. Nur’s artistic practice weaves through many mediums, and they have worked… 1/6

Photograph of Sabrin Nur, a young Black person with dark skin and short black hair. In this photo, they have a wide smile and are wearing pearl necklaces and earrings and a purple garment with a purple head covering and a striped cloth over their left shoulder. Behind them are what look like blue stars on a black background, with a constellation tracing barely visible.

Text slide bearing words "For more: follow @reentrylab. better-things.org. reentrylab.org" and logos for the Minnesota State Arts Board, Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, and the Clean Water, Land & Legacy Amendment.

ReEntry Lab@reentrylab· Apr 20

Armand McCoy (they/them), from Saint Paul, Minnesota, is a multidisciplinary artist whose passions intersect Holistic Healing, Black Liberation, and Environmental Justice. They have been studying healing modalities from all over the world, with a current focus on… 1/10

Photograph of Armand McCoy, a young Black man with medium-brown skin, short hair, and a short beard and mustache. In this photo he's wearing a light tan coat over a white T-shirt, a bandanna around his forehead, a ring on his middle finger, and a necklace. He's sitting in a vehicle and has a neutral expression.

ReEntry Lab@reentrylab· Apr 18

Andre Anderson (he/him) is a justice‑impacted educator, writer, and graduate student whose work explores belonging, reentry, and the power of narrative to reshape public understanding. He serves as a Graduate Assistant in Metro State University’s Office of Equity and Inclusion, … 1/6

Photograph of Andre Anderson, a white man with dark brown hair. In this photo he is wearing a wide smile, short hair, a short beard and mustache with sprinkles of gray, and a black T-shirt. He stands, arms slightly akimbo, in front of a blurred background.

ReEntry Lab@reentrylab· Apr 16

Sana Wazwaz (she/her) is a Palestinian American writer and theater artist. Her work appears in Black Warrior Review, Water~Stone Review, Hayden's Ferry Review, The Ghassan Kanafani Anthology, Overtly Lit, and has been featured at the Colorado College Fine Arts Center’s Muslim Futurism exhibit…. 1/7

Photograph of Sana Wazwaz, a young Palestinian American woman with light brown skin. In this photo, she is wearing a purple hijab and a white top, smiling at the camera against a gray background.

ReEntry Lab@reentrylab· Apr 14

Jennifer Marysia Landretti (she/her) writes poetry and essays. Her themes are nature, place, and spirit—and in recent years, gender, which has served as a vector to explore the former three. Over the years her work has appeared in various literary publications, most regularly Orion magazine…

Photograph of Jennifer Landretti, a white woman with medium-short graying brown hair. In this photo, she's wearing a blue sleeveless top, a blue gaiter around her neck, and dark sunglasses, and is standing in dunes behind an ocean shore.

ReEntry Lab@reentrylab· Apr 7

Come join us *tonight* at Better Things - 7pm - @moonpalacebooks.bsky.social—we'd love to see you there! Featuring Sagirah Shahid, Suzanne Locke, Isavela Lopez, Ben Westlie, and Nick Metcalf. ASL interpretation; masks required at Moon Palace Books & available on-site. There Will Be Snacks 😁

ReEntry Lab@reentrylab· Mar 25

Nick Metcalf (they/them) is Sicangu Oyate – Burnt Thigh People – Rosebud Sioux Tribe. Nick has lived in the Twin Cities for 30 years where they’ve made a life filled with lots of friends, family, and community. Nick is a proud Parent and Grandparent…. (1/6)

Photograph of Nick Metcalf, a two-spirit American Indian. In this photo, they are wearing a striped collared shirt over a t-shirt and standing in front of a microphone with one hand raised.

ReEntry Lab@reentrylab· Mar 23

Ben Westlie (he/him) is the author of Run From Your Now, a Minnesota Book Award Finalist in Poetry 2025. His poetry has appeared in DASH, The Fourth River, MUSE, Superpresent, ArLiJo, Atlas and Alice and The Talking Stick. 1/6

Photograph of Ben Westlie, a young white man with dark blond hair. In this photo, he wears short hair, a short scruff of beard and mustache, a wide smile, and a crimson velour T-shirt. He's standing, arms crossed, in front of an out-of-focus grassy field.

