In this Rattling the Cages panel talk, Eric King speaks with Vic Liu and James Kilgore, creators of the new book The Warehouse: A Visual Primer on Mass Incarceration. Both The Warehouse and Rattling the Cages help readers see the impact of incarceration, visualizing the pain, loss, hope, and resilience of those locked inside and their families on the outside. What roles do art and literature play in the movement for abolition?

Recently published by AK Press, Rattling the Cages: Oral Histories of North American Political Prisoners is a project of abolitionist Josh Davidson and Eric King. The book is filled with the experience and wisdom of over thirty current and former North American political prisoners. It provides first-hand details of prison life and the political commitments that continue to lead prisoners into direct confrontation with state authorities and institutions.

If you missed the previous panel discussions you can watch the recordings here.

Eric King (he/him) is a father, poet, author, and activist. Last December, he was released from the supermax ADX prison after spending nearly ten years as a political prisoner for an act of protest over the police murder of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. He was held in solitary confinement for years and was met with violence by guards throughout his incarceration. Eric has published three zines: Battle Tested (2015), Antifa in Prison (2019), and Pacing in My Cell (2019). His sentencing statement is included in the book Defiance: Anarchist Statements Before Judge and Jury (2019). Eric now works as a paralegal for the Bread and Roses Legal Center.

James Kilgore (he/him) is a researcher and activist based in Urbana, Illinois. Jim is the father of two sons and life partner of African historian Terri Barnes. He is the author of six books, including The Warehouse: A Visual Primer on Mass Incarceration and Understanding Mass Incarceration: A People's Guide to the Key Civil Rights Struggle of Our Time (The New Press, 2015). He drafted four of those volumes (including this one) during his six and a half years in California prisons as a political prisoner. He is currently a Building Community Power Fellow at Community Justice Exchange and formerly a research fellow at MediaJustice, where he founded the Challenging E-Carceration project. He is also director of advocacy and outreach for FirstFollowers Reentry Program in Champaign, Illinois. Jim also contributed to the book Rattling the Cages.