One of my favorite things of 2012.

In early November, I got the opportunity to do something I never thought I would get to. I made the trek to Chicago's Logan Square Auditorium and met Damien Echols.

Now you may or may not know who Damien Echols is. If you're interested in finding out more, see a couple of my previous posts on the West Memphis Three. These days, I consider Damien an author and an activist. Damien himself has said, in his book Life After Death which I reviewed here, "I'm often plagued by thoughts that people will think of me only as either someone on Death Row or someone who used to be on Death Row." Every day puts him farther and farther away from being that person, and that makes me happier than I could explain.

The event was put together by a new book shop in Chicago, City Lit Books. It was a question and answer session with Damien first, with a book signing and meeting opportunity afterward. Since it's been so many months, I don't remember most of the poignant comments made throughout the interview portion, but one quote stuck out so much I Instagrammed it. "If you don't have the things you love in your life, its not worth living."

One of my personal favorite parts about the interview was just hearing Damien talk about his life post Death Row. How he and his wife, Lorri, decided to live in Salem, Massachusetts. The things he likes to do. Things he has experienced in just over a year out of prison. Tattooing X's on people in a shop in New York. Little things we would all take for granted, like how to use an iPhone. All things that go back to that quote and how he is living it to the fullest every single day.

It was a great adventure, and something I needed to do in order to break up my day to day. Above all, though, I finally got to meet someone I never thought I would get the opportunity to. When I finally got up to the table, I could not think of a single thing to say. I had two books, both Almost Home, which has been out of print for a long time and was written while Damien was on Death Row, and Life After Death, his newest. He was happy to sign both, and I was glad to have the opportunity. What did I say to him? Nothing but "thank you".

When I think about it, I'm not exactly sure why I was thanking him. Of course, for the signatures, but also for not giving up on himself. Not giving up on the truth - and though he, Jason, and Jessie have not been exonerated for the crime, they are still trying.

If anything inspires me about the West Memphis Three, it is their inability to give up on the truth, and that is a big reason why I stayed with the case. They inspired me to stand for something beyond myself, and we all need something to believe in.

Book Club...Tuesday? Life After Death by Damien Echols

If you have been reading this blog for any length of time, you will know that I have been a longtime supporter of the West Memphis Three. When I heard that Damien Echols was releasing a book, I was immediately interested, and picked it up as soon as I could. I finished it this morning, and walked away from it with the following thoughts. The book itself is called Life After Death, and it was released on September 18th.

The writing was phenomenal. Damien, who after seventeen years behind bars was released last August, has a definite way with words - especially for someone so soft spoken. It was wonderful to read about his childhood, though the story itself was a sad one. Most of the book was the story of his life leading up to his arrest - it was not a 'woe is me' pity party like some might expect it to be. In fact, I enjoyed not reading the ins and outs of the case all over again. It was refreshing to hear - or read - Damien be so blatantly honest about his life leading up to his arrest. This was not my first time reading Damien's words - his first book, Almost Home, was something I remember finding on eBay or a site of the like, and something I read cover to cover in one sitting.

If you are expecting a salacious memoir about seventeen years in prison, look elsewhere. The book is more a sequel to Almost Home than anything - the story of a man somewhat broken by prison life, but not broken to the point that he gave up.

For years, I have constantly felt a connection to not only Damien, but the West Memphis Three situation as a whole. As I wrote in this post a couple of days after their release, it is a situation that still brings me to tears to this day.

To see Damien out in the world and being as successful as he is is wonderful. I feel incredibly proud to be a supporter of the West Memphis Three, and could not be happier that he can enjoy the things he outlines so well in the book - winter, life with his wife, Lorri, and chasing the dream of exoneration. It is wonderful to see that he never let the years behind bars kill him inside, though they tried.

While he was in prison, I always wanted to write Damien - tell him how connected I felt, but it's not something I can do anymore, for obvious reasons - and just this once, I'll keep my words to myself, since freedom is a greater gift than any letter could ever be.