Shaka with Boyd and Lucinda

Once a very angry, bitter young man, it was books that saved Shaka from self-destructing and allowed him to see beyond the barbed-wire fences that held him captive.  In an environment where hopelessness and despair grow like weeds, writing became his refuge.  While incarcerated, Shaka used the tools available to him to develop his writing skills, eventually penning six novels and countless poems and articles.  He is the author of the highly addictive novels “Crack: Volume 1,” and “Crack: Volume 2,” and most recently penned a book for misguided youth entitled “Live in Peace: A Youth Guide to Turning Hurt into Hope,” a companion piece to his mentoring program “Live in Peace.” 

Determined to beat the odds, Shaka hit the ground running as soon as he was released in June 2010, working with youth at the Detroit Job Corps, Cody High School, Don Bosco Hall, and the City of Southfield's alternative high school.  In January 2011, he made his acting debut in the “Mocha Monologues: Male Edition,” playing Darren, a single father who is often misjudged by society.  

Whether writing street lit or poetry, Shaka speaks the truth about the oppressive conditions of the 'hood and the not-so-glamorous side of the streets. He writes in a way that compels his readers to see the hope and humanity of a discarded generation shaped by the crack epidemic, the fall of the auto industry and the rise of the prison industrial complex.  

Shaka Senghor is a writer, mentor and founding CEO of Drop a Gem Publishing, LLC, a company he founded while serving 19 years in prison.  Refusing to allow his circumstances to define who he was or what he was capable of, Shaka spent his incarceration studying and preparing for life after prison.  Through years of self-reflection, he transformed his life and is determined to help guide other youth from the destructive path that led him to prison.

“Live in Peace Digital and Literary Arts Project” is a 12-week program led by Shaka Senghor.  It is designed to create a critical dialogue among youth around issues such as abuse, abandonment, addiction, domestic violence, consequences, emotional development, and personal transformation.  Shaka uses his experiences as a launching pad and leads participants in exercises that challenge destructive thinking patterns and behaviors and encourage peaceful resolution to life’s problems.

Many of our youth are yearning for the guidance and instruction of someone who understands their struggle and can relate to their story.  I’ve been where many of them are and I know where that path leads.  I often reflect on the tragedy of my youth and the destructive path that led me to prison and realize that there is no greater time than now for me to use my voice and the power of digital media and literary arts to counteract the culture of gun violence that has robbed our youth of their innocence and holds our communities hostage.