Ink from the Pen
A Prison Memoir
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Narrated by:
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Michael Crouch
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By:
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Mark Olmsted
About this listen
Ink from the Pen is the story of an educated, HIV+ gay man whose decades-long walk on the wild side came crashing down in 2004, when he found himself facing nine months in prison for dealing the crystal meth he’d become addicted to during the worst of the AIDS epidemic. An accomplished writer, Olmsted soon discovered his love of words was precisely what would get him through the experience. With a keen eye for the finely-observed detail and an unerring capacity to deftly convey the poignancy and absurdities of incarceration, Mark learned that creativity is one of the most powerful survival tools there is.
©2017 Mark Olmsteed (P)2022 Mark OlmstedListeners also enjoyed...
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The Night Listener
- By: Armistead Maupin
- Narrated by: Armistead Maupin
- Length: 9 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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This unprecedented audio project is as thought-provoking as it is mesmeric. The Night Listener is a meditation on the power of voices and the faith we place in them, and an extraordinary audio experience from an American literary icon.
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Wheels within wheels
- By Naomi on 07-06-03
By: Armistead Maupin
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Baltimore Blues
- Tess Monaghan, Book 1
- By: Laura Lippman
- Narrated by: Deborah Hazlett
- Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Unemployed at 29, Tess Monaghan is willing to take any freelance job to pay the rent—including a bit of unorthodox snooping for her rowing buddy, Darryl "Rock" Paxton. In a city where someone is murdered almost every day, attorney Michael Abramowitz's death should be just another statistic. But the slain lawyer's notoriety—and his noontime trysts with Rock's fiancée—make the case front page news...and point to Rock as the likely murderer. But trying to prove her friend's innocence could prove costly to Tess.
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I'm on #8 - This series is almost unique
- By connie on 02-19-12
By: Laura Lippman
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Out of Orange
- A Memoir
- By: Cleary Wolters
- Narrated by: Barbara Rosenblat
- Length: 11 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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The real-life Alex Vause from the critically acclaimed, top-rated Netflix show Orange Is the New Black tells her story in her own words for the first time - a powerful, surprising memoir about crime and punishment, friendship and marriage, and a life caught in the ruinous drug trade and beyond.
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Must read for OITNB fans
- By D. T. Douglas on 06-21-15
By: Cleary Wolters
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The Upside
- A Memoir
- By: Abdel Sellou
- Narrated by: Ray Chase
- Length: 5 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1992, Count Phillippe Pozzo di Borgo, on the heels of his wife's diagnosis with a terminal illness, suffered a paragliding accident that left him a quadriplegic. Forty-two years old, trapped inside his luxurious Paris town house, he was an outcast for the first time in his life. Abdel, an unemployed Algerian immigrant who had been an outcast for his entire existence, would become Phillipe's unlikely caretaker. Quick-thinking, unsentimental, and more than a little wild, Abdel surprises both himself and his employer.
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loved it
- By RockyDog on 01-31-19
By: Abdel Sellou
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Digging Up Mother
- A Love Story
- By: Johnny Depp - foreword, Doug Stanhope
- Narrated by: Doug Stanhope and Friends
- Length: 12 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Doug Stanhope is one of the most critically acclaimed and stridently unrepentant comedians of his generation. What will surprise some is that he owes so much of his dark and sometimes uncomfortably honest sense of humor to his mother, Bonnie.
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Not my thing.
- By J. Harral on 01-27-18
By: Johnny Depp - foreword, and others
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Because I Come from a Crazy Family
- The Making of a Psychiatrist
- By: Edward M. Hallowell
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 13 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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When Edward M. Hallowell was 11, a voice out of nowhere told him he should become a psychiatrist. A mental health professional of the time would have called this psychosis. But young Edward (Ned) took it in stride, despite not quite knowing what "psychiatrist" meant. With a psychotic father, an alcoholic mother, an abusive stepfather, and two so-called learning disabilities of his own, Ned was accustomed to unpredictable behaviour from those around him and to a mind he felt he couldn't always control.
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Love and connection permeates through this book!
