"MensWork has allowed me to face the man I had become and start to be the man I truly want to be."                                            —Stephan O., inmate MCI-Shirley

Twice a week, Blase Provitola's volunteer work takes him through the trap, a passage where one door clangs shut behind him before the one in front of him opens. It is obvious that his destination isn't the Town Hall meeting room. It is MCI-Shirley, a medium-security state prison, where Provitola helps incarcerated men take responsibility for their lives and learn that real change is possible through self-inquiry.

Linda Hoffman and Blase Provitola. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)

In a recent interview, Provitola and his partner, Linda Hoffman, talked passionately about the prison work they are doing and equally passionately about "teaching to learn," the personal insight and growth that comes with facilitating the courses and workshops.

Provitola began working with prisoners in the mid-1990s, teaching Emotional Awareness, a personal growth and emotional literacy program that seeks to heal issues at the root of an inmate's behavior and break a cycle of criminal conduct. The course helps prisoners confront personal issues like childhood wounding, anger, and grieving. It also helps them take responsibility for their crimes and the ways they may have harmed others.

In 2002, Provitola and colleague Ron Kearns created MensWork, Inc., to build on the work begun in Emotional Awareness classes. Kearns is no longer a prison volunteer, but Provitola continues teaching MensWork, a 12-week course that explores topics related to men's growth and development, such as myths of manhood; men and violence; sons, fathers, men, and mentoring; personal responsibility; and transforming inner obstacles.

"MensWork is not just for guys behind the walls. It really is about looking at what is change," Provitola explained. "People who've never done any kind of work at all, who've grown up in really tough circumstances—when you ask them about change, they don't really know what that means. They just know they don't want to keep doing what they're doing. It's about looking at your own beliefs and how you're projecting them. You can change your mind, change your belief systems, and therefore have a different experience with your world."

"We create a space for self-examination," he continued. "There are not a lot of places in prison where you can trust. Prison is all about taking care of where you stand, being very defensive, being the 'stand-up man' and having to physically take care of yourself. You mind your own business; you don't show vulnerability. We're creating a space where you're trusting other men—and that you're actually entering into the world where you can be vulnerable."

"When you see a man break down in tears in class, then you know—you know—they're on the track for some kind of connection with their internal world and some kind of behavioral change because they are beginning to connect with all that hurt," Provitola said.

"And it is so powerful for the others to witness that," added Hoffman. "It gives them permission often to then speak from their heart."

By regulation, Provitola can't have contact with inmates once they are released, but he has learned through the grapevine that many men from the programs have successfully transitioned from prison to working and family lives.

Provitola inspired Hoffman to get involved. "Blase would come home and talk about these different men and it was just so interesting. It opens your life up—I don't meet people normally like this on the street. It expands your life," Hoffman said.

She began teaching an Emotional Awareness course after taking it herself—a requirement for volunteers. Talking about her own experience, in turn, inspired Kathryn Liebowitz and Susan Edmonds Richmond, fellow editors at the Wild Apples Journal, to join her, teaching a creative writing and poetry course Hoffman started.

Provitola, Hoffman, Liebowitz, and Richmond will read inmates' poems and talk about their work at the upcoming Warner Free Lecture Feb. 11.

"There are some amazing poets. People will be just blown away," Hoffman said.

Only men teach MensWork and/or lead the Men's Circle, and Provitola's biggest frustration is finding more men to teach with him. Ninety percent of volunteers in prison are women, yet Provitola believes it is men growing together and speaking openly and honestly about their lives that is healing and needed.

To be volunteers, "Men don't have to know the answer or be the expert, they just need to be interested and willing to engage in the process," said Hoffman.

"You teach to learn," Hoffman and Provitola simultaneously repeated.