On a beautiful June day in San Luis Obispo a special group of friends who have become family gathered to honor Deborah and Willie for their tremendous work contributing to WJA’s mission through our Prison Arts Project and Poetic Justice Project. This event in celebration of William James Association’s 50th anniversary, honors the amazing people who embody our work with their gifts of creativity, care and dedication to humanizing perceptions of people who are or have been incarcerated.

It is our privilege to honor Deborah Tobola for her unbending commitment to sharing the power of storytelling through poetry, playwriting, and performance with people during and after incarceration. Deborah brought her care and craft to teaching and spearheading art programs at California Men’s Colony for 16 years, inspiring many toward self-discovery and transformation with kindness, empathy and doggedness.   Deborah’s groundbreaking Poetic justice Project creates possibilities and fosters community, offering people with carceral experiences, opportunities to realize their unique voice and awesome selves through the arts – unlocking hearts and minds with bold, original theatre – for audience & actors alike.

We are also pleased to honor Guillermo Willie, an artist with a powerful influence on people who are “searching for a new path.” After years honing his art and cultivating a joyful embrace of life, he won many times in the annual WJA Prison Arts Competition for incarcerated artists. Since he paroled, Willie has flourished as an artist, and now teaches art for the WJA Prison Arts Project at the California Men’s Colony, where he served the last 18 years of his 38-year sentence. Willie continues to share his talents and beautiful spirit, always reminding us that “life is sweet!”