It is about time that we have another episode of Story time, Taylor Conley talks a little about what's going on an the trials an tribulations faced while in prison and working on all these projects. Designed Conviction Entertainment re releases So Cold through there new distribution with universal music groups empire distribution. Life of a Lifer is giving away so cold for free this weekend, so be sure to not miss out, and Taylor announced about something big in the works with designed conviction entertainment. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/designedconvictio ..read more

A new venture with an old friend, remember our friend OG, one of the founders of Manifest something beautiful?  With a similar concept and mission as Designed Conviction, Manifest Something Beautiful is an independent company whose mission statement is to display their beautiful expressions; through Music, Visuals, Spoken word, and through their clothing line PRVNU [PARVENU].  Taylor Conley has kept in touch with them since the first meeting back in 2019. We are now working together as Designed Conviction Entertainment is set to release their EP Titled: Certificate of Perseverance in ..read more

Cecilia brings this great interview with Antwann Johnson, a wrongly convicted man who is currently serving a life without parole sentence in the state of Missouri.  He has served more than 20 years and still maintains his innocence.  Despite this fact, he is doing positive things with his time. He and Cecilia discuss his work during the Covid 19 pandemic (which you can read a detailed account of here https://sfbayview.com/2021/05/against-the-odds-for-a-worthy-cause/), wrongly convictions, and other important topics. Thank you for listening, and please do not forget to join our mailin ..read more

In this episode of Life of a Lifer, Cecilia interviews David Bomber, a contributor to our magazine. For most of the part, he wants to bring attention to his case, below his testimony:   "In a nutshell, I am the first person to be convicted in Virginia's history of both aggravated malicious wounding and second-degree murder [of the same victim] that involved the same act - a stabbing that occurred while defending myself in my home from an assailant. In which case I am currently asking the Governor of Virginia to pardon part of my sentence, the aggravated malicious wounding conviction and r ..read more

Today Cecilia interviews Karen Brown, a woman who was sentenced to life without parole for 25 years at the age of 21. After 35 years incarcerated and applied for parole 3 times, she was denied future hearings, making her sentence an official LWOP.  Below some relevant information.    The recent decision about Karen Brown is a textbook example of what is wrong with our KY parole system. Seeing the parole board for the third time, Karen was given a “SERVE OUT” on a life sentence which means she will NEVER be released from prison and can NEVER again be considered for parole.   ..read more

Today Cecilia interviews Jose Armendariz, a man incarcerated at the age of 16. Below is the profile he shared with us.  My name is Jose Armendariz. I am a 30-year-old Mexican and Salvadoran-American man. I have been incarcerated since the age of 16. At 16, I was tried as an adult and sentenced to 80 years to life. While incarcerated, I have come to embrace what the late Congressman John Lewis called “good trouble.” As I have grown older, I have come to realize that simply expressing my beliefs in social justice does not create change. This motivated me to become a student, writer, and org ..read more

This episode takes us to Baltimore, where we met up with Chris Wilson, the man who worked his way out of a life sentence by showing he was rehabilitated. After reading his book "The Master Plan" Life of a Lifer, Taylor Conley felt compelled to reach out to him. Wife of A Lifer Cecilia Conley traveled across the country to capture the interview and make this come to life. In an exciting exchange, Chris also turns it on Taylor and asks him some questions. Chris's Story is remarkable. After growing up in a Washington D.C. project, he is a prime example of what is possible. --- Support this podcas ..read more

Taylor talks about how he is making the most of the time, finding ways to cope while everything is taken away. Hear about the thoughts and what he has been doing. He describes a couple of pieces of art work and the inspiration behind them, one being a painting which was inspired from a Diego Rivera painting who was a famous Mexican mural painter in the early nineteen hundreds... and the other a graphite pencil drawing that was inspired by a blizzard art piece. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/designedconviction/support ..read more

Torie Chisholm is a mentor and teacher for the nonprofit organization Second Chance Quest created by inmates and their families in 2015. He has been also a GED tutor. Torie has been Incarcerated since he was 15 years old at the Virginia Department of Corrections, 17 years later,  he's now 32. He has a strong network of advocates who argue he got a harsh sentence:  his crime didn't include murder or rape, still the state of Virginia gave him 47 years in prison.  In his wife words: "I ask could you please help him to fight his case so that he could get out of prison he has 2 kids ..read more

In this episode of Life of a Lifer, Taylor does some introspection about the past few months. From not seeing his family, modified lockdowns, testing positive on Covid 19, to going back to his unit while we all wait for the end of this pandemic. He also discusses how he enjoyed "The master plan" by Chris Wilson, who, after serving 16 years for murder (life sentence), was set free by  a judge. Please remember to subscribe and visit us at www.lifeofalifer.com. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/designedconviction/support ..read more