A PLACE TO STAND

A P LACE TO STAND
Transformation through the Written Word
INVITATION
You are invited to join for a presentation about A Place to Stand, the new
documentary about the life of Jimmy Santiago Baca. The film tells the story
of Baca’s dramatic transformation in prison from an illiterate, violent drug
dealer to a beloved, world-renowned poet and teacher. Jimmy‘s story has
impacted the lives of hundreds of thousands of people through his films,
fiction, published poetry and a memoir, A Place to Stand.
With the film complete, we are moving into action to spread this message of
hope and possibility to at-risk-youth, prison populations, and people in need
of inspiration to turn towards greater levels of literacy and personal maturity.
Please join us for an evening to celebrate the film’s completion and to learn
how you can help us carry this project forward.
DETAILS ABOUT THE FILM
— Jimmy Santiago Baca, Subject of the Film
Jimmy Santiago Baca is the winner of the American Book Award, the National Poetry Award and the Pushcart Prize, among many others. Born in New
Mexico of Indio-Mexican descent, Jimmy was first raised by his grandmother
and later sent to an orphanage. A runaway at age 13, Baca was homeless and
illiterate, dealing drugs to survive, until he was sentenced to five years in a
maximum-security prison. In prison he learned to read and write, unearthing an unexpected and voracious passion for poetry. Baca has devoted his
post-prison life to writing and teaching others who are overcoming hardship.
His primary literary themes include American Southwest barrios, addiction,
injustice, education, community, and love. He has conducted hundreds of
writing workshops at universities, community centers, libraries, and prisons
throughout the country. He travels regularly to meet the ever-growing
demands for speaking engagements and poetry readings.
In addition to his memoir, Jimmy has 18 published books of poetry, a novel,
a collection of short stories, a book of essays, several screenplays, and a
best-selling teacher’s guide/DVD on working with at-risk youth.
THE DIRECTOR
Award-winning filmmaker Daniel Glick leads the project for A Place to
Stand. Since 2004, he has worked in broadcast television, film and commercial video. Glick has screened films at international festivals from New York
to Greece and Malaysia, featuring a range of documentaries, narrative shorts
and feature films.
PURPOSE OF THE FILM
The primary purpose of the film is to inspire the possibility of individual
transformation and growth regardless of circumstance. Jimmy‘s background
was a canvas of pain, sadness, anger, and fear, which defined much of his
early life. It was his willingness to face his demons through writing that freed
him from this tragic past and opened the door to a new and positive future.
The fact that he did so while held in one of the most violent and dangerous
prisons in America underscores the scope and potency of his journey. In
witnessing Jimmy‘s dramatic turn-around we will plant the seeds of hope that
personal transformation is possible even behind bars.
The second purpose of the film will be to demonstrate the importance of
education and the power it holds to change lives. The United States is plagued by the world’s highest incarceration rates, which are only rising. At the
same time our educational system is falling farther and farther behind. We
are not providing the necessary education and nurturing for our children, but
rather choosing to focus on punitive solutions and the ensuing dysfunction.
A Place to Stand directly addresses the connection between these two trends
and demonstrates how the simple act of reading and writing can reduce
street and prison violence, decrease recidivism, and help a person confront
trauma, abuse and addiction. Jimmy, himself being a product of family dysfunction, homelessness, drug abuse, institutionalization and incarceration,
speaks directly to those disaffected segments of society who still languish in
their illiteracy and sense of inadequacy.
Latinos, for example, are one such group. They are the fastest growing ethnic
group in the United States, yet they receive little focus in American schooling; many Latinos in America are illiterate or read below grade-level. Jimmy,
a proud Chicano, is a role model for children as well as for adults. He has
not only made a life for himself out of grim circumstances, but he is also
one who can convey, in a familiar context, the importance that literacy and
education played in his success.
In short, Jimmy embodies the hope for a positive future, not just for Latinos in America, but for all Americans. This film will make him accessible to
many who would have never encountered his story or his accomplishments
otherwise.
HOW TO HELP
A Place to Stand requires additional funding to hire an outreach coordinator
and for marketing of the film and business administration costs.
Grants and tax-deductible donations are accepted through our non-profit
501c3 fiscal sponsor, the Center of Southwest Culture. Also welcome are
leads to grants, donors, distributors and any people or organizations that
might be interested in screening the film and using it to help others or serve
their work.