The Conductor and the Convict

Outside orchestra and currently incarcerated artists collaborate in special event

On Sept. 20, 2025, the gym at Central California Women’s facility was transformed into a sanctuary of sound, poetry, and purpose.

The event featured the internationally acclaimed Magik*Magik Orchestra in collaboration with Success Stories’ Co-Manager of Coaching Bleu Inkk Watkins and six extraordinary, incarcerated poets. The goal of the event was to facilitate healing through the unlikely, but awe-inspiring collaboration amongst artists, both inside and outside.

“This event delivered far more than entertainment — it was a moving and unforgettable experience that centered on transformation, self-expression, and deep human connection,” said Watkins.

The performance began promptly at noon. The lighting in the gym was intentionally dimmed, casting a peaceful and serene glow across the audience and stage.

This gentle atmosphere welcomed a diverse group of attendees from programs and organizations, including the Inmate Advisory Council, Peer Support, Comfort Care and Palliative Care, Offender Mentor Certification Program, Beyond Incarceration Panel, Guiding Rage into Power, Veterans Healing Veterans, and the two graduating classes of Success Stories. Guests, musicians, and poets gathered shoulder-to-shoulder in shared anticipation.

At the front of the gym, members of the Magik*Magik Orchestra were already seated and tuned. The ensemble included Clio Hilton on viola, Stephanie Bibbo on violin, Erin Wang on cello, Jennifer Ellis on harp, and Minna Choi — founder and artistic director of the orchestra — conducting and performing on piano.

Their presence alone signaled the power of this performance; classically trained, yet adaptable, the group is known for bridging genres and collaborating with artists across disciplines.

Serving as host and Master of Ceremonies was Watkins — affectionately known by CCWF residents as “Bleu.” A formerly incarcerated poet, mentor, and outside facilitator of Success Stories, a program that offers feminist programming to people who have caused harm. Bleu has been a weekly presence at CCWF for the past three years.

Bleu set the tone by saying, “All of you are bigger and better than the seat you are sitting in. I’m here every week because you guys are important to me; sometimes it takes me six hours to get here, but I get here.”

The six talented poets from our very own CCWF were Brenda Bowers, Adanna Ibe, Myra Rangel, Medeon Dean, Anna Brown, and Brooke Rottiers, each of whom performed three poems in company with the orchestra.

Rottiers kicked off the afternoon with a heart-wrenching poem in concert with Magik*Magik about turning her struggles into triumphs.

Rottiers said, “I came from a place that was supposed to be taken,” yet she is still standing strong, confident in her voice and words.

The harp accompanying Rottiers was especially melancholic and heartfelt.

Following Rottiers was Brown with a poem about her “precious daughter.” Her love for her daughter was both “heartfelt and painful,” said Bleu.

The third poet was Dean. Dressed all in white, Dean performed a love poem entitled “I Miss You.” It was both romantic and forlorn as he expressed his love lost.

“This is a wonderful example of expressing self and trauma; what a creative outlet,” Dean said.

Rangel emoted her struggle with her mother, addiction, and guilt in her poem. She ended with the emotional words, “Through it all, still I stand here, say it isn’t so.”

Bowers performed her poem to inspire change for the next generation. She made the entire gym explode with applause and head nods.

Lastly, Ibe finished the first rotation of poetry with the words, “I am beauty unashamed. I am a rose that never wilts, filled with every spring,” in her poem about strength and resilience.

The audience was mesmerized by both the orchestra and the words of the poets.

Betty Martinez, an incarcerated individual from Veterans Healing Veterans said, “This event was unexpected, profound, and a new way to approach self-help that allows for creative expression.”

Aguire, another member of the audience and volunteer with Comfort Care exclaimed, “All of the performers were amazing and inspiring, all the musicians here today were a part of my self-care today. And now I know why I felt compelled to come to this event.”

The afternoon concluded with an off-the-cuff performance by Choi on piano and Bleu on the microphone expressing her sheer will in her healing journey, which concluded with a standing ovation and an encore. “Today was amazing. The convict and the conductor performing at CCWF,” Bleu exclaimed.