Marlon Peterson’s Bird Uncaged: An Abolitionist’s Freedom Song (Bold Type Books, 2021) is a poignant look at what it means to transform one’s life by taking accountability. Tracing Peterson’s life from his childhood in Brooklyn to his journey to becoming a writer after 10 years of incarceration, the memoir grapples with the devastating impacts of interpersonal and systemic violence. At its core, the book is one of vulnerability, love, and hope.

PEN America Postgraduate Fellow Emma Stammen talks with Peterson about what inspired him to write, and how his understanding of abolition transcends the physical prison space.