- By Steve Steinmetz on 06-29-18
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Finding Fish
- A Memoir
- By: Antwone Q. Fisher
- Narrated by: Thomas Penny
- Length: 12 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Baby Boy Fisher was raised in institutions from the moment of his birth in prison to a single mother. He ultimately came to live with a foster family, where he endured near-constant verbal and physical abuse. In his midteens he escaped and enlisted in the navy, where he became a man of the world, raised by the family he created for himself. Finding Fish shows how, out of this unlikely mix of deprivation and hope, an artist was born.
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This book will not disappoint you.
- By Joseph on 10-16-16
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This Is Not Over
- A Novel
- By: Holly Brown
- Narrated by: Madeleine Maby, Donna Postel
- Length: 11 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Two very different women with this in common: Each harbors her own secret, her own reason why she can't just let this go. Neither can yield, not before they've dredged up all that's hidden, even if it has the power to shatter all they've built.
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Pettiness Turn Twisted!
- By Jenn on 01-19-17
By: Holly Brown
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A Bad Idea I'm About to Do
- True Tales of Seriously Poor Judgment and Stunningly Awkward Adventure
- By: Chris Gethard
- Narrated by: Chris Gethard
- Length: 7 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Chris Gethard has often found himself in awkward situations most people, including you, probably would have safely avoided. The good news is now, thanks to this book, you can enjoy the painfully funny consequences of his unfortunate decisions at a safe distance. A Bad Idea I'm About to Do invites listeners to join Chris as he navigates an adolescence and adulthood mired in hilariously ill-fated nerdom, and to take comfort in the fact that - as his experiences often prove - things could always be much, much worse.
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Loved it!!!
- By Amber G on 10-02-20
By: Chris Gethard
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The Soloist
- A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music
- By: Steve Lopez
- Narrated by: William Hughes
- Length: 6 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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When journalist Steve Lopez sees Nathaniel Ayers playing his heart out on a two-string violin on Los Angeles' skid row, he finds it impossible to walk away. More than 30 years ago, Ayers was a promising classical bass student at Juilliard - ambitious, charming, and also one of the few African-Americans there - until he gradually lost his ability to function, overcome by schizophrenia.
Over time, the two men form a bond and Lopez imagines that he might be able to change Ayers' life. The Soloist is a beautifully told story of devotion in the face of seemingly unbeatable challenges.
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Fantastic Audiobook
- By reggie p on 06-26-08
By: Steve Lopez
What listeners say about Ink from the Pen
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Ludwig's Son
- 07-30-22
Peering behind the bars
In the foreword to his prison memoir “Ink from the Pen,” Mark Olmsted states frankly that he saw his fellow inmates as actors, whose actions he observed as “little plays.” Recording what he saw in letters to his sister, the letters became a blog and then this fascinating account of life in various prisons, as seen through the eyes of a highly educated, articulate, intelligent white man from what many would see as an enviable background. Interwoven with prison escapades of cons with nicknames like Undertaker, Extra, Whisper, and Thumper, are memories of childhood summers in France with his family, little league games in suburban Virginia, all the security of a loving, middle-class white family.
So how did Olmsted end up in prison for drug dealing, after being denied bail (this wasn’t his first arrest). He lets us know up front that he’s not going to tell us - not in this book. His intention, and achievement, is to give a picture of prison life, which, for many, is dangerous and lonely. While Olmsted receives buckets of mail, many men get none at all. They have been forgotten by everyone they knew or loved. The book is a way of remembering them.
The prose is both straightforward and lyrical. The reading by Michael Crouch is superb - direct, sympathetic without sentimentality, all “characters” beautifully acted. It’s a compelling performance, one to savor over a days, a chapter or two at a time.
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- MS
- 07-31-22
Exquisitely written and narrated
I read Ink from the Pen when it was first released. In full disclosure I've known the author for several
decades and have always been a huge fan of his writing. We worked together on a film project and were
even roommates once upon a time. What I didn't know was that he was living a double life and that I like
anyone who knew him was astounded upon hearing the reason for his arrest and imprisonment.
Mark Olmsted was/is one of the most intelligent, keenly observant, compassionate, generous and
unequivocally hilarious humanitarians I've ever met. That he landed in prison still prompts a cartoon
shake of the head but listening to his story--expertly and beautifully narrated by Michael Crouch--
reminds me of how complex, vulnerable and mercurial the human spirit is and how limiting it is to
identify someone as merely the sum of the worst event in their lives.
