Home Authors Posts by Tom Portwood

Tom Portwood

30 POSTS 0 COMMENTS

Hard Road to Redemption: Part II

A Community Advocate and Paralegal, Michael Baldwin Sr. moved to Modesto in November, 2018, following a stint of almost 27 years as an inmate of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). While in the CDCR system, he resided at Corcoran State Prison and San Quentin State Prison, among others. Mr. Baldwin readily admits […]

Michael Baldwin Senior: Hard Road to Redemption

A Community Advocate and Paralegal, Michael Baldwin Sr. moved to Modesto in November, 2018, following a stint of almost 27 years as an inmate of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). While in the CDCR system, he resided at Corcoran State Prison and San Quentin State Prison, among others. Mr. Baldwin readily admits […]

Award-winning Patty Castillo Davis: A Voice for Social Justice

MAMA award-winning singer/songwriter Patty Castillo Davis is quick to admit that, even as a little girl, she was all about the words, the music, and the beat as she sat in front of the television watching Nancy Sinatra power through the lyrics of “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’.” “I loved Nancy, and I wanted […]

Modesto Poet, Writer, & Activist Tina Curiel-Allen

In sharp, powerful images from her poem “The Things I Stole,” the fine Xicana/Boricua poet, writer, and activist Tina Curiel-Allen recalls one of the most painful but transformative experiences of her life: It wasn’t until jail that I found a place that could steal from me, /I found walls that ate time and tears like […]

Community Profile: Modesto Poet Laureate Stella Beratlis

When Modesto Poet Laureate and MJC librarian Stella Beratlis heard that her first book of poetry (Alkali Sink, Sixteen Rivers Press, 2015) had been nominated for that year’s Northern California Book Awards, she admitted recently that she was, “totally floored— because in my wildest dreams where I allowed myself to imagine how my book was […]

Covid-19 Brings New Challenges for Haven Emergency Shelter

While many of us are making often radical adjustments to our lives during this tragic time, those people living in an abusive environment at home can find themselves even more isolated than ever. May Rico, the Executive Director at the Haven Women’s Center of Stanislaus, shared her thoughts on that issue in a telephone interview […]

Salvation Army Berberian Shelter: Safe Harbor for those in Need

The stark reality of the Coronavirus Pandemic has brought new hardships to one of our community’s most vulnerable populations—our fellow residents who are homeless. But while the pandemic presents a fresh set of terrifying challenges to those living on the street, the staff at Modesto’s Salvation Army Berberian Shelter, on the corner of 9th and […]

Community Profile: Award-winning Poet & KCBP Radio Programmer Linda Scheller

Linda Scheller’s Fierce Light has recently received accolades from outside our area, earning prizes in the National League of American Pen Women’s 2020 Catherine Cushman Leach Poetry Award competition. “The Ballad of Dr. James Barry” received 2nd place, and “Hill Top” earned 3rd place. The awards will be given in Washington, D.C. in April. Stanislaus […]

CASA: Advocating for Children in Foster Care

“At any given time in Stanislaus County there’s somewhere between 800 to 1,000 children in foster care,” recently lamented Steve Ashman, who serves as the Executive Director of CASA of Stanislaus County. “Children in foster care are not in foster care because of something they did, but, rather, something that’s been done to them. A […]

WELL: Seeds Leading to Success and Wellness

When she was a little girl of six or seven, Alana Scott asked her mom to buy a certain toy. When her mom told her she couldn’t purchase the item because it wasn’t in the budget, she then further explained that it was important not to spend more than what you brought in, and showed […]