A Work-in-Progress

Most of my family and friends know that I am writing a (kind of) memoir about my experiences as the mother of Damon Anthony Moyler, son, brother, uncle, and friend who spent most of his 35 years incarcerated.

In June 1999, a corrections officer found him unconscious in his cell at the Wende Correctional Facility in upstate New York. Efforts to revive him failed.

Some people have asked if writing about his life and death is painful.

Despite shedding tears along the way, my journalistic training required that I treat this like any other assignment: Be scrupulous in my depictions of people and events.

At the beginning, I sorted and read all his letters dating back to 1986. Based on names from these letters, I arranged private interviews with three inmates (through the NYS Department of Corrections’ public relations office) who had known Damon in prison.Next, I petitioned surrogate’s court for a letter of testamentary to obtain access to information regarding his “estate.” With this letter, I requested copies of his prison medical and disciplinary records and the autopsy summary.At the National Archives in New York City, I located documents (and prison photos of his injuries) related to two civil suits Damon had filed against Rikers Island correctional officers for alleged assaults against him.With funds provided by my best friend, Rose, I traveled upstate to the county clerk’s office in Lockport, NY, where I photocopied hundred pages of trial transcripts.Armed with a voluminous background materials, I began writing in 2000.Today, almost 20 years later, and after many draft revisions, I am doing the final edit of 23 chapters.My next step: find a publisher or self-publish.For all of you who encouraged and supported me, thank you.I hope that soon you will be able read our remarkable story.

Other Projects

  • "Second Chance" is a short-short story about new possibilities

  • Murder at Harlem General is in outline form.

  • Backwoods Surgeon is a docu-novel based on the life of Dr. J. Marion Sims, who pioneered procedures and surgical instruments in women's reproductive health. In order to perfect his procedures, Sims operated on several slave women.