Outskirts Press, INC.

Enter the world of Ken The Pen. He was convicted of bank robbery, and spent almost 3 years in the New Jersey Department of Corrections, after a drug-fueled 2015 bank robbery spree in Newark, New Jersey. Ken The Pen is a moniker for Ken Stassa, alias Kenneth Strassa. While an inmate, Kenneth Strassa wrote these poems, in the form of emails, and sent them directly to his brother, Rick Stassa.

All these poems were typed from a noisy, crowded, and hostile prison dayroom kiosk, deemed the "Chaos," as it was the reason for many fights. Like the phone, it was a daily ritual of getting in line to use either. These 40 emails (poems) have been preserved without any editing or transcription. They all have a specific date and time while Kenneth Strassa was incarcerated from 2017 - 2020. These rare pieces of art are priceless in their original form.

With the aid of only a dictionary, since other literary tools are sparse, these uncut gems of intellect were carved out of mental anguish, loneliness, and despair. These poems will rivet your soul, and change your perspective on life, love, and suffering with human resolve and Godly intervention.

With a full measure of poetic license, some spelling and grammar errors, Ken The Pen steers the reader into crisp philosophical and spiritual insight when battling adversity.

This nonfiction narrative is documented with pictures and legal paperwork. These poems are all factual in content.

“Now go inside the vault and open your safe deposit box with a key from Ken The Pen.”