ReEntry Lab@reentrylab· Mar 21

Isavela Lopez (she/her) is a multidisciplinary Indigenous artist, storyteller, and activist of Zapotec heritage from Oaxaca, Mexico. Based in the Twin Cities, she brings together her gifts in spoken word, writing, dance, and film to illuminate issues of cultural resilience, climate justice,… 1/9

Photograph of Isavela Lopez, a Latina woman with light brown skin and very dark hair. In this photo, she's wearing a white top with puffy sleeves, two necklaces, hand-crafted pendant earrings, a nose ring, and long wavy hair pulled to the back and side.

ReEntry Lab@reentrylab· Mar 19

Suzanne Locke (she/her) is a writer, mother, grandmother, and a huge advocate for Raising Sisters, a support group for people previously incarcerated in the Shakopee facility. Originally from Bemidji, she now lives in Roseville, … 1/6

Photograph of Suzanne Locke, a white woman with long blond hair. In this photo she's wearing a black coat over a fuchsia top, two necklaces, a nose stud, and glasses propped on top of her head. She's got a wide smile and freckles.

ReEntry Lab@reentrylab· Mar 18

Sagirah Shahid (she/her) is a pushcart prize nominated Black Muslim poet and performance artist from Minneapolis, MN. Her poetry and prose have been published in Mizna, Winter Tangerine, Prose Online, KHÔRA, Puerto Del Sol, Juked, Paranoid Tree, Parhelion, … 1/6

Photograph of Sagirah Shahid, a Black woman with light brown skin. In this photo, her hair is pulled back into a low bun; she's wearing thin gold framed glasses, a tan sweater over olive shirt, a gold necklace, and a skeptical expression. Behind her on the wall, a framed print with Arabic writing and an English phrase, "IT MATTERS WHERE YOU START - A NARRATIVE."

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ReEntry Lab@reentrylab· Feb 18

Raised in Saint Paul, Minnesota’s historic Rondo neighborhood, Lt. Sunnie (she/her) is a powerhouse in the Midwest music scene with over a decade of experience. She has headlined major events across the region, delivered charged up halftime show performances, completed a milestone 10-stop tour, 1/9

Photograph of Lt. Sunnie, a Black woman with medium brown skin and very long braided hair descending from both sides. In this photo she's wearing a leather-look top over white collared shirt, silver necklace, large earrings, and a huge smile.

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ReEntry Lab@reentrylab· Feb 16

Lester Batiste (he/him) is a savage writer in living color who writes for political, social, economic change and Black futures. Born in Chicago, IL, he holds an MFA from the University of Southern Maine's Stonecoast writing program, and an M.S.Ed. from the University of Pennsylvania. 1/8

Photograph of Lester Batiste, a Black man with dark skin, very short hair, and a trim beard and mustache. In this picture he's wearing a tan suit with pocket square, white shirt, gold watch, stud earrings, and two rings, and he's got a serious expression as he looks into the camera.

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ReEntry Lab@reentrylab· Feb 14

Cecily McMillan (all pronouns) is a social justice organizer, political consultant, and published author. After enduring a Kafkaesque trial following her arrest at Occupy Wall Street in 2012, she served 58 days at Rikers Island. Since their release, McMillan has become… 1/8

Photograph of Cecily McMillan, a Latine person with light skin and dark brown hair. In this picture she's wearing a sweater vest, earrings and red lipstick, and shows her teeth in not quite a smile.

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ReEntry Lab@reentrylab· Feb 12

Ashembaga (Ashe) Jaafaru (ashe or she/her) is an actor + dancer + writer + producer + director who creates art for liberation of the mind, body and SPIRIT. As the founder of Little Creatures, she will continue to write + produce imaginative stories. Upcoming productions include… 1/5