PUBLISHED BY OUR COMMUNITY: “13 Shades of Black” by August Wolf
By Travis Wolfkill, Iowa State Penitentiary
About Travis:
I was given a sentence of Life Without Parole while still a teenager. Something that continues to keep my mind liberated is reading and writing. In 2012 my first collection of short stories titled, Diary of a Satanist was released. Since then my work has appeared in Lessons of the Game by Mike Enemigo and Bleak Walls Bright Minds by Sue Hutchins as well as several magazines and newspapers. I also enjoy chess, movies, and eclectic art.
“Books break the shackles of time. Proof that humans can work magic.”
The following is a blurb and distanced reflection of 13 Shades of Black: Collected Stories from the author Travis Wolfhart, who writes under the pseudonym August Wolf.
An obscure trove of short stories penned over a decade in a Midwestern maximum security prison. At first, it appears there is no discernable theme. The randomness of the Wolf collection lacks discipline. Pondering everything from extraterrestrials to being buried alive, readers are taken on a rocky and often erotic journey. Crafted with the heart of an abolitionist using imagination to transcend a cement hell, these stories will make you laugh as well as question reality.
August Wolf (a pseudonym) was given Life without the possibility of parole for a crime he committed while still a teenager. He draws inspiration from sci-fi, conspiracy theories, horror, and comedy. While the title is an obvious nod to the exact number of stories collected, it is also a reference to the 13th Amendment which prohibits slavery and involuntary servitude "except as punishment for a crime." This work is a form of freedom and is not to be dismissed into obscurity.
“They put me in a cell for the sole purpose of breaking my spirit... Our cells were meant to be death chambers. We turned them into high schools, universities, debate halls, law schools...”
Write to Travis
Did you appreciate Travis’ collection of stories? Let him know by addressing a letter to him at the address below:
Travis John Wolfkill, #6188588
Iowa State Penitentiary -1110
Po Box 96777
Las Vegas, NV 89193
If you’re new to corresponding with incarcerated pen pals, here are a few tips and resources:
When addressing the letter, don’t forget to include Travis’ inmate number, or the mail will not make it to him
Read this guide to sending mail through the Iowa Department of Corrections
For general advice about starting a pen pal relationship, Black and Pink PenPals have an outstanding guide