After a turbulent childhood and a history of delinquency, Jimmy was sentenced to five years in prison at age 21. While in jail, an unusual transformation occurred when he embraced reading and writing. During a fateful conflict with another inmate, Jimmy was shaken by the voices of Neruda and Lorca, and made a choice that would alter his destiny. Instead of becoming a hardened criminal, he emerged from prison with his own poetic voice. In 1979, the year after his release, he earned his GED.
Over the years, Jimmy’s work has matured from journal-like poems to revealing memoirs and poignant short stories. His themes include American Southwest barrios, addiction, injustice, community, love, and beyond. Black Mesa Poems (1986-89) was Jimmy’s first widely-published poetry collection. Martin & Meditations on the South Valley (1987), his highly-acclaimed long narrative poem, won the 1988 Before Columbus Foundation’s American Book Award. His 2001 memoir, A Place to Stand: The Making of a Poet won the prestigious International Award. His first short story collection, The Importance of a Piece of Paper, was published in 2004. Jimmy wrote the screenplay for the controversial 1993 Taylor Hackford film Bound by Honor (aka Blood in, Blood out). An International Poetry Slam champion, Jimmy’s other awards include the National Endowment of Poetry Award, Vogelstein Foundation Award, Berkeley Regents Award, Pushcart Prize, Southwest Book Award, and American Book Award.
As an essayist, editor, and foreword guest, Jimmy chooses authors and subjects which mirror his own journey from outsider to artist. For more than 25 years, he has conducted writing workshops in correctional facilities across the United States. In 2005, he founded Cedar Tree, Inc., a nonprofit organization that runs the Prison Literacy Project, which avails education and scholarships to inmates. A PBS documentary about the project is being produced. Jimmy is the 2006 recipient of the American Council on Education’s Cornelius P. Turner Award for outstanding public service achievement since earning a GED.