If you still have a beach vacation on the books, I cannot recommend this book enough.
Thank you Mark Olmsted for having the courage to tell this story, the wisdom to remain faithful to the
truth and the compassion to shine a light on those who may never see the light of day outside of prison
walls.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Mike S Martinez
- 08-09-22
Like a great novel but nonfiction.
This book is set in prison, a world of disturbances where everything is taken away and people are divvied up by the lowest common denominator. But unlike other prison memoirs Mark's book jumps right over all the tired tropes of prison. The writing is impeccable, like a great novel but nonfiction. This book expertly takes you into the psyche of (seemingly) outwardly detestable characters, making you empathize with people you'd otherwise wouldn't consider. It's exactly the kind of humanism we need right now. You can’t help but read too fast because the story ebbs and flows so smoothly but the words are beautiful and worth savoring.
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- Robert H. Ischinger
- 07-29-22
Brought the book to life
I had read INK FROM THE PEN last year and enjoyed the read. Listening to the audio version brought the book to life and gave me a whole new perspective on the book. For me it made many aspects of the book memorable. I especially will remember a poem called HERE. A sad statement on so many marginalized people. I often laughed out loud and at times brought tears to my eyes. If you are looking for a great story of survival and redemption this is a great book to listen to.
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- Sandra Sena
- 08-29-22
Coming of age prison memoir? Trust me, just read!
Wow. Just wow. I would have never picked up this book without a friend's passionate recommendation. My escapist choices rarely go to "a prison memoir" but I do have a self imposed rule to read things outside my norm with the hope of learning the unexpected. There but for the grace of... whatever... is the story of choices, consequences, wit, wisdom, love, and humor. The power of creativity in so many incarnations. What defines our common core of humanity. What always touches me in the stories I read or movies I watch, is witnessing personal growth and self realization, and always best when served up in a dish of kindness. The language in this story was beautiful...seriously, one does not expect words like affable or espadrilles, nor references to Moonstruck or All About Eve, to pop up in a prison story.
The author could be any one of my dearest friends- who I would love to include in my dinner gatherings. There are so many stories walking among us. This is a perfect example of why I'm fed up with the glut of stories of "other worlds" when there is so much to delve into under our noses. And yes, the writing was beautiful. I often paused to note the turn of phrase.
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- DaisyJayne
- 11-17-22
Loss and beauty
Mark Olmstead writes about his experience in prison as a gay man, but the story is so much more than that basic premise. It’s a reflective recapturing of his past, what drove him to ruin and almost death, and in the end, it’s about the love of his family. Prison saved his life and changed the entire direction of his path. The book is clever in a fun, insider-ish manner…”In fact I got a big kick out of knowing that I am almost certainly the only person in the history of the California prison system to be reading Talk Of The Town in the New Yorker, while chowing down on unpardoned turkey tacos.”
I loved the book, finished it in only three sittings. Bittersweet at times and always a unique perspective as part of a targeted population in a very scary place, and how Mark dealt with his circumstances with humor, fast thinking, “reading the room/cell,” and making the absolute best of a brutal situation.
Highly recommended read.
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- A. Nick Winans
- 03-31-23
Stories of prison, family and redemption
“…the redemptive power of creativity” the author delicately states in”Ink From a Pen”. As much a seductive memoir of gritty incarceration as it is of family, heart and yes indeed, redemption.
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- Nance R. Meeker
- 08-06-22
Completely satisfying. And surprisingly beautiful.
I joined Audible to listen to this book. My digital library of audiobooks is enormous, pushing 1000, which might qualify me as a credible witness. Olmstead’s story would have riveted me in any medium, but I have never heard a more perfect match of narrator to book since the late Patrick Tull enacted Patrick O’Brian. I expected good; I did not expect the excellence I found in Audible’s Ink From the Pen. I’ll be gifting both the audio and paperback versions to the most discerning readers I know.
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- Amy Tollner
- 08-01-22
Excellent Story & match of Narrator & Author
Finished this book on audible a few days ago. Michael Crouch is the perfect narrator for Mr Olmsted’s writing. It is so authentic to his writing voice and he conveys the author’s sentiments perfectly. Such an excellent book. So glad I could listen!
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