True Notebooks: A Writer's Year at Juvenile Hall

In Chapter 10, Mark begins to branch out with respect to his subject matter. The staff mentions that the holidays are a difficult time, and Sister Janet raises the possibility of an arts festival for the students. The writing program has been making strides: Sister Janet relates to Mark that two more writers have agreed to participate as teachers, and they are now seeking non-profit status. Her timing with this good news is significant. As Sister Janet explains, the holidays are a difficult—and dangerous—time at the facility. Because of the inmates' separation from their families, tempers and nerves are on edge. Even a holiday like Halloween, Sister Janet adds, tends to amplify frustration and anger. For the youths, this anger gets taken out on themselves, and each other. Luckily, however, even Halloween decorations are a popular outlet: "They had already covered the windows with construction paper, thrown bedsheets over the bookshelves and tables, and sprayed fake cobwebs everywhere—you had to duck to keep them from getting them in your hair" (106). In class, the boys take turns writing funny, scary, and disturbing stories, and the class ends on a somber note, with the students thinking of whether or not stories and essays should have morals.