Q & A with author Deborah Tobola and Susan J. Farese of SJF Communications

SJF: SJF: In a nutshell, tell us about your book or written piece.
DT: Here are the short and longer versions of the official description of my book:

Short version – Alternating between tales of creating original theatre in a men’s prison and her own story, Deborah Tobola’s Hummingbird in Underworld takes the reader on an unforgettable journey, affirming the power of art and the strength of the human spirit.

Longer version – At the age of forty-five, Deborah Tobola returns to her birthplace, San Luis Obispo, to work in the very prison her father had worked in when he was a student at Cal Poly. But she’s not wearing a uniform as he did; she’s there to teach creative writing and manage the prison’s arts program — a dream job.

As she creates a theatre program for prisoners, Tobola finds plenty of drama off the stage as well. Inside the razor wire she finds a world frozen in the ’50s, with no contact with the outside, except for by telephone. Deborah battles officers who think prisoners don’t deserve programs; bureaucrats who want to cut arts funding; and inmates who steal, or worse.

But she loves engaging prisoners in the arts and helping them discover their voices: men like Opie, the gentleman robber; Razor, the roughneck who subscribes to the New Yorker; charismatic Green Eyes, who really has blue eyes, and Doo Wop, a singer known for the desserts he creates from prison fare.

SJF: SJF: How has storytelling influenced your life?
DT: Storytelling has shaped my life. I fell in love with literature when I was child and started writing then.

SJF: SJF: What are you excited about when it comes to participating in the inaugural San Diego Writers Festival?
DT: I’m excited to hear the keynote speaker Piper Kerman, meet new writers, and reconnect with old friends who are San Diego poets.

SJF: Many thanks, Deborah!

Learn More about Deborah Tobola
Visit her on facebook, and her more about Poetic Justice Project (facebook page)  

Learn More about Susan J. Farese of SJF Communications