20 Things with Christopher Zoukis, co-author of 'Directory of Federal Prisons'
Christopher
Zoukis is an impassioned advocate for prison education, a legal scholar,
and a prolific writer of books, book reviews, and articles. His articles
on prison education and prison law appear frequently in Prison Legal News, and
have been published in The Kansas City Star, The Sacramento Bee, Blog Critics,
and Midwest Book Review, among other national, regional, and specialty
publications.
Mr.
Zoukis is often quoted on matters concerning prison law, criminal law,
prisoners' rights, and prison education. Recently, he was the focus of an
article at Salon.com concerning America's
broken criminal justice system and potential solutions to the current crisis.
When
not in the thick of the battle for prison reform, prison education, or
prisoners' rights advocacy, Mr. Zoukis can be found blogging at PrisonLawBlog.com, PrisonEducation.com, and ChristopherZoukis.com.
1.
Are you a morning writer or a night writer?
I
don't know about you, but in my life there is no such thing as being only one
or the other. In my work with PrisonEducation.com, PrisonLawBlog.com,
ChristopherZoukis.com, and Prison Legal News, I write when writing needs
to be
done. This usually means both researching and writing throughout
the day and night depending on the project at hand.
2.
Do you outline or are you a pantster?
It
really depends. On academic and legal projects, researching certainly has
to come first. For example, with my ebook the Directory of Federal
Prisons, I first had to obtain all of the required research materials, then
I was able to start the writing process. But, when I wrote my novel Hamish
-- which we are currently in discussions with Zharmae Publishers concerning its
publication -- I wrote the first draft by the seat of my pants. So, a mix
of the two.
3.
Which comes first -- plot or character?
Certainly
plot. While characters bring life to the plot, it is the plot that acts
like a roadmap to the story. This certainly doesn't discount the
characters' development. After all, your characters change throughout the
story. They grow as the plot unfolds.
4.
Noise or quiet when working on your manuscript?
Quiet.
I'm very ADD, so I need quiet. Since I work in fits and bursts throughout
the day, this isn't often too hard to manage, even though prison is a very loud
place.
5.
Favorite TV show?
Right
now I'm in love with The Americans on FX. It's terrific, great
writing. Also very good is Walking Dead and Suits. I have to watch
these shows through the window of my prison cell at nights, because the cell
doors are locked at 9:00 PM
each night, and most of these shows come on at 10:00 PM.
6.
Favorite type of music?
I'm
fairly eclectic in my listening preferences. When I work, I prefer
classical music or meditation music, without any words. But when working
out, I can be found listening to Dubstep, alternative rock, and heavy
rock. I love Yellowcard, a New Found Glory, Blink 182, and Three Days
Grace.
7.
Favorite craft besides writing?
I
do a lot of legal work and I also play in a prison Ultimate Frisbee
League. So, as far as crafts go, I'd say post-conviction
litigation. But as far as favorite activities, probably Ultimate Frisbee.
8.
Do you play a musical instrument?
I
do. I play the bass guitar, although I was better years ago when I used
to play more often. For that matter, I used to play regular guitar,
too. Sadly, I've forgotten more than I've learned in recent years, but I
can remember enough to pick up a bass and surprise my musician friends!
9.
Single or married?
I'm
single, but don't plan on being forever. I've been incarcerated within
the Federal Bureau of Prisons for the past 8 years. So, being single in
here is a very good thing. But upon release -- in 4 more years -- I plan
to start thinking about setting down some roots.
10.
Children or not?
I
do not have any children. This is largely due to the fact that I've been
in prison since I was a senior in high school. But perhaps one day.
11.
Pets?
While
I've had cats and dogs throughout the years, these days I take care of a feral
pigeon flock at my prison. I consider these prison pigeons to be my pets,
and many of them have names and like to be hand-fed. You can read about
my experiences with the prison pigeons of FCI Petersburg at PrisonLawBlog.com's
FCI Petersburg Pigeon Project. Just click on the large pigeon.
12.
Favorite place to write?
Again,
this depends on the type of writing. If I'm doing legal writing, then I'm
usually doing so in my prison's law library. Academic and other
research-based writing usually starts in my prison cell, but then is completed
at a computer terminal in my housing unit. For blogging and articles and
such, I often draft right on the computer terminal in my housing unit.
13.
Favorite restaurant?
I've
been in prison for 8 years now. And the chow hall is nothing to write
home about, but perhaps something to write to the local health inspector
over. With that being said, I eat a lot of food made outside of the chow
hall. Most days I can find someone selling fried wraps containing
chicken, beef, broccoli, cheeses, and other ingredients. But the best
cook around is my good friend T.J.. For our birthdays, he really goes out
of his way and creates amazing dishes and desserts, all from food available for
purchase in our prison's commissary. His cheesecake is as good as any I
have ever tasted outside of prison. In fact, I didn't even like
cheesecake before I came to prison. Now, I can't get enough of it.
14.
Do you work outside the home?
While
I have a prison work detail -- I am assigned to work in my prison's recreation
department on weekends -- I consider my prison education, prisoners' rights,
and social justice advocacy to be my work. I spend most of my waking
hours writing for prisoneducation.com,
prisonlawblog.com, and christopherzoukis.com,
along with Prison Legal News. While not a conventional job, it
certainly is a lot of work.
15.
What was the name of the last movie you saw?
I
watched Gladiator the other day on the television. Does that count?
Considering that I'm in prison, I can't get out much to catch a new flick in
theaters.
16.
Favorite outdoor activity?
I
love playing Ultimate Frisbee. We have a whole crew here at FCI
Petersburg who play many evenings from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. While we often have
a league each year, we mostly play "free rec" games where everyone
shows up, gets picked for a team, and plays until the 8:00 PM activities move is called,
when the internal prison gates are unlocked and we can return to our housing
units.
17.
Pet peeve?
I
hate loud noise. Prison is such a loud place. People scream, beat
on things, and slam things all day long. It really can get on one's
nerves very quickly. Hence, my MP3 player and classical tunes are never
far away. They help to block out all of the useless, pointless noise.
18.
Your goal in life?
To
make a difference. In my writing, social justice advocacy, and personal
interactions, I aim to make the world a better place. When I find
problems, I craft solutions for them. And if my writing can impact public
policy, and thus countless prisoners' and their family's lives, then I will
have succeeded beyond my wildest dreams.
19.
Your most exciting moment?
There
have been many, good and bad. It is always a thrill to sign a book
contract. So, too, it is enthralling to hold the first copy off the press.
And still, I get an excited tingling whenever I land a particularly big article
or assignment. My life is made up of lots of these exciting
moments. May they never stop to reach deep into my soul and stir me to
action.
20.
Who is the love of your life?
While
I love to write and agitate for good, I long for a love of one's life as being
a partner, a significant other. And I don't think that I've found her
yet. Maybe one day. I imagine that in 4 years my real chance will
start to find whoever it might be.
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